Dressed to Kill

Mary McGill Dog Mystery #4

by Kathleen Delaney

Mary McGill and her cocker spaniel Millie get the fright of their lives on Halloween when they hear gunshots coming from the bank and the robber, dressed in a clown costume, points his gun at them before fleeing the scene. Mary is horrified when she discovers Police Chief Dan Dunham has been shot in the shoulder and a woman has been killed. Why would the clown shoot an ordinary citizen?



Mary soon learns that the victim is Victoria Witherspoon, a local woman who owned a sewing shop and must have recognised the clown costume – because she made it herself. With Dan in hospital and unable to investigate, can Mary and Millie unmask the savage killer clown before he strikes again?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2019

About the author

Kathleen Delaney has recently moved from CA to S Carolina to write full time. She found a wonderful old historic house with a wonderful wrap around porch, which both she and her dogs put to good use. She will be on tour during August, Sept and October, signing her latest myster, And Murder For Dessert. "

Reviews

[Jane Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging cozy mystery, set in a small town. This is the fourth book in the series, but the mystery is standalone. Mary McGill and her dog are amateur sleuths with a notable success rate, there are plenty of small-town values and ethos in this story, which will appeal to those who like this genre. The mystery is well-written, with plenty of suspects, and false leads, and all the loose ends are neatly tied up at the story's conclusion.

Mary is a likeable detective, who uses her local contacts and knowledge to solve the crimes. The animals are important characters and give this story, a wider appeal.

If you enjoy North American small town cozy mystery, this is a perfect read.

I received a copy of this book from Severn House Publishers via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This year I felt compelled to overdose on Halloween themed cozy mysteries. Less calories than eating candy!

First time reading one from this series. A cute cozy mystery that starts with a clown robbing a bank on the day of the town Halloween festival. Mary and her dog, Millie are on the trail to find the robber who also killed a local seamstress and injured the police chief during their time in the bank. Then the former banker is found dead in the local nursing home and foul play is suspected and the current banker has a threat on his home. About ¾ quarters of the way through I had a feeling who might be the guilty party. Small town sleuth and some added cuteness of a shop cat and therapy dog.

[Camilla Harry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I stumbled upon this author's other series first. I prefer reading books in the order they were written in each series, so managed to read the first two and have the third one to read; but haven't acquired the last two in that series. Even the library system does not have them.

This series is a spin-off of the previous series, has the same characters but different protagonist. Mary McGill is the aunt to Ellen (protagonist in other series). So written around a "more mature" lady - who still solves crimes.

I did have the culprit pegged early on - a rarity for me. Enjoyed it tremendously. Since this is the last book in the series and I haven't seen anything added in the last few years I'm hoping the author will write some more mysteries!

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book #4 in the series. In this one, it's Halloween and the Halloween fair is in full swing. There's the sound of gunshots coming from the bank. A clown has just held up the bank. The clown also shot a customer in the bank, as well as the Chief of Police. Our MC Mary witnesses the aftermath. Does she have clues as to who the clown is?

It helps to start a series from the beginning. I had not read any prior installments, so I was a bit clueless as to who the characters were.

It was fairly obvious to me who the clown was. The clues were all over the place. Nobody seemed to be able to pull it together. For that, only 2 stars.

One big unanswered question in the story about Zoe the dog. I was hoping there would be more about that at the end.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very clever plot.

The bank is robbed on Halloween by someone in a clown costume. One person is killed - the seamstress who made the clown costumes. Was it because she recognized the person in the costume?

One other is shot during the robbery, and it is Dan, the Police Chief, who is out of action for a time. His replacement from San Luis Obispo is not familiar with the community and is unwilling to let Mary help in the investigation. As a result, Mary gets all the clues and funnels them to a recovering Dan.

This is a charming small town mystery, which relies heavily on knowing the townfolk.

I borrowed a copy from the public library.

[Amy Hinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this book up from a thrift store because it had a dog and jack-o'-lanterns on the cover and that little skull on the spine from being in a library.
A cozy mystery with lots of dogs, very enjoyable and I would read other Mary McGill mysteries if I found them in the thrift store again.

[Harlequin Books]

Categories
Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
A Mary McGill Canine Mystery

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A library find!
Amazing!
Great writing!
Wonderful characters!
Interesting plot!
Enjoyable!
Don't miss!

