It’s always an exciting moment when I find out that a brand new series is releasing from an author I already admire! Such is the case with DEATH IN ADVERTISING, the Tobi Tobias Mystery series by Laura Bradford. The tongue in cheek humor pulled me in from the very first page while the antics of the quirky characters had me chuckling, anxious to see what they were going to do next. I was in awe of the creativity the author exhibited in portraying the advertising campaign her protagonist, Tobi, was involved in….impressive, witty slogans that had me wondering if Laura had been in advertising herself in a prior life. Even though DEATH IN ADVERTISING is a lighthearted and entertaining read, the murder mystery itself is well plotted with believable suspects. I adored the setup of finding the victim in the closet right after Tobi Tobias debuted her ad slogan, “Zander’s closet system can find a place for everything. Even a skeleton”.
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In addition to a good mystery and fun, laugh out loud moments, there’s a sweet closeness between Tobi, her friends, and her grandfather. Tobi realizes that no matter what happens, true friends are what’s most important in life. I especially enjoyed the protagonist’s involvement in her best friend’s pet shop, which showed heartwarming care and concern towards the animals in its facility. The African Grey Parrot, Baboo, who was rescued after his owner was murdered, is a good example. The sensitive, heartbroken bird is treated with respect and love as they try to help the creature mend.
While there are no recipes included with the book, the victim’s housekeeper is always making muffins and mini muffins for the people who come and go during the investigation. Tobi Tobias’s main form of cooking, on the other hand, extends to opening a box of Cocoa Puffs…frequently. Laura has graciously shared her recipe for Applesauce Mini Muffins with us. She told me that the recipe was acquired during one of the events her daughter’s Girl Scout troop participated in and that it was by far the favorite of all the girls. I can attest that these lovely mini bites of yumminess were a hit with my granddaughter. I dropped them off at her house before she was out of school. On my drive home I received FOUR texts in a row from her! Now being a safe driver I did not look at my texts (I have a special tone just for Em) but as soon as it was safely possible I called her, worried that it was an emergency. Her response? “OMG, you HAVE to email me that muffin recipe right away!” I did but then she decided it was much easier just asking me to make her another batch when she ran out 🙂
Amazon Synopsis
When Tobi Tobias decided to open her own ad agency, having to moonlight in a pet shop wasn’t part of her vision . . . of course, neither was murder. Sometimes when opportunity knocks, the door you open leads to a closet. That’s certainly the case for Tobi, whose weekends spent cleaning cages in her best friend’s pet shop may soon be over. She’s just landed her first big break-Zander Closet Company needs a catchy campaign slogan ASAP, and Tobi thinks she’s got the right hook to knock ’em dead: “When we’re done, even your skeletons will have a place”. But when a real dead body topples out of a showcase closet, she’s about to discover there is such a thing as bad publicity. To save her fledgling business and not get killed by the competition, Tobi takes on a new pet project: solving the murder. But with a stressed-out parrot as the only witness to the crime, Tobi will really have to wing it to put the cagey killer behind bars.
A special thank you to Laura Bradford for providing an e-book copy of DEATH IN ADVERTISING for one lucky winner! Contest ends Thursday, February 16, 2017 at 11:59 pm PST. Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. The winner will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups baking mix (I use Bisquick)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine
- 1/4 cup sugar mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon for top of baked muffin
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F).
- Grease bottom only of muffin cups with solid vegetable shortening or line with mini muffin paper cups.
- Place baking mix, sugar, and cinnamon into bowl and mix.
- In a separate bowl, place egg, applesauce, milk and oil....blend together.
- Make a well into center of dry ingredients (directions say this, not sure why necessary).
- Pour liquid mixture into well and stir quickly until all dry ingredients are just moistened.
- Spoon batter into prepared cups (about 2/3 full).
- Bake for 10-12 mins.
- Melt butter in one bowl.
- Put cinnamon sugar mixture in a different bowl.
- Allow muffins to cool for 2 mins after removing from oven.
- Dip top of each muffin in melted butter and then cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- Serve warm.
- This recipe is best when baked as mini muffins.
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When I was growing up we always had birds; canaries, parakeets. Then as we got older there was Perry, a double yellow headed Amazon and Sam, a Rose Crowned Conure. Birds can be just as loving as any other animal if gotten early and trained. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com
I’ve never had a bird as a pet. Growing up, one of my best friends had two parakeets named Fred and Ethel, and they were fun, especially when they were allowed out of their cage.
Thanks for reviewing Death in Advertising! And so glad your granddaughter loved the muffins! They are a family favorite around here, that’s for sure!
Found the correct place to reply. I have a headache so that may explain my lack of mental clarity. ?
So yes we had birds. We had numerous parakeets/budgies and pairs of lovebirds etc as well. After our daughter went off to college, and our birds passed away, we didn’t replace them.
