diff --git a/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks.go b/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks.go
index 813bd0665..258619856 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks.go
@@ -2,14 +2,40 @@ package particle
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
-	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
-	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
-	"io/ioutil"
 	"log"
 	"net/http"
 	"time"
+
+	"github.com/gorilla/mux"
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf"
 )
 
+type event struct {
+	Name        string `json:"event"`
+	Data        data   `json:"data"`
+	TTL         int    `json:"ttl"`
+	PublishedAt string `json:"published_at"`
+	Database    string `json:"influx_db"`
+}
+
+type data struct {
+	Tags   map[string]string      `json:"tags"`
+	Fields map[string]interface{} `json:"values"`
+}
+
+func newEvent() *event {
+	return &event{
+		Data: data{
+			Tags:   make(map[string]string),
+			Fields: make(map[string]interface{}),
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func (e *event) Time() (time.Time, error) {
+	return time.Parse("2006-01-02T15:04:05Z", e.PublishedAt)
+}
+
 type ParticleWebhook struct {
 	Path string
 	acc  telegraf.Accumulator
@@ -23,26 +49,19 @@ func (rb *ParticleWebhook) Register(router *mux.Router, acc telegraf.Accumulator
 
 func (rb *ParticleWebhook) eventHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
 	defer r.Body.Close()
-	data, err := ioutil.ReadAll(r.Body)
+	e := newEvent()
+	if err := json.NewDecoder(r.Body).Decode(e); err != nil {
+		log.Println(err)
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
+		return
+	}
+
+	pTime, err := e.Time()
 	if err != nil {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
-		return
-	}
-	dummy := &DummyData{}
-	if err := json.Unmarshal(data, dummy); err != nil {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
-		return
-	}
-	pd := &ParticleData{}
-	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(dummy.Data), pd); err != nil {
-		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
-		return
-	}
-	pTime, err := dummy.Time()
-	if err != nil {
-		log.Printf("Time Conversion Error")
 		pTime = time.Now()
+		log.Printf("error parsing particle event time: %s. Using telegraf host time instead: %s", e.PublishedAt, pTime)
 	}
-	rb.acc.AddFields(dummy.InfluxDB, pd.Fields, pd.Tags, pTime)
+
+	rb.acc.AddFields(e.Name, e.Data.Fields, e.Data.Tags, pTime)
 	w.WriteHeader(http.StatusOK)
 }
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_events.go b/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_events.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 089536525..000000000
--- a/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_events.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,22 +0,0 @@
-package particle
-
-import (
-	"time"
-)
-
-type DummyData struct {
-	Event       string `json:"event"`
-	Data        string `json:"data"`
-	Ttl         int    `json:"ttl"`
-	PublishedAt string `json:"published_at"`
-	InfluxDB    string `json:"influx_db"`
-}
-type ParticleData struct {
-	Event  string                 `json:"event"`
-	Tags   map[string]string      `json:"tags"`
-	Fields map[string]interface{} `json:"values"`
-}
-
-func (d *DummyData) Time() (time.Time, error) {
-	return time.Parse("2006-01-02T15:04:05Z", d.PublishedAt)
-}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_events_json_test.go b/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_events_json_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index aef0537e9..000000000
--- a/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_events_json_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,39 +0,0 @@
-package particle
-
-func NewItemJSON() string {
-	return `
-	{ 
-	  "event": "temperature",
-	  "data": "{ 
-		  "tags": {
-			  "id": "230035001147343438323536", 
-			  "location": "TravelingWilbury"
-		  }, 
-		  "values": {
-			  "temp_c": 26.680000, 
-			  "temp_f": 80.024001, 
-			  "humidity": 44.937500, 
-			  "pressure": 998.998901, 
-			  "altitude": 119.331436, 
-			  "broadband": 1266, 
-			  "infrared": 528, 
-			  "lux": 0
-		  }
-	  }",
-	  "ttl": 60,
-	  "published_at": "2017-09-28T21:54:10.897Z",
-	  "coreid": "123456789938323536",
-	  "userid": "1234ee123ac8e5ec1231a123d",
-	  "version": 10,
-	  "public": false,
-	  "productID": 1234,
-	  "name": "sensor"
-	  "influx_db": "mydata"
-  }`
-}
-func UnknowJSON() string {
-	return `
-    {
-      "event": "roger"
-    }`
-}
diff --git a/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_test.go b/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_test.go
index c62e0f0c8..eecf26e14 100644
--- a/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_test.go
+++ b/plugins/inputs/webhooks/particle/particle_webhooks_test.go
@@ -1,17 +1,16 @@
 package particle
 