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up because of the title and cover. Characters were fleshed out, dog not much of a character.

[Sarah "Kat" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Figured out who did it early on for a change. It was quite clear, however I kept thinking maybe it was a red herring. Was a decent read though.

[Lelia Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a whole lot of other people, I really hate clowns and I felt this way even before Stephen King gave us IT (a great book, BTW, despite my aversion). Still, I know Kathleen Delaney‘s work and had no doubt this particular clown would leave my nerves alone…and I was right 😉

Police Chief Dan Dunham, Mary McGill’s nephew-in-law, is shot by a bank robber dressed as a clown but he’s not the only victim. The local seamstress, Victoria Witherspoon, might have been killed because she could identify the robber, despite the rubber mask. Dan will be recovering from surgery for a while and Mary saw the robber run out of the bank so she decides she’ll need to help Detective Sean Ryan from San Louis Obispo Homicide even though he’s rude and obnoxious. Mary has to oversee the cleanup from the very successful Halloween in the Park event she chaired but, more importantly, she’s pretty sure there’s something familiar about the clown and she needs to figure it out.

With more than a little help from her Cocker Spaniel, Millie, and some human friends, Mary thinks her way through some baffling leads, frequently a half-step ahead of law enforcement officials. That’s at least partly because the locals soon tire of the “imported” detective and his supercilious attitude that actually gets in the way of seeing clues; those same locals have come to believe in Mary’s sleuthing abilities after several earlier crimes. Soon enough, another death increases the pressure and Mary’s common sense and the wisdom that comes with age become invaluable in identifying the killer and the “why” behind the crimes. I thoroughly enjoyed not only this story but also spending time with some old friends and new, not to mention the delightful four-legged variety.

Note: Goodreads, Amazon and other sites all have this incorrectly listed as Book 19 but it’s really Book 4 in the series. Mary McGill appears in several earlier books but she’s the central character in these four books.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was time for Halloween in the Park. There was a haunted house, apple bobbing and a corn maze. There was also something happening in the bank. Mary McGill, amature town sleuth heard gunshots fired and saw someone dressed as a clown with a gun exit the building. The clown saw Mary and her dog Millie, stopped and stared at them. Mary was sure she was going to be shot. The clown turned and ran off. Inside Mary found the town seamstress dead and her niece's husband, Police Chief Dan Dunham down with a gunshot wound to his shoulder. Following surgery Dan was going to recover but Mary knew she had to do some investigating to help find the murderous clown since Dan was not going to be able to lead the investigation. How much trouble will Mary get into this time as she looks for clues to help solve the crime?

Dressed To Kill by Kathleen Delaney is part of the author's Mary McGill Crime Mystery series. Ms. Delaney's plot is full of intriguing clues and possible suspects. She has her main character thoughtfully and thoroughly use each clue to help solve the crime. I enjoyed reading about Mary McGill's methods and thought process as she searches for the killer clown's identify. All the characters were very likeable, even the pets. I always enjoy when pets are included in the storyline and in this case Mary's dog Millie turns out to be very important to the story.

[Jerri Cachero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mary McGill and Millie are one of the best sleuthing teams around! When a murderous clown turns Halloween deadly, Mary has to solve the case quickly or be the next victim!

I loved the book! I had never read the series before so I wondered if I would be able to "catch up" with the characters. It wasn't a problem at all - the book could be read as a standalone. Mary was charming and I enjoyed her "can do" attitude that was tempered with common sense. The supporting characters were well written and were interesting. The mystery was fast-paced and I loved the backstory's of the characters, it made the book even more fun to read. I felt like I was right there, with Mary and Millie, solving the mystery, with the wonderful descriptions of the setting and the conversations among the characters. Oh, and Millie the dog played a very important role in the mystery and she was adorable!

The book was so good that I plan on reading the rest of the series and have already purchased book #3! If you enjoy reading mysteries with mature sleuths, easy to relate to characters, animals and books with a heart - then this series is for you!

I received an ARC from NetGalley for a fair and honest review of this book.

