Wow, Dolled Up for Murder starts with a rush -- to pack clothes, Wobbles the cat, and get to the airport to catch a flight to Phoenix, AZ in the middle of summer. But it couldn't be better timing since Gretchen's been laid off and hasn't found work, her boyfriend is getting standoffish, and time is marching on. In other words, Gretchen is approaching a lower middle-age crisis. She's been dating Steve for seven years and she doesn't think things are going anywhere. She can't seem to find another job and she's realized as she packs just how few close friends she has in Boston.

Of course she doesn't think anything has really happened to her mother but she would like to see her again. Then, when she arrives, she learns her mother is implicated in the murder of Martha Williams and the police want to know where Caroline is now. Neither Nina or Gretchen know. They soon realize it is up to them to find out what's going on because the police seem to have their minds made up. And, everything seems to revolve around a doll, a French fashion doll. Gretchen had helped her mother in her doll repair and restoration business while a teen and in college and she needs all that knowledge and the help of the local Phoenix doll cub, the Phoenix Dollers. However, it's not long before Gretchen realizes that maybe not all the members of the doll club can be trusted and one of them might be the murderer.

The information about dolls was fascinating and after taking some breaks to look up more information on some of the dolls mentioned, I realized what an interesting subject collectible dolls could be.

The characters were well drawn and interesting and most seemed to defy typecasting. The plot was straight forward, but solving it relies on knowing some information that neither Gretchen nor the reader would have until the end, so the conclusion offered satisfaction to the reader.