Mary H. (Ladyhawke) -
Helpful Score: 6
First in a new series about doll collection. The chapter headings describe different aspects of doll collection, or tips on recognition or evaluation of various types of dolls. Add in a good mystery that kept me in the dark, and I rate this as an excellent read.
Helpful Score: 6
While I liked the characters and the plot was well written, I wish the aothor had allowed her characters to work more on the dolls to give a more detailed look into the world of dollmaking. Other then that it was a fun ride! I enjoyed the mother as much as the daughter, though she appeared much less in the book. I would read this author again. It will be interesting to see where she goes with her plots as she fleshes out her characters.
Jeanie S. (JeanieS) reviewed Dolled Up for Murder (Dolls to Die For, Bk 1) on + 192 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
A fun read. I never knew there was so much to doll collecting. I am looking forward to reading more in the series.
Helpful Score: 3
Humorous mystery with lots of details about the world of doll-collecting.
Tracey W. (tracey13) reviewed Dolled Up for Murder (Dolls to Die For, Bk 1) on + 310 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Have just found this series of muder mysteries themed around dolls - making and collecting them. Enjoyable easy reading. Will be looking out for more of them.
Heather F. (AZmom875) -
Helpful Score: 2
I have lived in Phoenix since 1988, and the one glaring and irking thing is that our main character was hiking in July, and well that is rare, and unsafe, even at 5am. But it was a great book, some good twists. The main character even makes contact with Gertie from Michigan who is the main character in Deb Bakers other series. I have gone on to read Deb other series and enjoy it more than this series set in my home town. I was born and raised in Michigan. I think the Phoenix series is more series and less goofy.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
Helpful Score: 1
First Line: Head buried under a mound of pillows, Gretchen Birch struggled to ignore the phone's incessant ringing.
I've been waiting for someone to cough up the first book in Baker's Yooper mystery series for months and months. It seems as though this series is so good that no one wants to turn loose of their copies. I wasn't quite ready to buy my own, so I ordered Dolled Up for Murder instead, and I'm glad I did.
That sounds like a very strange thing to say right about now when I tell all of you that I almost stopped reading the book a few pages in when I identified the Bad Guy. (The author and I like the same Peter Sellers films.) What kept me reading? Oh... things like Baker's writing style, the Phoenix metropolitan setting, and the "doll angle". My grandmother collected antique dolls, and I picked up a lot of knowledge by osmosis.
Anyway... Gretchen Birch gets a phone call from her Aunt Nina in Phoenix. A homeless woman who had previously collected dolls was found dead at the base of a cliff. She was clutching a note in one hand that certainly seems to implicate Gretchen's mother in her death. To make matters worse, Gretchen's mother, Caroline, has disappeared. Gretchen packs a bag and catches the next plane to Phoenix. (Why do I feel as though I'm about to channel Glen Campbell?)
One of the first things Gretchen does when she settles down in her mother's house is to hike up Camelback Mountain. In July. In the afternoon. I began to think this young woman had a few too many screws loose. Then her Aunt Nina who trains purse dogs made an appearance, and the two of them were off to the races, driving all over the Valley checking in with other doll collectors and trying to avoid the detective who's following them.
I'm very glad I didn't stop reading when I figured out whodunit. I'm very glad I remembered that it's not always all about WHO; many times HOW and WHY are every bit as important in a mystery. Gretchen, her Aunt Nina and her mom Caroline were all engaging characters, and I really enjoyed all the information Baker shared about doll collecting. However, I hope that the next time I read about Gretchen hiking up Camelback Mountain, it's not on a July afternoon. Just the thought of it makes me feel a bit woozy.
I've been waiting for someone to cough up the first book in Baker's Yooper mystery series for months and months. It seems as though this series is so good that no one wants to turn loose of their copies. I wasn't quite ready to buy my own, so I ordered Dolled Up for Murder instead, and I'm glad I did.
That sounds like a very strange thing to say right about now when I tell all of you that I almost stopped reading the book a few pages in when I identified the Bad Guy. (The author and I like the same Peter Sellers films.) What kept me reading? Oh... things like Baker's writing style, the Phoenix metropolitan setting, and the "doll angle". My grandmother collected antique dolls, and I picked up a lot of knowledge by osmosis.
Anyway... Gretchen Birch gets a phone call from her Aunt Nina in Phoenix. A homeless woman who had previously collected dolls was found dead at the base of a cliff. She was clutching a note in one hand that certainly seems to implicate Gretchen's mother in her death. To make matters worse, Gretchen's mother, Caroline, has disappeared. Gretchen packs a bag and catches the next plane to Phoenix. (Why do I feel as though I'm about to channel Glen Campbell?)
One of the first things Gretchen does when she settles down in her mother's house is to hike up Camelback Mountain. In July. In the afternoon. I began to think this young woman had a few too many screws loose. Then her Aunt Nina who trains purse dogs made an appearance, and the two of them were off to the races, driving all over the Valley checking in with other doll collectors and trying to avoid the detective who's following them.
I'm very glad I didn't stop reading when I figured out whodunit. I'm very glad I remembered that it's not always all about WHO; many times HOW and WHY are every bit as important in a mystery. Gretchen, her Aunt Nina and her mom Caroline were all engaging characters, and I really enjoyed all the information Baker shared about doll collecting. However, I hope that the next time I read about Gretchen hiking up Camelback Mountain, it's not on a July afternoon. Just the thought of it makes me feel a bit woozy.
Helpful Score: 1
Excellent book. I really enjoyed reading this. It was fast paced and kept me guessing. I cant wait to read the next one in the series.
