Ding Dong Dead (Wheeler Cozy Mystery) [Large Print] [Paperback]

Deb Baker (Author)

Book Description

Series: Wheeler Cozy Mystery | Publication Date: May 2009

Doll restorer Gretchen Birch and the other Phoenix Dollers can hardly wait to open their doll museum. But when an out-of-town doll-maker meets her own maker, the Dollers’s dream-come-true will soon prove more of a nightmare.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 377 pages
• Publisher: Wheeler Publishing; Lrg edition (May 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159722961X
• ISBN-13: 978-1597229616
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,514,259 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Deb Baker was born in the Michigan Upper Peninsula (yes, she is a Yooper!), which is the setting for her humorous award-winning Gertie Johnson mystery series. She also is the author of the Dolls to Die for series. Deb is currently at work on the Queen Bee mystery series under her pen name, Hannah Reed. Buzz Off & Mind Your Own Beeswax are available now. Look for Plan Bee next year.

For more information about Deb and her books, visit http://deb-baker.blogspot.com or http://queenbeemystery.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and fun mystery novel, December 23, 2008

By 

D. Chaudoir (Michigan and Arkansas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ding Dong Dead (A Dolls to Die For Mystery) (Paperback)

Ding Dong Dead is the fourth installment of the "Dolls to Die For" series by author Deb Baker. It's also the first one in the series that I've read. Like many readers, I don't necessarily like to start series from the beginning because I'm impatient, since most reviews cover the current title and it is inevitable that I've been hooked in by the particular storyline that is mentioned in the reviews. Of course, if the book is good, I'll delve backward into the earlier titles.

That will certainly be the case with Deb Baker, who has crafted a quickly-paced mystery that is both suspenseful and interesting. The premise is that a group of doll collectors in Phoenix--led by the protagonist, Gretchen Birch and her mother, Caroline--is gifted the use of a large mansion to use for a museum. To raise money for its opening and upkeep, they decide to produce a stage play called "Ding Dong Dead." Meanwhile, Gretchen's newish boyfriend, Matt--a Phoenix police detective--is called to a murder scene at the local cemetery. Gretchen and her mother become involved in the investigation of that murder and their sleuthing takes them deep into the troubled history of the long-deceased original owners of the mansion that has been granted to their club to establish the "World of Dolls Museum."

Don't be fooled by the doll theme--Baker does a great job of making dolls work for the suspenseful mystery puzzle that drives the action and thus the story, rather than the other way around. This is a serious mystery with a large cast and several complex plot points. The natural eeriness of dolls, their inherent personification that makes people pause, if reflected in the character of Matt. Yet do not think this is a Chucky-esque, "demonic dolls" sort of series. It's not.

The body count is 2, but there are many other potential victims with near-escapes, and you won't know who the killer is (or their motives) until almost the very end. There are also subplots on mental health and homelessness that Baker works into the narrative with a gentle nod but no preaching, and it was surprising and nice to find these in a contemporary mystery--and handled with great respect and expertise. I will be interested to see what happens to Gretchen and Matt in the next installment!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ding Dong Dead, December 27, 2009

By 

L. Barnacle (Wayzata, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ding Dong Dead (A Dolls to Die For Mystery) (Paperback)

This book was so improbable. A group of women solve a murder in Phoenix, AZ. The characters are nosy busybodies that don't trust anyone, even when the boyfriend of the main character is a detective. If the setting were in a small town it might have made it more believable, but not in a big city. It kept my interest just enough to know who did it and why, but I skimmed most of the book. It wasn't worth reading another one of Deb Baker's books. The titles are more interesting than the story.