 import (
-	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/testutil"
-	"log"
 	"net/http"
 	"net/http/httptest"
 	"strings"
 	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/influxdata/telegraf/testutil"
 )
 
 func postWebhooks(rb *ParticleWebhook, eventBody string) *httptest.ResponseRecorder {
 	req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "/", strings.NewReader(eventBody))
-	log.Printf("eventBody: %s\n", eventBody)
 	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
 	w.Code = 500
 
@@ -21,10 +20,10 @@ func postWebhooks(rb *ParticleWebhook, eventBody string) *httptest.ResponseRecor
 }
 
 func TestNewItem(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
 	var acc testutil.Accumulator
 	rb := &ParticleWebhook{Path: "/particle", acc: &acc}
 	resp := postWebhooks(rb, NewItemJSON())
-	log.Printf("Respnse: %s\n", resp.Body)
 	if resp.Code != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Errorf("POST new_item returned HTTP status code %v.\nExpected %v", resp.Code, http.StatusOK)
 	}
@@ -32,12 +31,12 @@ func TestNewItem(t *testing.T) {
 	fields := map[string]interface{}{
 		"temp_c":    26.680000,
 		"temp_f":    80.024001,
+		"infrared":  528.0,
+		"lux":       0.0,
 		"humidity":  44.937500,
 		"pressure":  998.998901,
 		"altitude":  119.331436,
-		"broadband": 1266,
-		"infrared":  528,
-		"lux":       0,
+		"broadband": 1266.0,
 	}
 
 	tags := map[string]string{
@@ -45,13 +44,54 @@ func TestNewItem(t *testing.T) {
 		"location": "TravelingWilbury",
 	}
 
-	acc.AssertContainsTaggedFields(t, "particle_webhooks", fields, tags)
+	acc.AssertContainsTaggedFields(t, "temperature", fields, tags)
 }
+
 func TestUnknowItem(t *testing.T) {
-	rb := &ParticleWebhook{Path: "/particle"}
+	t.Parallel()
+	var acc testutil.Accumulator
+	rb := &ParticleWebhook{Path: "/particle", acc: &acc}
 	resp := postWebhooks(rb, UnknowJSON())
-	log.Printf("Response: %s\n", resp.Body)
 	if resp.Code != http.StatusOK {
 		t.Errorf("POST unknown returned HTTP status code %v.\nExpected %v", resp.Code, http.StatusOK)
 	}
 }
+
+func NewItemJSON() string {
+	return `
+	{
+	  "event": "temperature",
+	  "data": {
+		  "tags": {
+			  "id": "230035001147343438323536",
+			  "location": "TravelingWilbury"
+		  },
+		  "values": {
+			  "temp_c": 26.680000,
+			  "temp_f": 80.024001,
+			  "humidity": 44.937500,
+			  "pressure": 998.998901,
+			  "altitude": 119.331436,
+			  "broadband": 1266,
+			  "infrared": 528,
+			  "lux": 0
+		  }
+	  },
+	  "ttl": 60,
+	  "published_at": "2017-09-28T21:54:10.897Z",
+	  "coreid": "123456789938323536",
+	  "userid": "1234ee123ac8e5ec1231a123d",
+	  "version": 10,
+	  "public": false,
+	  "productID": 1234,
+	  "name": "sensor",
+	  "influx_db": "mydata"
+  }`
+}
+
+func UnknowJSON() string {
+	return `
+    {
+      "event": "roger"
+    }`
+}