[Tracy Condie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Halloween can be a scary enough day but what would you do if a bank robber in a clown costume pointed a gun at you? What would you do if this same person shot your nephew, the local Chief of Police? I'm not sure what I would do but apparently Miss Mary and her canine side-kick Millie are hot on the trail. With Chief Dan out recovering from a shot to the shoulder, Detective Sean Ryan is sent on loan from the big city of San Luis Obispo and the locals would really like to see the heavy handed interrogator to go back ASAP. Mary is wise and well connected local whom people respect, unlike Detective Ryan whose arrogant attitude makes him miss vital clues. Miss Mary definitely reminds me of Miss Marple as she ascertains what seems obvious to her but not so much to everyone else as the case becomes convoluted with another death, the retired bank manager who has dementia and is in a care facility. There has to be a pattern, a connection between the two and Miss Mary is sure she can figure it out. Very enjoyable read with really good character development. I was able to figure out the who and why before the end of the book even with the odd red herring here and there.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no issues with clowns but I have to say I would probably change my mind if I was to encounter one who pointed a gun at me and then shot one of my family members. That is crossing the line. Well, Mary knows what it's like with the clown, the gun and the shooting and she is not about to sit back and watch the police make a mess of their investigation. While her nephew is on the mend she sets out to use her common sense and pervious experience with solving crimes to get to the bottom of things. There is no doubt that Detective Ryan, sent down from San Luis Obisbo hasn't a clue and needs to go back from whence he came - pronto.
With assistance from her dog, Millie and various two legged friends, Mary gets on the case and does it well, of course. When I read this entry I discovered that I had somehow missed one book in the series so I will have the pleasure of catching up. Hopefully there will be another forthcoming and I can have that to look forward to reading. This series is a the kind of cozy that gives cozy is't name.
My thanks to the publisher Severn House and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dressed to Kill was a decent book, but it wasn’t my favorite of the mysteries I’ve been reading recently. I thought the pace of the story was a little slow and the killer, at least to me, was too easy to figure out, even though Mary and the rest of the town couldn’t seem to piece it together.

I haven’t read the rest of the rest of the series, but this is part of the Mary McGill Canine Mystery series. I was expecting Mary’s dog, Millie, to play a larger part in the book than she actually did. I was left wondering if she played a larger roll in any of the other books or if it’s just called the Canine Mystery series just because she makes a few appearances in the books.

Overall, Dressed to Kill wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but it was decent book. I think readers who are more familiar with the series might enjoy it more than I did though.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy provided through NetGalley**

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful read and I can't understand how this is the 1st book in the Mary McGill Canine Mystery series I've read. It can be read as a stand alone, as this is book 19 in the series. Mary and her Cocker Spaniel, Millie witness a clown running out of the bank after hearing gunshots. It happens that the police chief was in the manager's office and was shot trying to stop the holdup. Now Mary and Millie must work with a state office to find out who shot Dan and who killed customer Victoria. A good mystery with lots of interesting characters. I liked Mary since she was older. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Kathleen Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

A killer clown? A bank robbing killer clown? Talk about a disguise. Mary is thunderstruck but propelled into action when she hears gun shots at the bank and watches a clown run out. The slow shot not only the chief of Police Dan Dunham (in the arm) but also Victoria Witherspoon, a seamstress, who unfortunately dies. Mary is determined to find out who did it- was it the person Victoria made the costume for? Ignore the fact that the FBI handles bank robberies and go with it. Mary's pretty intrepid and the story trips along nicely. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I hadn't read any of the preceding books (wow- 19) so this was a standalone for me.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm in two minds about this book: on one side it was a pleasant and entertaining read, on the other side I guessed the culprit and the motive at about 60% and this made the last part less interesting.
i think it's a good cozy but I felt liked I missed the backstory and I think I'd have liked it better having read the rest of the series.
Recommended because it was a pleasant read.
I'm curious about the next instalment in this series.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Barbara Tobey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pleasant series. Millie, the dog, is always a delight. Another dog and a cat are added to the tale. I won't be giving away a secret when I say the clown is the killer. The person in the clown costume was obvious to me early on. Not so obvious to Mary and the rest. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok. The premise was good but the execution a bit aimless. Holding back imperative info cuz she was tired, or figured she’d think about it more made Mary seem silly
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for allowing me this arc

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dressed to Kill is a very well written murder mystery. Well crafted plot and characters. Mystery fans will love this book. I look forward to reading more books in this series. Thanks to the publisher for my advance ebook. This is my unbiased review.

[Heather Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dressed to Kill was a cute cozy mystery with great characters and a good storyline. Well written and a entertaining story.