Tie Died by Tim Hall is the second book in the “Bert Shambles” mystery series. Publisher: Cozy Cat Press, March 2015

Bert Shambles is still recovering from the injuries he sustained in his first adventure when he is recognized at the local library by a lovely hippie named Scarlet. She hires Bert to help dispose of her deceased father’s memorabilia and takes him to a music festival at a local park, where they witness the tragic electrocution of the lead singer, who is an old friend of Scarlet’s. Bert soon finds himself entangled in a plot to steal a rare guitar, accidentally drugged with a powerful psychedelic, and dumped by his girlfriend and soul mate, Aria–until a second rock musician is found dead, and the clues all point to him as the prime suspect.

This was a very good read that had me rooting for Bert Shambles in this entertaining whodunit. The tone and the pacing of this light drama were nicely done, making it easy to follow the plot. The author has a way with the words as he describes the actions of Bert and his fellow characters. I like how the mystery was set-up with clues that the author planted to keep me glued to the pages. There were some amusing moments that caused a few chuckles with the interaction between Bert, Scarlett, China and Aria. Poor Bert, he tries so hard. I like the author’s approach in the telling of this story and I can’t wait to see what befalls Bert in the next book in this terrific series.