Wash, Fold, and Die
By Dolores Johnson
Narrated by Emily Ellet

Published on Audio May 20,2025

This was such a fun listen, I can’t get enough of this series it’s just so much fun. The narrator Emily is amazing and really brings Mandy to life. I can’t get over just how much Mandy is always getting into and honestly surprised how much knowledge a dry cleaner can bring to a murder investigation. I can’t wait to finish the rest of this series because it’s like no other. Dolores has really hit the jackpot with this series!

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC audiobook. All opinions are my own.

It's definately a cozy mystery. I haven't gotten my hands on book 3, but this one is definately better than books 1 & 2, so the author was improving as she went along.

Kind of almost a spoiler, but it takes place in Colorado so I don't really think "somebody snowshoes" is a spoiler. I'm from a much lower elevation, but we do have crevasses and get snow, so I have experience with snow shoeing. I want to know what on earth she was thinking with that whole snowshoe escapade. There is cozy mystery logic, and then there is whatever that was. (It was probably the author deciding she needed to up the stakes, but not knowing how to do it gracefully.) Otherwise suspending my disbelief wasn't too hard.

Another fun Mandy Dryer book!

This was a great mystery, and I just love how Mandy can never mind her business and always ends up solving the mystery.

It's so fun and fast-paced; I love this series!

I received an audiobook ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this is a DNF @ 17%

I was trying something a bit different here and, while the writing was fine, if a little too hapless romantic amateur sleuth for my personal taste, the characterisation and voicing of one of the characters was just too grating for me to continue.

From the little I read, if you like a mysterious light read I could see this appealing.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

This was possibly my favorite of this series. But lets be so forreal, home girl needs to stop interfering before she gets arrested or killed. At this point, i almost think it would be better if she just became a detective.

I’m a huge fan of cozy mysteries and really enjoyed this one. It is the fourth book in the series and even though I haven’t read the first three, it was still great. I would love to read the rest because the characters were fun. Highly recommend, especially the audiobook because the narrator really helps make the story.

A who-done-it with a rom-com appeal. This was an easy, quick read that was light-hearted and fun. Narration was perfect.

This was a good listen. Seems to be part of a series but I found it a good stand alone book.
A bright, mystery, loving laundromat owner keeps herself busy by helping the Denver police with few crimes here and here.
Interesting read. Likeable characters. Some were more memorable than others.
Plot involves a dead body, a missing artist, a hard to read cop and the family like crew of the laundromat.

I got about halfway through the audiobook before I added it to my goodreads currently reading only to realize not only is this the 4th book but it's also 26 years old? But I finished it without any issues and enjoyed it for something so old. With cozy books becoming more popular it's a great idea to remarket these older books!

Wash, Fold, and Die by Dolores Johnson
Rating: 4/5

Mandy, the main character, really stood out to me because she felt real. She’s smart but flawed. She makes mistakes, doesn’t always say the right thing, and isn’t some polished detective. She gets pulled into the case when the police ask her to help identify a dead body. Everything starts unraveling from there. It gave the story a fresh angle, like a true crime podcast. That made me root for her even more.

The mystery itself is engaging, with a few twists that seemed legitimate. Some of the side characters could have benefitted from more depth, and one subplot resolved itself a bit too conveniently for me, but none of those things pulled me out of the story.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was good. Not flashy or anything, but it fit the mood and let the story take the spotlight.

If you're interested in character-driven, low-intensity mysteries that still pack an emotional punch, this is certainly worth a listen (or read).

Enjoyable a quick read. Moves at a good pace. I like the variety of characters. Felt like a weekly episode of some crime show. Haven't read any of the other books in the series, but enjoyed this as a standalone. Narrator Emily Ellet did a great job as the main character, and her performance as the female characters is great. She did a great job changing up the voices for each charcater. I really didn't like her male "voices." Found it distracting, but that could be because I didn't feel like it suited the image I had of them in my head, none of them. I did find certain references and descriptions of situations or observations repetitive.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the arc.

Mandy Dyer owns and runs a dry cleaners and when her ex boyfriend walks in she hopes he wants to rekindle their romance. But no, he wants help relating to a homicide investigation. Now Mandy’s desire for amateur sleuthing means she will get involved and maybe put herself in danger.

Enjoyed this well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Good quirky characters in a well paced novel. We need to find out who had died, why and where has he been the last few years. Lots of questions need answering.

Rating: ★★★★☆
Review:

Wash, Fold & Die by Dolores Johnson is an engaging, fast-paced mystery that had me hooked from the very first moments of the audiobook! The introductory music immediately set the tone, and the narrator’s lively delivery — complete with sighs and background sounds — made it feel like I was watching a movie unfold in my mind.

Mandy, our dry-cleaning heroine, gets pulled into a homicide case in a way that feels surprisingly natural despite the unlikely pairing. I loved how the story wasted no time diving right into the heart of the mystery. Mandy’s witty, slick comments kept the story light even while dealing with a serious subject, and Betty — a no-nonsense older woman with serious main-character energy — was an absolute standout.

