Pressed to Kill: A Mandy Dyer Mystery

by: Dolores Johnson

Published by: Thomas Dunne Books

Reviewed by Andrea Sisco

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!

Author's Web site: http://sleuths2die4.thewriters.com/Johnson