Pressed to Kill (Center Point Premier Mystery (Large Print)) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Dolores Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2007 | Series: Center Point Premier Mystery (Large Print)

"Dolores Johnson writes with wit and panache. I love her sense of humor."
---Diane Mott Davidson, author of Double Shot
 
In this latest installment of Dolores Johnson's beloved dry-cleaning sleuth series, Mandy Dyer notices the new and improved appearance of her customer Ardith Brewster. The young woman has met a new but mysterious boyfriend at Dyer Cleaners' open house party. When Ardith, a loan officer at a bank, turns up dead a couple days later, Mandy suspects the worst.

 

The only clue she has to go on is a mention of the unknown boyfriend's sharp sense of style---so different from Ardith's suit-and-tie co-workers. Mandy's curiosity turns to horror when she finds that the victim in a similar killing had been in the cleaners shortly before her death, and what's more, that the two women bore a striking resemblance to each other.

With only clothes for clues and the less-than-reliable help of her incorrigible employee, Betty the Bag Lady, Mandy presses on with her investigation in a race to find the killer before he has a chance to close out her career permanently.

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

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Johnson's sparkling eighth cozy (after 2004's Taking the Wrap) starring Mandy Dwyer, the Denver dry cleaner and amateur sleuth observes a colorful, feminine wardrobe transformation in her previously no-nonsense customer, Ardith Brewster, just before the 40-something woman turns up strangled. Ardith had mentioned a natty new boyfriend she met at Mandy's open house, so Mandy searches her database of customers for possible suspects. Meanwhile, the police connect this murder with three earlier area homicides. Mandy's investigation generates a long list of potentially lethal Lotharios—including her boyfriend, PI Travis Kincaid—all with a penchant for carefully creased blue jeans. An oddball cast of characters including Mandy's ditzy clerk, her mother (married six times) and Betty the former bag lady provide humor, and an attempt on Mandy's life brings the action to a head in an imaginative showdown. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Mandy Dyer, owner of Dyer's Cleaners, is horrified when she discovers bank loan-officer Ardith Brewster has been murdered. Ardith had recently shared with Mandy the fact she met her new, mysterious boyfriend at the Dyer's Cleaners open house. When Mandy discovers that a second woman, murdered in a similar manner, was also a customer of the cleaners, she searches her records, trying to find a link between those attending the open house and the men who were at her cleaners when the two women were there. With the help of her plant manager, Mack, who feels it is his job to protect Mandy, and a formerly homeless, eccentric employee named Betty, Mandy tracks down the killer. In the midst of her investigation, Mandy must also deal with her mother, who has come into town to orchestrate her stepcousin Laura's wedding, much to Laura's dismay. Details about the dry-cleaning business, family relationships, humor, and well-developed characters add to this amiable cozy, the eighth in the series. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 286 pages
• Publisher: Center Point Large Print (June 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585479683
• ISBN-13: 978-1585479689
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,051,171 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars an enjoyable read, but not a very suspenseful one, January 23, 2007

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pressed to Kill: A Mandy Dyer Mystery (Mandy Dyer Mysteries) (Hardcover)

How much enjoyment you glean from Dolores Johnson's latest Mandy Dyer installment is going to depend on what you're looking for: if you're looking for a nice, relaxing read that focuses more on how our stalwart heroine, Mandy, copes with the zany characters in her life as well as a murder investigation, you've picked the right book; if, however, you're looking for a cunning cozy with an intriguing plot that will keep you guessing, then "Pressed to Kill" may not be the read for you.

When one of Mandy's regulars, bank loan officer Ardith Brewster, confides in Mandy that her new and improved wardrobe has something to do with her mysterious, new boyfriend that she met at the dry cleaning business' open house party, warning bells start to chime in Mandy's head. Mandy's fear though is that Ardith has been seeing a married man. The last thing she expected was to hear that Ardith has been murdered, and that it looks as if by someone she knew quite intimately. Because Mandy is sure that Ardith has been murdered by her new boyfriend, and because she's feeling guilty that Ardith met the man through her open house party, Mandy decides top do some sleuthing of her own. The last thing she expected was to dig up evidence of previous murders seemingly committed in the same way and probably by the same man. Has a serial killer come to town? And can Mandy match wits with a determined serial killer?

What I enjoyed most about "Pressed to Kill" was the colourful, zany characters that people the novel and the frustrations that Mandy has to cope with dealing with these people. Dolores Johnson seems to have mastered the art of depicting these scenes in a hilarious and vividly realistic way. Unfortunately, there just wasn't enough of mystery-investigative subplot -- the suspects with few and frustratingly, not a "real" part of this book, and there practically was no twists and turns in this mystery subplot. So that all in all, I'd say that while "Pressed to Kill" was an enjoyable read, it wasn't a very intriguing one, especially for one that involved a ruthless killer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Multi-layered plat and zany characters, January 20, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pressed to Kill: A Mandy Dyer Mystery (Mandy Dyer Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Pressed to Kill is the eighth title in the Mandy Dyer mystery series about the escapades of Mandy Dyer, the owner of a dry cleaning business.

Mandy Dyer's customer Ardith Brewster has recently gone from 'mousey' to 'magnificent.' It seems Ardith has a mysterious new boyfriend, whom she met at Dyer's Dry Cleaner. And he's the reason behind the physical change in Ardith.

When Ardith turns up dead, Mandy links her murder to that of other female customers. It seems that a serial killer is on the loose and using Dyer's Dry Cleaner as a place to find his victims. It's up to Mandy, with the unwanted help of her loud-mouth, interfering employee, Betty the Bag Lady, to find the murderer before he kills again--and maybe even destroys her business.

Mandy's crazy family members, a strange man who hangs around her business, a boyfriend who might be a suspect, and numerous other interesting characters litter the landscape of Mandy's life and contribute to the madcap quest to find a killer.

Before I started reading Pressed to Kill I wondered how good could a mystery be about a dry cleaner owner? I soon found out it was very good. I enjoyed the fast-paced, multi-layered plot and the zany characters. I tried unsuccessfully to figure out who the killer was.

Armchair Interviews says: There are many other Dolores Johnson reads out there to be enjoyed. Do it!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The dry cleaning saga continues!, May 6, 2007

By 

/Petesy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pressed to Kill: A Mandy Dyer Mystery (Mandy Dyer Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I have purchased and read all of the Mandy Dyer books and enjoyed each one. I love the way the tale spins and am always surprised at the end. I would recommend these books without hesitation - once started, hard to put down until the last page is read!