Pressed to Kill

By Dolores Johnson

Book Overview

"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.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312347855
• ISBN13: 9780312347857
• Release Date: January 2007
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 229 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

The dry cleaning saga continues!

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!

Multi-layered plat and zany characters

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!

fun Mandy Dyer mystery

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