Actress Shell McMillan is left a pet shop (and a Persian cat named Purrday) by her beloved aunt when she passes away. Since her TV show has been cancelled, Shell takes the chance to pack up herself and her cat Kalhua and step away from Hollywood and into the town of Fox Hollow. But it isn’t long before Shell is pulled into the investigation of the murder of a woman with whom she had a very public argument…which puts her high up on the suspect list.

Shell figures the only way to clear herself is to catch the murderer, so she starts checking out who else had a motive and finds out the victim made a lot of enemies. Shell and her cats have their work cut out for them, along with a cadre of new and old friends, to help clear the actress’ name!

T.C. LoTempio is a new author to me, and I really enjoyed how she included her heroine’s pets in the storyline. She has created an interesting town with some intriguing characters in a supporting role to a strong female protagonist, along with a plot line with enough twists and suspicious characters to keep you reading and enjoying this cozy mystery. I will certainly watch for the next in this new Urban Tails Pet Shop Mysteries series.

4 stars