Ding Dong Dead by Deb Baker

From the Publisher

Doll restorer Gretchen Birch and the other Phoenix Dollers can hardly wait to open their doll museum. But when an out-of-town doll-maker meets her own maker, the Dollers's dream-come-true will soon prove more of a nightmare.

VOYA

In this fourth book in the Dolls to Die For mystery series featuring doll collector and restorer Gretchen Birch, a successful doll artist is found dead in a cemetery, with the words "Die, Dolly, Die" nearby. While Gretchen's detective boyfriend investigates the case and tries to keep Gretchen safe, Gretchen, her mother, and the other members of her doll club cannot keep their curiosity in check and quickly return to their amateur sleuthing ways. This well-written, entertaining mystery is embellished by excerpts from Gretchen's mother's reference volume, World of Dolls. With characters in their thirties to fifties, it is not aimed at a young adult audience, but if a teen is already a mystery fan, the novel is a decent one to introduce - the mystery is well crafted with a surprise twist as to the final culprit. Gretchen's internal angst over her relationship with the detective, however, makes her behave in irrational ways that make her character less believable. She is constantly going into dangerous situations simply because someone told her not to, but she is not painted as a risk taker. This book is an acceptable paperback mystery for a public library and a fair beach read, but it is more likely to be read by middle-aged readers with a passion for dolls or murder mysteries than by teenagers. Reviewer: Beth Karpas

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