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    Crime & Punctuation
    Crime & Punctuation
    Crime & Punctuation
    Audiobook8 hours

    Crime & Punctuation

    Written by Kaitlyn Dunnett

    Narrated by Margaret Strom

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    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. 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 . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJul 10, 2018
    ISBN9781977388841
    Author

    Kaitlyn Dunnett

    Kaitlyn Dunnett first caught the Scottish heritage bug when her husband learned to play the bagpipes. Many Scottish festivals and parades later, and after a brief stint as bass drummer with a bagpipe band, she decided to combine her love of things Scottish with her love of writing. The Liss MacCrimmon mysteries are the result. Kaitlyn lives on a Christmas tree farm in the mountains of western Maine.

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    Reviews for Crime & Punctuation

    3.5/5

    32 ratings5 reviews

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    • 3/5
      My ratings don't set out to be objective, critical reflections of the book I've read, so upfront, this rating reflects the disparity between myself and the book's primary demographic. I'm too young as yet to really appreciate what this series offers. Mikki is a 60-something recent widow who pulls up stakes and moves back to her hometown in the Catskills area of New York. Her life is taken up with worries about living on her retirement income while renovating a house; she has hearing aids in both ears, and her closest friend is frequently crippled by her arthritis. This last bit was really the only part I was able to identify with, as my bff has battled psoriatic rheumatism for 3/5ths of her life, and my husband has just been diagnosed with a rarer form of rheumatism in spite of being a sprightly early-forty-something (sorry, that's not coyness; I just don't remember exactly how old he is). Mikki's friend in the book appears to even be on the same medications. So given this connection, it's not the infirmities that left me feeling too young for this book, but rather the mindset. I don't know if it's always been thus, but at some point each person becomes aware they are 'old' by societal standards. Reactions differ of course, but the one Mikki seems to adopt is a subtle loss of confidence and self-worth. She doesn't quail externally, but her internal dialogue is liberally peppered with retreat, an assumption she won't be believed because of her age, a pervasive sense of impending weakness. This is what I don't identify with and why I failed to connect. I don't think the author set out to create a frail character in any way, but she'd definitely created Mikki to appeal to readers who can relate to those doubts, fears, and adjustments that become necessary to face as time marches on. I'm not there yet. Unfortunately, the mystery plotting wasn't enough to overcome this for me. It was solid, but nothing spectacular or surprising. Dunnett didn't telegraph much, but her structuring of the story gives the murderer away if a reader has read a superfluous number of mysteries over the years. Characters are generally pivotal to the plot, or secondary outliers used to fill out the story and the MC's life - it's when a writer creates a character that straddles that line that's a flag; the character that fits neither category is usually the murderer. Overall, this is not a bad mystery; certainly not a bad first mystery. And I loved the bits about editing. She includes some quick usage rules at the back as a short appendix that is enough to make me want to hang onto my copy of the book. I finally have an easy to remember rule for hung and hanged. But I don't think I'll be continuing with the series. At least, not anytime in the foreseeable future. I still have a lot more growing up to do.
    • 5/5
      Recently widowed Mikki London has moved back to her hometown in the Catskills and is renovating the family home. She had spent almost all of her married life in Maine and had lost track of all of her childhood friends.After a career as a Language Arts teacher, Mikki has set herself up as a freelance editor to help pay for the renovations and supplement her retirement income. Since she got most of her clients from online referrals, she was surprised to find Tiffany Scott knocking on her door to ask Mikki to edit her debut novel. But before Mikki had done more than write out the contract and read the first few pages, Tiffany is found dead with Mikki's card in her pocket.Mikki is immediately concerned when the first verdict is that Tiffany committed suicide. Tiffany hadn't given any signs when she met with Mikki. Things get more complicated when she learns that Tiffany's husband was a shady businessman who wanted to turn some land outside of town into a theme park and that Tiffany's grandmother who was a childhood rival of Mikki's was opposed to the plan. When Tiffany's manuscript draws attention from a number of sources, Mikki begins to wonder if the story is hiding some things that could have led to her death. On the surface, a murder mystery featuring mobsters set in 1937 would not seem to do so. But why were so many concerned that Tiffany might have left anything else besides the manuscript with Mikki?I liked Mikki who is quite an opinionated woman especially about grammar. I liked her relationship with her cat Calpurnia. I liked that she was eager to reconnect with old high school friends now that she was back home. The mystery was interesting with an assortment of suspects and red herrings. It also had exciting bits where Mikki is followed by a suspicious character and her house is broken into. I liked the narration by Margaret Strom. I liked that the main character was an older, retired woman who was both curious and nosy.
    • 4/5
      Crime & Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett is the first book in the new cozy series: Deadly Edits. I had read other books by this author and enjoyed them, so between that and the wonderful cover, I could not resist. I am glad that I did. I enjoyed this book and look forward the next in this series.

