Wash, Fold, and Die (Mandy Dyer Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Dolores Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Mandy Dyer Mystery | Publication Date: October 12, 1999

In a mystery of stolen art, murder, and a well-pressed shirt, Mandy Dyer will make a killer come clean.

Mandy Dyer could use a date. Unfortunately, the man who has come to her cleaning shop has only business on his mind. Detective Stan Foster unceremoniously dumped Mandy nine months before. Now he wants her help: to identify a dead body by the laundry mark on a shirt.

When Mandy traces the mark, she makes an astounding discovery: She knew the victim--a handsome, womanizing artist--and knows that he has been dead for seven years. How does someone come back to life--only to be murdered? With a cast of outrageous helpers that includes a reformed bag lady, a street person named Honest Abe, and her own romantically challenged detective, Mandy is leading a dangerous hunt for the truth about an artist who painted a little, lied a lot, and left behind a life stained with secrets--the kind that gets people killed....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dry cleaner Mandy Dyer can't tell a lie without itching all over, which makes it difficult to keep secrets from homicide detective and one-time boyfriend Stan Foster. When the only clue to a murder victim's identity is the laundry mark on his shirt, Stan reluctantly seeks Mandy's help; with her expertise they determine the man is Jeremiah Atkins, an artist who went missing seven years ago. Despite Stan's plea to leave the investigation to him, it doesn't take long before Mandy is helping Jeremiah's wife, Rosalie, find out why he came back to townAand who killed him. The action is tame and Johnson (with the fourth in her Mandy Dyer series after A Dress to Die For) doesn't leave much to the reader's imagination, but the narrative is enlivened by a motley crew of characters: loud-mouthed former bag lady Betty; homeless Honest Abe, complete with stovepipe hat; chain-smoking waitress Maxine; amorous "bimbo" Suzie Q; and wise-cracking crime reporter Nat. After Mandy seeks the helpful ear of her co-worker Mack, she tells us, "Only trouble was that he voiced his opinion frequently instead of letting me arrive at my own conclusions." This may well echo a reader's complaint about this tightly plotted who-done-it.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Dolores Johnson writes with wit and panache. I love her sense of humor."
--Diane Mott Davidson

"A delightful series....What makes the Mandy Dyer amateur sleuth tales so much fun is that they are droll and irreverent as they take the reader on a cozy-like mystery tour of the Mile High City."
--Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Dell (October 12, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440235235
• ISBN-13: 978-0440235231
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,093,895 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery, but lacks warmth, March 22, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wash, Fold, and Die (Mandy Dyer Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is another good mystery in the Mandy Dyer series; interesting plot, believable characters, good development. The problem I have, though, is that Mandy is all business. There is no "coziness" here for those who like that type of mystery. Mandy doesn't have a social life or any fun. Her on again off again relationship with the detective is going nowhere fast. To make this series excellent, there needs to be a balance between Mandy's business/amateur detective life and her social world.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lacks warmth, July 18, 2000

By 

Mystery Maven (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Wash, Fold, and Die (Mandy Dyer Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

While I very much enjoyed the first Mandy Dyer books, I don't seem to like the most recent books as well. I think there's a lot of potential for this series, if the author can just get the books back on the right track. For a "cozy" mystery, there's not much coziness/intimate knowledge of the protagonist/warmth.

Mandy wasn't much fun in WASH, FOLD AND DIE, and I was disappointed that she allowed herself to be discarded and then picked up at will by homicide detective Stan, her so-called boyfriend. Doesn't the woman have any pride at all? The man dumped her 9 months previously, and then pops up one day on official business and Mandy is all ready to start dating him again.

As far as the mystery goes, I liked it somewhat. I didn't get so involved in the story line that I was waiting breathlessly for all to be revealed. There were a couple times I felt Mandy behaved recklessly and illogically (after all, a killer is loose!). Doesn't the woman have any sense of self-preservation?

On the positive side, I felt as though I were back in Colorado; the descriptions of winter scenes and clothing requirements reminded me vividly why I no longer live there! And Mandy always provides us with helpful stain removal tips, such as how to remove grape juice stains from carpets and clothing.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Back on Track, September 26, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wash, Fold, and Die (Mandy Dyer Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

I had this book sitting on the shelf for a while before I picked it up yesterday to read. Her last book was one where I couldn't wait to finish it because I just wanted to be done with it, but this one was right back on track with the humor that attracted me to her books from the beginning. While I agree with one of the other reviewers that the relationship between Mandy and Stan seems to be going nowhere, it was explained in this book why he is so leery to become committed to her. I think with time, they will start getting more involved. Even without the romance, her books are enjoyable - how can they not be with the cast of characters - Betty, Mack, Honest Abe, Arthur, Nat, Spot...... I am very much looking forward to going home and picking up her next book.