We had a talking parakeet named Poindexter ~
this recipe looks really good! Can’t wait to try it
Yes I used to have a cockatiel who loved to climb down my shoulder & eat the cheese off of my pizza.
I found a cockatiel walking beside my car in my driveway one morning as I was trying to leave. The neighbor’s cat was lurking just on the other side of he car. I couldn’t leave him, the poor little guy had his wings clipped so I knew he belonged to someone and would surely end up being lunch. He climbed right up and we went in the house to get him comfy before starting the search for his owner. I asked every close neighbor, I posted signs, called the animal shelters(FYI, they told me it is illegal to “harbor a fugitive bird”), but never found the owners. I named him Roman because I found him roaming =). I had him for more than a decade before there was a tragic accident that took him from me. He used to tell jokes(in bird language), laugh at himself and then take a bow. It cracked me up. Maybe his previous owner was a comedian.
My brother had a canary when we were growing up, but I never did. I had a cat.
I think this will be a wonderful new series to read! The muffin recipe looks easy and very tasty. All I have to do is find my mini muffin tins !
My niece has an African Grey parrot. He is astonishingly smart! Not just a mimic, but he knows when to use specific words.
Thanks for the muffin recipe! We love to bake muffins at our house for some reason…not really sure why. They are so yummy and fun to share. This book sounds great too!
I used to have 4 parakeets. 2 green and 2 blue ones. Thank you for a chance to win a E-book copy of Death In AdvertIsing.
Growing up we had a bluish parakeet. He would fly around the house, well, my sister and I (5 years old and 3 years old) thought he should be able to get out of his cage. Not the best move we ever made my father scolded, but we had good intentions. The bird didn’t get hurt or anything, and when it was hungry, it flew back into the cage. Needless to say the bird cage was suddenly out of our reach from them on.
Lovely recipe. Sounds like even I can do it!
Two birds a canary and a parakeet not at the same time.
I’ve owned parakeets as a child but it’s been decades since I have owned a bird. I also have cats and I don’t think they would appreciate the continuous temptation of a feathered meal.
I have never had a bird as a pet. I’ve mostly had cats and dogs. Muffin recipe looks amazing.
I had a parakeet when my daughter was a little girl (she’s 38 now). It was such a sweet little thing and would walk on my daughters head and nibble her hair. It made me so sad when the little thing died and I’ve never been able to make myself get another bird since.
My aunt and uncle in Florida always had pet birds: mainly parrots and parakeets. He had one bird trained to tell us “Bills will lose”, referring to our football team. It was pretty funny. We are a cat family so I don’t see a bird doing well here! Thanks for the chance to win! Sounds like a great start to a fabulous new series…
I have never had a bird as a pet, my mother was terrified of birds. My husband had an African grey parrot when I first met him. He never really talked (much like my husband) until I started talking to him (also like my husband).
Our 5th grade classroom had a parakeet that I got to take home & care for over our 2 week Christmas Vacation. That was a fun experience. Then when friends who raised different types of birds decided to divorce I had to care for 2 of their parrots until it was decided who was getting which one. That was an eye opening experience, as they talked to each other anytime their cages were uncovered. LOL Thanks for a great recipe. Can’t wait to try this new series.
My grandmother had a parakeet but that’s the closest I’ve come to owning a bird.
I had parakeets when I was a teenager. I did have neighbors where I use to live that had parrots and Macaws and other beautiful birds.
No birds for me. I did, however, go to a Hummingbird Festival in Sedona last year with my sisters. Really fun time.
Never. I once agreed to pet sit a bird, and it got out of the cage and scared my mother half to death
Had all kinds of animals as pets but no birds. Not sure hy but have friends who have had birds.
We always had dogs as pets, but my Grandmother had a blue bird, Petey!
No I haven’t or would I own a bird. My ex-mother-in-law in her younger years had parrot fever. Now I don’t know if it’s from a parrot or not, but she said they had a parrot. I’ve known people who had birds and they are messy and loud, tweeting all the time until they got covered up at night. Don’t get me wrong people that have birds I do think they’re pretty, but just not for me.
No I haven’t.
These muffins look great! I loved the YouTube video. I will definitely be trying these. My family didn’t have birds but my husbands family did. They had at least six or seven different types and sometimes they got loose and we would spend the day trying to capture them!
Oh, those look delicious. We’ve never had a bird as a pet…though when I was younger, a baby blue jay fell out of the nest and his parents wouldn’t take him back, so he was in the house for a while, until he could fly on his own.
Growing up I had a bunny, cat, a dog and several goldfish but never a bird.
No, I’ve never had a bird as a pet. This book sounds like a great book.
Allergic to birds. Not apples the mini muffins are cute
The Book sounds amazing. Fabulous review.