      Mikki Lincoln is 68 years old and a recent widow. She lives with her cat Calpurnia, Cal for short. After buying back her childhood home in the Catskills, which needed a lot of work, Mikki's retirement budget is stretched a bit too thin for comfort. Being a retired English teacher, she begins her own business working as a freelance editor. Tiffany Scott, her newest client leaves her manuscript with Mikki and is found dead a few days later. What initially looks like an accident, after reading what Tiffany had written in her book, Mikki thinks it may be a murder. She decides to conduct her own investigation when the local police start focusing on the wrong suspect.

      I love the characters in this book! Mikki is a retired, senior citizen, but feisty, incredibly intelligent and observant. She rekindles relationships with several others she went to school with back in the day. Darlene becomes her partner in crime. She has crippling arthritis, but doesn’t let it slow her down. Using an electric scooter, walker, and wheelchair, she gets to where she wants to go. Together they make an amazing team. The rest of the supporting cast is just as quirky and lovable as Mikki. I love Calpurnia; she had a few situations that cat lovers will both smile and gasp at. The story is a fun mix of humor and sleuthing. The plot moved along at a nice pace, with a few suspects and some surprises. The ending was wonderful, I never suspected the killer until just before the final reveal. This is a great beginning to this series and I recommend it to any cozy mystery lover. The publisher, Kensington Publishing Corporation, generously provided me with a copy of this book upon my request. The rating, opinions and ideas shared are my own.
    • 3/5
      Crime and Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett is the first novel in A Deadly Edits Mystery series. Mikki Lincoln has moved to Lenape Hollow, New York and purchased a beautiful one hundred ten year old home that used to be in her family. However, it is in desperate need of repairs and Mikki needs to find a way to finance them. Mikki utilizes her strengths of English and grammar to become a freelance editor and calls her business Write Right Wright. One day Tiffany Scott arrives on Mikki’s doorstep clutching an envelope to her chest. Tiffany has written a 1930s mystery that is based on real life gangland killings. Three days later, Mikki is visited by Detective Hazlett who informs her that Tiffany has passed away. While the police do not suspect foul play at this time, Mikki believes it is too coincidental and decides to do a little probing. Mikki learns that Tiffany’s husband has been buying up land to build a theme park. Many people are against the proposed venture including Tiffany’s grandmother, Ronnie North (who is also Mikki’s high school nemesis). After three people inquire if Tiffany left anything with her, Mikki takes a further look at the manuscript. What did Tiffany uncover while researching the material for her novel? Someone is not happy with Mikki’s sleuthing and attempts to shut her down. Can Mikki find the killer or will she end up the next victim?Crime and Punctuation has a unique premise with an older main character who has a freelance editing business. I like that Mikki has retired, uprooted her life and starting a new business venture. She is sixty-eight years old with no intention of sitting around her house twiddling her thumbs. I did find Mikki, though, to be slightly lackluster. The author failed to bring her fully to life (at least for me). Her home, though, sounds charming and I like that she is bringing the old beauty back to life. The town was a disappointment. We are introduced to some of the people who live in the area, but most of the shops are deserted (courtesy of Greg Onslow, Tiffany’s hubby). The small-town charm and coziness was missing for me (one of the things I love about cozy mysteries). The mystery was medium level. The author did provide some misdirection to throw readers off the scent of the real culprit. However, I found it too easy to identify the killer and figure out why the crime was committed. The pacing was slow and I was happy when it picked up in the last quarter of the book as we get closer to catching the killer (more action). There is a repetition of information along with speculation that seemed to be filler (I wanted more substance). There are grammar tips and explanations interspersed throughout the story (Oxford comma and difference between further and farther for example). I missed the humor and ease that is present in Kaitlyn Dunnett’s A Liss MacCrimmon Mystery series. I am rating Crime and Punctuation 3 out of 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      Readers of Kaitlyn Dunnett's first Deadly Edits cozy mystery may learn quite a few helpful tips about proper English usage, but they're also going to read an engaging story featuring a main character they're going to love. Mikki Lincoln is sixty-eight years old, wears hearing aids, and knows all about the Oxford comma. Until his death, Mikki's husband was the center of her world, but now Calpurnia the cat is the only other living soul in the childhood home that she's busy fixing up. Mikki realizes that she has to relearn how to make friends, but she has already found one: Darlene, a former head librarian who had to take early retirement due to her crippling arthritis. Her mobility has been affected so much that she gets around on a combination of walker, electric scooter, and wheelchair.Mikki and Darlene prove that you don't have to be perky, toned, hunk-on-the-brain twentysomethings to solve crimes, and that's good news for many readers amongst us. Both of them are intelligent, honest, and filled with common sense. (I also love Darlene's way with her electric scooter.) I have to admit that learning the differences between copyediting, line editing, and developmental editing was fascinating, and so was the fact that the author brought in the area's ties to Murder, Inc. as part of the mystery. Actually, the only thing I didn't like about this delightful book is the fact that Dunnett seemed to telegraph the identity of the killer. But... with so many other things-- and characters-- to enjoy, it really didn't matter all that much. In fact, I'm looking forward to my next visit with Mikki and Darlene. (Never underestimate the power of two "old" women!)