The Tobi Tobias series has rapidly become one of my favorite cozy mystery series. The books are consistently well-written, suspenseful, and just fun to read. And Death Goes To...is the third book in the series. I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first two books.

The basics: Tobi's advertising agency is up for an award. She gets all gussied up and goes to the awards banquet. Her firm is up for the Best Overall Ad Campaign Award, and Tobi is incredibly exited. Who can blame her? She's worked hard building up the business in St. Louis, MO. She's excited to be up for the biggest award of the night. The winner takes home the Golden Storyboard, a coveted and prestigious award. The entire evening falls flat after an award winner is killed when a staircase collapses, sending her crashing to the stage below. Turns out it wasn't an accident, but murder. Tobi's Grandpa Stu immediately begins to brainstorm what the motive might be, and soon Tobi finds herself pulled in to yet another murder investigation. Was it greed? Professional jealousy? Revenge? Why would someone have sabotaged that staircase?

I enjoyed this newest bit of sleuthing by Tobi, her Grandpa Stu, and the rest of the gang. The mystery moved at a nice pace with plenty of suspects and investigation. The background theme of the advertising agency and the drama that comes with it is interesting and entertaining. It didn't over power the mystery portion of the book, but adds depth to it. I wasn't surprised by the ending of this one, but enjoyed the action leading up to the reveal. This story provides some great character development for Tobi, her grandpa and his cranky love interest, Ms. Rapple. All in all, a great addition to the series! I'm looking forward to the next book!

To find out more about the author (who also writes as Elizabeth Lynn Casey) and her books, check out her website: http://www.laurabradford.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

Laura Bradford provides a solid mystery filled with twists and turns. I enjoyed trying to identify the killer, and I also greatly enjoyed the fact that there was a significant decrease in the use of all of Tobi's nicknames, which I found so distracting in the previous two books in the series. But in some ways, the mystery was overshadowed by Tobi's personal life.

Many times Tobi has mentioned the fact that she's "almost thirty" as though she has the wisdom of the ages at her disposal, but her behavior has proven otherwise. I was thrilled to bits that Tobi finally put on her big girl panties to deal with a situation in a truly adult manner. In some ways, this series could almost be considered the coming of age story of its main character.

As you can tell, I've let Bradford's characters get under my skin while I've been enjoying the mysteries they solve and the advertising background the author provides! The same thing will probably happen to you.

**I voluntarily read this ARC**

I love this series! Tobi is a strong, yet flawed, main character. The mystery was definitely twisty. I think I might've gasped out loud a few times during the reveal

And Death Goes To
A Tobi Tobias Mystery
Laura Bradford
5+ Stars


Synopsis:

The Tobias Ad Agency is in the running for the coveted Golden Storyboard, and Tobi couldn't be more thrilled—until she discovers it's literally an award to die for.

It’s an honor just to be nominated. But, let's get real, Tobi wants to win. The St. Louis Advertising Awards are like the Oscars for her field, and Tobi is up for its most prestigious prize, Best Overall Ad Campaign. The competition is always fierce, but this year it’s killer . . .

Despite her high hopes, Tobi isn't exactly shocked when she doesn’t win. But she is shocked when the winner, Deidre Ryan, takes the stage only to plummet to her death as a platform suddenly gives way. After the police discover foul play, Tobi's Grandpa Stu wastes no time in nominating suspects. But was Deidre the intended victim—or was someone else meant to take the fatal fall? Now it’s a race to catch a killer in the spotlight, before another nominee gets the booby prize and Tobi gets trapped in a no-win situation. (Amazon)


Review:

The characters are well rounded, well developed and three dimensional. I think they are some of my favorite characters in any cozy that I have read. Tobi is funny and I love the fact that she is a snackaholic and is not ashamed to admit it. Her Grandpa Stu is such a lovable character and you never know what he is going to do. I love the relationship between him and Tobi. Mary Fran, Tobi’s friend and Sam, Mary Fran’s son, are great people and they are wonderful friends to Tobi. They will do anything to help Tobi, but will also keep her in line if she needs it. And Rudder, Tobi’s bird archenemy, brings a lot of humor to the book.

The mystery was carried on well throughout the book. I liked the fact that Tobi or her friends did not stumble across a dead body, like in so many cozies that I read. There was a dead body but the death happened in a room full of witnesses. There are still plenty of suspects to consider and clues to sift through and it was not an easy mystery to solve. I felt like the mystery was secondary to the story which was great with me. I was just happy reading about everything that was happening in Tobi and her friends lives.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is a quick easy read. Once I started reading this book, I did not want to do anything else. I just wanted to spend time with all the characters, laugh at their antics and find out what was happening in their lives. In case you could not tell, I love these characters.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted funny entertaining cozy. The whole series is great and the books just keep getting better.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

And Death Goes To......by Laura Bradford is an exciting mystery that will leave you reading late into the evening.

Tobi is nominated for the prestigious award, Best Overall Ad Campaign.
Tobi is honored to be nominated, but she has no idea just how deadly this ward turns out to be.

In town for the extravaganza is Tobi's grandpa Stu, who is paying special attention to Tobi's cantankerous neighbor.
Unfortunately, Tobi bad mouths her neighbor and her grandpa hears her and it soon becomes tense between the loving relatives.

