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 … 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.
more
GREAT READ! I CAN SEE THIS HAPPENING. WHEN PEOPLE BECOME DIVAS, THEY THINK EVERYTHING IS ABOUT ONLY THEM. WHEN THEY DON’T GET WHAT THEY WANT, THEY THROW A FIT AND DON’T CARE WHO GETS HURT. IT IS EASY TO GET PULLED INTO THE BOOK AND BECOME A PART OF IT. YOU GET ANGRY, HAPPY, AND TRY TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY, ALL TO CLEAR YOUR FRIEND. I CANNOT WAIT TO READ MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR.
When Tobi’s friend Carter goes off on an actress at the theater where he works, he’s afraid of losing his job. Tobi decides to help out by hiring the actress to be in a commercial she is about to shoot for an advertising client, but when the actress dies on set while Carter is coloring her hair, he immediately finds himself the top suspect. Now Tobi must do another favor – clear Carter of murder.
I loved the first book in this series, and one of the main reasons was the characters. They are a delight to be around, and their relationships are so wonderful. I felt the mystery in this one was slow, especially in the first half where a couple of sub-plots got in the way of Tobi solving the mystery. Still, it did reach a logical conclusion at the end.
It was fun to read and I would read another one with these characters.
Clearly defined characters, who behave in realistic ways. The ending felt rushed. Still an enjoyable read.
I’m kind of middle-of-the-road – it wasn’t a barn-burner book, but I enjoyed the time with the characters.
30 Second Death by Laura Bradford is the second book in her Tobi Tobias series. This book picked up seamlessly from the first book.
I like Tobi because she is a smart and often funny and a chocoholic which could make her and me friends. She also is devoted to her friends and family. The secondary characters, Mary Fran, Sam, Carter and Grandpa Stu are also back which added several dimensions to the story. Ms. Bradford’s descriptive writing and well crafted characters always make me feel that I am right there with them. Tobi is busy with two new clients and dealing with another romantic disappointment. She is also trying to support Mary Fran as she is facing a problem with her new neighbor at her pet store. Then the murder happens and her bff, Carter, is the number one suspect. We all know that Tobi is not going to let that stand. Plenty of suspects and twists kept me turning the pages as I was completely at a loss as to who committed the murder.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Press/Kensington via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
30 Second Death was even better than Death in Advertising! Laura Bradford is an outstanding author who creates multifaceted characters with depth and wonderful hearts. This time that heart has put Tobi in a terrible position. Tobi’s best friend is about to lose his job after blasting his boss’s niece while said boss was standing behind him. To try to get the, hum, uh, the little minx, out of his hair, Tobi hires the mediocre actress with a divas attitude to act in a commercial for her newest client. The first pain is in having to tell another woman, one that she likes, that she is out commercial to make room for Fiona. The next pain is putting up with the diva during the preparation and shooting of the commercial, and the final pain is dealing with fallout from the death of the diva on her set, right at Carter’s feet and guess who becomes the prime suspect…of course, Carter McDade, the best friend she was trying to help. If that isn’t tough enough for you, her still-kind-of-new-but-really-important boyfriend takes her out for a lovely dinner only to have his ex-fiancé show up, the one who left him.
It was great to have another visit from her awesome grandfather and to spend time with Sam and Mary Fran. These secondary characters contribute making this stand out as special.
Since I loved the first book in the Tobi Tobias Mystery series, I was thrilled to get a chance to read an advanced readers’ copy of 30 Second Death. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this opportunity. I always review books that I enjoy and I loved 30 Second Death and look forward to the next book in the series.