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Book Review of Bell, Book and Corpses (Nick and Nora, Bk 7)

Bell, Book and Corpses (Nick and Nora, Bk 7)
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Dollycas's Thoughts

Where better to hold a community fundraiser on Halloween than in a mansion said to be linked to fatal curses and witchcraft? Waincroft Manor has been vacant for years and the current owner willingly gives her approval. But when Nora, her detective cat Nick and a few committee members arrive to check out the creepy place a young boy runs out the door, struggles with Nora, pushes her down, and runs into the woods. While all that is happening Nick escapes into the house. When Nora catches up with him she finds a coffin in the room. A coffin complete with a dead body.  A dead body with two bite marks on its neck. A body that was drained of all its blood. Witchcraft, curses, okay, but there was no mention of vampires!

Will Nick and Nora be able to figure out who sucked the blood out of the victim in time to save the fundraiser? Or will Nick spell out more doom and gloom? Will Nora's snooping go too far and cost her her life? And one of Nick's too?

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This is such a fun series! Ms. LoTempio's characters are so well-crafted. She gives a twist to the characters of The Thin Man movies. This Nick is a cool cat with a unique talent and flair for solving murders. This Nora owns a sandwich shop and just passed a private investigator course making her even more credible butting into the investigation. Or so she thought. Her previous FBI boyfriend is off on a case but she has now started dating Leroy Samms, another FBI agent she had an "intimate moment" with in college. Nick's former human, also named Nick is a PI and possible spy whose whereabouts are unknown, which is a mystery Nora hasn't been able to solve.

The author has written a complex mystery. The motive was hard to define but Nora with Nick delved in to follow each clue and came up with some interesting theories. Then there was another murder which gave Nora more things to figure out. It wasn't until a ballpoint pen burst and brought back an important memory that the clues started to fall into place. But was Nora too late? She needed to follow through to see if she was right. This led to a surprising finding, reveal, confrontation, and a scary situation. I loved all the red herrings, twists, and turns, and that mystery was compelling and not easy to solve. It made me think. I also loved the humor of the ending and Nick's Scrabble tiles.

Bell, Book, and Corpses was a totally entertaining read and I escaped right into it. I love the unique investigative team of Nick and Nora and can never get enough. I am keen to see what Ms. LoTempio has planned for them next. I hope this series continues for a long time.