When attending her fiftieth high school reunion, Mikki Lincoln saw that
her childhood home was for sale, and now widowed, nothing was
keeping her in Maine anymore. However, her new acquisition is rather
decrepit, and Mikki has to supplement her retirement income with
editing manuscripts. Business is slowly picking up, when a young
woman, Tiffany Scott, arrives on her doorstep, which is highly unusual,
as Mikki conducts business online. Tiffany has penned a crime novel
based on facts, but when an aspiring author is found dead, Mikki
cannot help but wonder if Tiffany's death was accidental or if someone
doesn't want a long-concealed truth to surface.
CRIME & PUNCTUATION by
Kaitlyn Dunnett starts off nice and easy with introductions to Mikki
Lincoln and the village of Lenape Hollow, as Mikki reacquaints herself
with her once-familiar surroundings and old friends, but as the
investigation progresses, the pace picks up to a very comfortable one
and I was hooked. I was a tad skeptical about having a sexagenarian
heroine at first, but Mikki is neither a botoxed glamor puss nor a Miss
Marple clone. She comes off as a normal, modern older person: she is
tech savvy within reason, and not a gun-toting, martial arts expert
either, but a woman to whom everyone can relate. I loved her friend
Darlene, plagued with arthritis and not afraid to speak her mind, and
who, I suspect, will be Mikki's regular crime-fighting sidekick. Mikki,
freelancing as a "book doctor," had me watching the language like a
hawk, looking for the tiniest editing mistake, an errant comma, and I am
deliriously happy to say that the writing and editing were flawless!
The descriptions of Lenape Hollow are crisp and vivid, the village never
sounds cutesy and cheesy. The story flows well, the pace is steady, and
I was, of course, looking for the smallest plot hole, and again,
everything was impeccable. The characters are all very well defined,
and I very much appreciated that absolutely no one is perfect, not even
Mikki. It appears that some not-so-likeable characters will show up in
subsequent books as the revitalisation of the town continues, and I
honestly can't wait to see what happens next. CRIME & PUNCTUATION is told in the first person
from Mikki's point of view, and I really liked her voice and way of
thinking. Her detective technique is subtle and believable, and one of
those rare instances that everything Mikki did is how I would have
proceeded as well, except maybe for minuscule detail that has no
bearing on the dénouement. I think I must have whooped loudly at how
the criminal was caught; it was one of the most ingenious, original,
inspired moves I have ever read. I was ecstatic at such cleverness!
Also, do not ignore "A Random Selection from 'The Write Right Wrights'
Language and Grammar Tips" from Mikki Lincoln; these are tips every
one of us needs to know. I wish there had been more, but CRIME & PUNCTUATION is not an
English textbook, is it? But it is an utter delight for language purists as
well as fans of cozy mysteries.
After splurging to buy her childhood home in the
Catskills, recently widowed Mikki Lincoln emerges from
retirement as a freelance editor. With her ability to spot
details that others fail to see, it’s not long before Mikki
earns clients—and realizes that the village of Lenape Hollow
isn’t the thriving tourist destination it was decades ago.
Not with a murderer on the loose . . .
When perky novice writer Tiffany Scott knocks at her door
holding a towering manuscript, Mikki expects another debut
novel plagued by typos and sloppy prose. Instead, she finds
a murder mystery ripped from the headlines of Lenape
Hollow’s not-too-distant past. The opening scene is a
graphic page-turner, but it sends a real chill down Mikki’s
spine after the young author turns up dead just like the
victim in her story . . .
Mikki refuses to believe that Tiffany’s death was
accidental, and suspicions of foul play solidify as she
uncovers a strange inconsistency in the manuscript and a
possible motive in the notes. Then there’s Tiffany’s
grandmother and husband, who aren’t exactly on friendly
terms over the local area’s planned rejuvenation efforts . . .
Unable to convince police that they are focused on the wrong
suspect, Mikki must rely on her keen eyes to catch the truth
hidden in Lenape Hollow. As she gets closer to cracking the
case, only one person takes Mikki’s investigation
seriously—the cunning killer who will do anything to make
this chapter of her life come to a very abrupt ending . . .
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