Nevertheless, Tobi and her grandpa team up to solve the mysterious death of another nominee and before long find themselves embroiled in deep secrets and lies.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this wonderful book.

Grab your copy on December 5th!

Classic cozy with an intrepid amateur, a murdered rival, and a boisterous group of family and friends. I'd not read the earlier books but I don't think that made a difference. Tobi is in the ad business and she's thrilled to have been nominated for an award. When the winner is killed, of course she's going to wonder whether this was about the victim or about her (don't we all think that way?). And, of course she's going to investigate. There are some twists, there's some humor, and there's a good heart, especially with regard to Tobi's grandfather. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

An Award to Die For
And Death Goes To… is the third book in Laura Bradford’s Tobi Tobias Mystery series. This is a steadily paced whodunit with a great storyline, well-developed and three-dimensional characters, lots of humor, and a touch of romance. The mystery is well plotted and there are lots of twists and turns to provide the reader with plenty of plausible suspects. While the murder mystery is intriguing, it takes a backseat to the characters in this installment and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to learn more about some of the sub characters and their backgrounds. I enjoy Ms. Bradford’s witty writing style and look forward to reading more of her books.

Tobi Tobias is the owner of the Tobias Ad Agency and she is one of four people whose ads have been nominated for the St. Louis advertising community’s prestigious Golden Storyboard award for Best Overall Ad Campaign. Sam Wazoli, her best friend’s sixteen-year-old son, has been nominated for an award for his photography because Tobi saw his talent and gave him a chance. Tobi’s happy that her Grandpa Stu is in town for the award ceremony, but to her dismay, he has invited her annoying neighbor, Martha Rapple, to be his plus one. Deidre Ryan is the winner of the Best Overall Ad Campaign, but when she takes the stage, the platform suddenly gives way, and she plunges to her death. Tobi’s secretary, JoAnna Kincaid, had arranged for an after party for Tobi and Sam and the group decides to go forward as planned for Sam’s sake even though the ceremony had a tragic ending. Grandpa Stu overhears Tobi make a derogatory comment to her boyfriend, Andy Zander, about Martha. The police rule the death as suspicious because it appears the stage has been tampered with. Tobi can’t get the scene out of her mind and doubts that Deidre was the intended victim. Tobi and Grandpa Stu try to figure who the intended victim was as well as determine the motive and identify the killer. Although her grandpa is helping her, he isn’t himself and Tobi becomes worried about him.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

This was the first book that I've read in this series, and although I thought the mystery element was well done, I really didn't like the protagonist. Perhaps if I'd read the previous books I wouldn't have taken against her the same way, but in this she comes across as selfish, spoilt and mean quite a lot of the time and the quirky character traits that you're meant to found endearing (loves candy and junk food, teasing a parrot) just grated on me and didn't help.

I might look for other books by Laura Bradford to see if her other protagonists are more likeable, but I don't think I'd read another book in this series.

This is the third book in the series. It can be read as a stand alone. There is enough clues to get you going back and forth on whodunit and motive and means. My head was spinning. We had a little bit of drama and romance- some humor to even things out. It was a well written quick read cozy mystery.

Tobi Tobias is up for the top award for St Louis advertising community when a death ruins the award show. Tobi and her cast of regulars -- Grandpa Sam and the rest-- rise to the challenge to unravel the mystery while entertaining the reader with camaraderie and charm. Recommended for all cozy lovers. In fact, I was excited when I saw this listed on netgalley after I read the first in the series. So thanks to them and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the third book in the Tobi Tobias mysteries, and although I enjoyed it I didn't think it was as good as the first two books. Tobi owns her own advertising agency, and she's finally up for a prestigious award. At the ceremony, the award winner is murdered onstage and Tobi wants to investigate.

The same fun cast of characters come back, but to the book moved along slowly. I love Laura Bradford's books usually, but this one left me lukewarm.

Thanks to Lyrical Underground and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is another solid entry in the series but it’s not great and there’s nothing remarkable about it. It is a good book and if you want a good cozy without pizazz, this certainly fits the bill.

Tobi Tobias has been nominated for the highest award in advertising in St. Louis and at the award ceremony she is not surprised when someone else is given the trophy but during the presentation when the winner goes up to the top of a fancy set, horror greets everyone when the platform collapses and the winner falls to her death. Tobi's family and friends are relieved she didn't win but they become entangled in the situation when it is discovered that the platform was sabotaged.

Tobi together with her grandfather Stu and her other cohorts dig deep to find the truth so that the innocent victim can have justice.

Still loving this series and the background story of Grandpa Stu and Ms. Rapple.
Hoping the next one is out soon!.

The author has provided a good mystery. Hardcore cozy mystery fans like me will not be disappointed. The flow of the book is very smooth. The characters all play a part. Readers will be able to relate to the main character Tobi for her issues with the neighbor and pets. Will recommend this to mystery readers.

If the length of the book is reduced, i felt the pace would have increased and would attract more readers (beyond cozy mystery lovers). Great job and overall a good read.

Thanks to Netgalley/Publisher for offering me the chance to read this book and provide review.