30 Second Death

Laura Bradford

Jul 2017 · A Tobi Tobias Mystery Book 2 · Lyrical Press

About this ebook

To help an old friend, Tobi Tobias gets a third-rate thespian a part in a commercial, and learns that in the advertising business, bad acting can lead to murder . . .

When Tobi Tobias opened her own advertising agency, Carter McDade was there for her every step of the way. A brilliant hairdresser, Carter has just landed his dream project: doing hair and makeup for a theatrical production of Rapunzel. But the dream turns into a nightmare when he runs into Fiona Renoir, a cruel, talentless starlet who won’t let Carter touch a hair on her head.

To get Fiona out of Carter’s hair, Tobi hires the difficult actress for a bit part in her latest commercial. But true to character, Fiona is a terror on set, and Tobi is starting to think she’s made the biggest mistake of her life. But things get even worse when Fiona drops dead in the hairdresser’s chair, and the only suspect is the man left holding the tainted hair dye, Carter McDade. And unless Tobi can prove his innocence, he’ll never do hair in this town again.

Ratings and reviews

30 Second Death by Laura Bradford is the second book in A Tobi Tobias Mystery series. Tobi’s friend Carter McDade needs a little help. He is a hairdresser for the Central West End Theater and has been having a hard time with the temperamental and troublesome Fiona Renoir. Carter ended up having an extremely vocal argument with her at the theater and is afraid of losing his job (which he loves). Frank Martindale, the theater’s owner, will not go against Fiona, because she is his niece (which is why she has a job along with the fact that no one else would put up with her antics and diva attitude). Tobi decides to help Carter by giving Fiona a role in the Salonquility commercial. Tobi immediately regrets her act of kindness when Fiona causes drama on the set (upsetting the crew). They get through the first two segments of the commercial and take a short break before they start the hair dying portion of the commercial. Tobi is getting ready to return to the set when she hears Carter scream. She rushes in and finds him staring at Fiona on the floor—dead! Thanks to the very public argument Carter had with Fiona, he is suspect number one. Grandpa Stu returns to town to help Tobi with the investigation and spend a little quality time with Martha Rapple (which makes Tobi cringe). Tobi, with Grandpa Stu’s assistance, needs to whittle down the long suspect list (no one liked Fiona) and find the killer. Will she be able to clear Carter’s name before the cops slap him behind bars? 30 Second Death is an easy to read book. There are some cute moments in the story and the details the author allowed me to envision it in my head (an example is Rudder described in pj’s, nightcap and slippers). I wish, though, that the author had devoted more time and effort into the mystery. It was obvious who would be murdered and how (the nasty person is always bumped off). I identified the killer early in the novel (very limited suspect pool). I am rating 30 Second Death 3 out of 5 stars. Tobi has the maturity of a teenager girl at times (with regard to her personal life). Grandpa Stu’s relationship with Martha Rapple makes her want to throw up. This fact is frequently mentioned. Then the parrot, Rudder makes fun of her laugh (snort, snort). She gets annoyed with the bird (over and over). I admit that I got annoyed with it being mentioned every single time she called the pet store or visited it (repetition of details seems to be a common theme). The whodunit took a backseat in 30 Second Death. More time was devoted to Tobi’s relationship with Andy (and the current problem they are experiencing), Mary Fran’s noise problem at the pet store, Tobi’s need to have sweets and chocolate on hand, and Mary Fran’s high school reunion (and getting the chance to reconnect with the guy she liked in high school). I just felt 30 Second Death was lacking (I wanted more, but that is me). Readers who prefer a light, humorous “cozy” mystery will enjoy 30 Second Death.

About the author

Laura Bradford is also the author of several bestselling mystery series, including the Amish Mysteries and the Tobi Tobias Series. She lives in Mohegan Lake, New York, with her husband and their blended brood. Visit her website at laurabradford.com.