3.5 stars

A Dress to Die For is a cosy mystery from the 90s, being released on audio for the first time this April.

This book is the third installment in the Mandy Dyer series. I wasn't familiar with the series and hadn't read any of the books that come before this one, but was still able to enjoy the story. That being said, it seems like the lead detective is going through an arc that would be fun to follow through the whole arc, so I'd recommend starting with the first one if you're going to embark on this journey.

In this book, Mandy's friend buys a unique vintage dress, brings it to Mandy's dry cleaner, and then dies. Mandy investigates! Tough to say much more in a book like this without spoilers, but overall the book was cute and also lots of things happened that wouldn't happen if this book were written today (phone books were referenced!) I had fun listening to this book and it was nice to have the retro twist.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing for an advance listening copy for an unbiased review.

Thank you to the author, narrator, publisher and Net Galley for providing an e-audio version of this book in exchange for my review.

I also read and reviewed book 2 in this series for Net Galley, and I have enjoyed both books. It's a nice, typical cozy mystery about a women who has inherited a dry cleaning business and all the people and hijinks in their town and in their lives.

It was a shock, though, when I first started reading it, that this book was originally released in 1998. So it feels very old and outdated. Not the end of the world, but it was a surprise.

3 stars.

This was actually really fun. I am not usually a cozy mysteries fan, but I wanted to branch out and try one. I liked the characters and the setting. It was a solid read and perfectly paced.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This one was fine. I liked the first one best. There were some points of this that felt scattered all over the place, and not in a way that made sense.

It kept me intrigued but the ending was so abrupt. We didnt get any real resolution or wrap up. That was disappointing, especially after such a lengthy investigation.

This is such a cute cozy mystery! I’m usually a horror and thriller reader, but every once in a while I wanna clean my palate with a more lighthearted read and this book takes the cake. I’m still very new to cozy mysteries, so some lines seemed a bit cheesy, but I loved all the characters, and the plot was definitely dark enough to keep my interest.

As for the narration, the narrator did a fantastic job at distinguishing each character from each other. It was at times in the beginning hard to keep the characters straight, but I think I would’ve had more context if I had read the previous two books. But I enjoyed all of the characters and their involvement in this myster.y. The voice of Betty was a little obnoxious, but the narrator in general was lightheaded, fun, and easy and enjoyable to listen to!

I loved how the vintage dressmaking world was woven into the mystery—it gave the whole thing a fresh, fun vibe. And the narrator? Perfection. She brought the characters to life in a way that had me grinning one minute and gasping the next.

The story had just the right mix of cozy charm, fashion flair, and suspenseful twists. It felt like catching up with a clever best friend who just so happens to be solving murders on the side. I was totally hooked from the first chapter.

I did not realise that this was Book 3 in a series, but it did work as a standalone. Mandy Dyer’s friend Kate is murdered and Mandy gets involved in sleuthing. The male characters were confusing. I did not enjoy listening to this audio. The narrator’s voice was fine for the main character, but the other voices were difficult to listen to, especially all the males. And Betty’s voice was very loud and aggressive.

This is book 3 in the Mandy Dyer cozy mystery series. Listeners don’t need to read the first entries to enjoy this title but there are several references to those titles so it may help.
The narrator does a great job differentiating between characters and it is an easy light listen.
The plot is engaging and unique.
Unfortunately, the original books was published in 1998 and this new audio release sounds true to the original text. One of the characters who was previously unhoused is referred to as a bag lady and many stereotypes about drugs and alcohol characterize the women. This will likely be distracting for today’s listeners.

I'm really digging the rereleases of the stories
Quick and easy listen
perfect for walking the dogs on these spring mornings. Excited for the remaining books in the series!

A Dress to Die For is a mystery novel following Mandy as she discovers her friend Kate murdered after buying a gorgeous vintage dress. We see her investigation into the murder and getting caught up in small town drama.

This was a very cozy mystery that I was able to finish in one sitting. It felt like a classic amateur detective novel and allowed the reader to try and figure out the mystery along with Mandy, I would recommend this book for adults who read Nancy Drew as a child. 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dress to Die For and loved getting to know more about Mandy and the rest of the characters. Each one brought something unique to the story, and I found myself invested in their journeys. My only complaint is that it felt too short! I could have easily spent more time with these characters and their adventures.

Overall, I’m absolutely loving this series and can’t believe I didn’t discover it sooner. Can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the chance to listen to this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

This cosy mystery was a a fun listen and even though I haven't read the first 2 it was still easy to follow, however I did feel that maybe if I had read the first 2 I would know more in terms of character development but as a far as the mystery goes this can be read as a standalone

Mystery follows Mandy Dyer; owner of Mandy Dyer Cleaners-- sets out to solve her close friend's murder; Kate-- When Kate comes across a dress at a market that turns out to be a "prized" dress worth $5,000 Kate takes it to Mandy to clean, however Kate doesn't come back to pick it up

Fashion, mystery, and murder!

This was a great third installment of the Mandy Dyer series. I really enjoyed this mystery and thought it played out really well.

There were so many small details and minor connections that made up the bigger picture, and I was hooked from the start.