Customer Reviews

Pressed to Kill: A Mandy Dyer Mystery (Mandy Dyer Mysteries)

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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.

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!

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!

Mandy Dyer is the owner of Dyers Cleaners and she knows her customers and what they wear. She is very surprised that Ardith who usually wears black grey and brown tailored suits is now wearing colorful clothing and dresses. When Mandy comments on this radical charge, including coloring her and wearing it loose Ardith says she wants to please her boyfriend who likes her new look. She goes on to say that she met him when Dyers sponsored an open house.

A few days later Mandy spots an article in the newspaper about Ardith's death. She was strangled in her home over the weekend. She told Mandy she and her boyfriend were spending the weekend in her home cuddling and enjoying themselves. Mandy believes that one of her customers killed Ardith and is shocked to learn another customer, who looked like Ardith was killed a few months ago. Mandy draws up a list of suspects from the little knowledge she has about the crimes but the killer is watching her and waiting to see if he will have to deal with her if she gets too close to discovering his identity.

The latest Mandy Dyer mystery is filled with humor, car chases and a cast of characters who want to help Mandy but only succeed in aggravating her. At one point, Mandy even suspects her significant other because he denied knowing about the open house but one of the workers saw him in the vicinity. There are quite a few customers who could have been the killer and the readers, like Mandy, will go nuts trying to figure out who it is. Dolores Johnson writes an excellent cozy cum amateur sleuth tale that will appeal to readers who don't like violent scenes in their mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

I've read that this is the last book in this series. If that's the case, the series really went out on a bad note.

For the entire book, I kept trying to figure out why Mandy was involved in this whole thing. One of her customers was killed and Mandy was afraid it was by someone she'd met at her cleaners. How exactly was this a threat to her livelihood or any of her business? She came off as a nosy buttinsky and a complete idiot running around making suspect lists and checking up on people, then calling the cops with idiotic things like "I starched his jeans, please go bring him in for questioning." The whole thing was ludicrous.

And, to make matters worse, we had the return of Mandy's annoying mother, who really served no purpose other than to bother everyone. With such a good supporting cast that includes Mack, Betty, Nat and all the employees of the cleaners, I don't know why we keep having this over-the-top character show up.

I loved "Taking The Wrap," which I read recently after a long absence from the series. I really wanted to like this one, especially if this is the end for Mandy and Dyer's Cleaners. I was disappointed that I didn't.