Though Wash, Fold & Die is part of a series, I appreciated how easily it stands on its own. The author did a wonderful job making this accessible to newcomers without overwhelming exposition. Mandy’s independence, quick wit, and refusal to back down (even when the detective tries to sideline her) made her such a compelling character to root for. The ending had me on the edge of my seat, delivering a satisfying and suspenseful wrap-up.

My only minor critiques are about the audiobook production: while the narrator’s general performance was stellar, the male character voices didn’t land as naturally. Also, I would have loved a bit more insight into Mandy’s personal backstory — especially around her divorce and the brief romance with Stan — to deepen my connection to her character.

Overall, Wash, Fold & Die is a fresh, fun mystery that’s perfect for readers looking for a lively amateur sleuth with heart. I’ll definitely be picking up more from this series!

Overall I enjoyed this book. It was the first I read in the series and I was able to keep up without feeling like I was missing something from not reading the one before.
The characters were interesting. Good amount of information given to be able to know enough about them.
The story itself was decent. I didn’t suspect who the killer was, so that was good.
The narrator was ok, definitely need to do something about the ale characters because when she spoke as them it was quite annoying.

Otherwise not too bad. Will probably read others in the series

Thank you NetGalley for the copy

This was a really fun book. This is my first Mandy Dyer book and I might have to look at the other ones because I had a lot of fun with all the different characters and how well they were written about. I listened to the audio version and the narrator did a great job.

I'm also not mad that it was a happy ending with Mandy getting back together with Stan.

I enjoyed this book. It doesn't matter in what order you read these books, as they work as stand alone mysteries, just read them as they are a lot of fun. In this book Mandy tried really hard to stay out of the investigation, despite being curious and the police asking for help. However being friends with the widow and the employer of the only person a witnesses will talk to (well sort of but as that would spoil a number of funny and interesting sections I won't say anymore), everybody turns to her for help and as a listener I am glad they did. The mystery was unusual but I liked the fact the police came to her to identify there victim rather than the unusual amateur sleuth stumbling over the body. Her job was the perfect opening and then the story was off and running. I had come to the same conclusion as Mandy as to who was responsible but it was fun being proved right. I like the characters and having listened to a few books in the series feel like the regulars are becoming like old friends. I can't wait to jump into the next mystery.

When Detective Stan Foster turns up asking to talk to her, Mandy thinks he is finally going to ask her out. Unfortunately he just needs help identifying a dead body and he hopes Mandy knows who it is from just his laundry tag number. The number was used to identify a man Mandy had a crush on when she was growing up but he went missing years ago and Mandy knows for a fact his wife had had him declared dead. He died in a part of town where the only witnesses was a homeless man. A man who can't or won't talk to the cops. He also happens to be friends with one of Mandy's employees and she turns to Mandy to act as go between. It doesn't help the man's widow has become a good friend during the years he was missing and she can't face learning the truth about where he has been all this time on her own. Mandy despite trying to stay out of it has no choice but help her friend especially as the more she learns the more she questions if she ever really knew the man.
I liked the narrator. She does some good voices both male and female. All of which helps to bring the characters to life and create and entertaining listen.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

If you love a cozy mystery with quirky characters, I recommend this audiobook narrated by Emily Ellet. This is book 4 in the series and I’ve not read any of the previous books so it works well as a standalone.
A dry cleaner turned amateur sleuth is the perfect set up for a who-dunnit. Fans of Finley Donovan will find this series just as likeable.

What I’ve discovered is that even though this is an older series, the audiobook is just coming out. Giving fans of this genre a chance to listen to this series.

Recommend this for its place in the genre and the narrator was fantastic.

Mandy Dire runs a laundry mat and she was surprised to have her ex come in and help with a case. Stan the ex doesn’t seem to want Mandy’s help but needed it. Mandy is very talented with understanding clothing.
Jeremiah went missing seven years ago a man wearing Jeremiah’s shirt was just found by the police.
Rosalyn was Jeremiah‘s wife and she became so much friendly with Mandy sharing how Jeremiah isn’t the man that Mandy thought he was.
It takes a while for the action to take place. This is a wordy book, with a lot that really doesn’t have to do with the story and that was annoying to have to listen and wait for the action to take place so if you are somebody who prefers more action and less talk. This book is not for you it takes forever. It’s to really get going with the mystery for me. It wasn’t worth it. It was predictable. I really had higher expectations for this book.

This was a cozy mystery with an interesting set: a dry cleaner. This book was just a little slow and uninteresting in spots. The narrator didn’t do well at the man’s voice and it was distracting from the story.

A cozy mystery, did not read previous books in the series - easy to get the picture of characters. I will say it had weird moments of describing the one black character where it did not do the same for what I presume is the white characters