Clause & Effect

Deadly Edits #2

by Kaitlyn Dunnett

As a professional editor, Mikki Lincoln is used to crimes against the English language. As an amateur sleuth, she's finding catching criminals a lot more dangerous than catching
typos . . .
 
Nestled in the picturesque Catskills, the village of Lenape Hollow prepares to celebrate the 225th anniversary of its founding. Freelance book editor Mikki Lincoln has been drafted to update and correct the script, left over from the town's bicentennial, which is housed at the historical society.
 
The building is being renovated for the first time since that last celebration. But when construction reveals a shocking discovery—human remains walled up in a fireplace—Mikki shifts focus from cold-reading to solving a cold case.
 
Just as her investigation seems to have hit a brick wall, a new murder rattles the townspeople. Clearly, someone is hiding a few skeletons in the closet. Now Mikki will need to go off script to make a connection between the bicentennial bones and the current homicide. But if this book editor isn't careful, she may be the next one sentenced to death . . .

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, New York, Contemporary, Audiobook

270 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 25, 2019

About the author

Kaitlyn Dunnett is a pseudonym used by Kathy Lynn Emerson, author of the Mistress Jaffrey Mysteries, the Face Down Mysteries featuring Susanna Appleton, 16th century gentlewoman, herbalist, and sleuth, the Diana Spaulding 1888 Quartet, and the award-winning How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries, plus an assortment of other books.

As Kaitlyn she writes the Liss MacCrimmon series set in Moosetookalook, Maine and the Deadly Edits series set in rural Sullivan County, New York.

She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime and other professional organizations and blogs regularly with Maine Crime Writers.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clause & Effect by Kaitlyn Dunnett is the second book in the cozy Deadly Edits mystery series. As with most cozy mysteries each book of this series has it’s own self contained mystery to solve so each can be read as a standalone or in any order if choosing to do so. However, for those that read in order there is some character development carrying over book to book. t

In the first book of the Deadly Edits series readers were introduced to the main character of this series, Mikki Lincoln, who is in her sixties and starting over in her life after her husband’s passing. Mikki and her husband had lived in a remote area taking care of their land themselves for years but after losing her husband Mikki felt it was time to find an easier place to spend her retirement years so when she caught an ad for her childhood home in the Catskills she bought it sight unseen.

When Mikki found her new home needed more work than she expected she decided she would start up a side business to help with her finances. Since the move Mikki has been working as a freelance editor and settling into her new life making some new/and old friends. When the village of Lenape Hollow prepares to celebrate the 225th anniversary everyone looks to Mikki for help with the town play but as things are being set up a body is found in the walls of an old fireplace and Mikki starts looking into the cold case.

The Deadly Edits mystery series is one that I have found to be full of the quirky and cute fun that I enjoy in a cozy. Despite her age Mikki still is quite active although not so much so that it’s unbelievable with reminders she is an older leading lady. With plenty of suspicion all around this was another solid installment of the series leaving me looking forward to the next.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't guess who the murderer was and that is one of the best things I can say about this book.
I still am not a fan of the MC and I am still unsure why and all the "mean girl" crap that goes on in this [and the previous one] book just about drives me insane. These women are in the 70's and are WAY past this kind of demeaning behavior.
There were plenty of red herrings, but all that leads to is a story that just takes way too long to wrap up. I could have done with about 50 less pages of this story or have had the story of the MC's cousin more fleshed out and a lot of the sniping and snooping left out.
This book just fell flat for me and I will not be reading any more of this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Aristotle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mick Jagger is 75!

While remodeling a historical library a body is found hidden behind a wall. That's the plot.
Mikki Lincoln a 70 year old widowed former English teacher now a part time book editor, part time detective, hunting for answers is not my kind of book. The going was slow and the side plots were not interesting.
Harry Bosch is in his 60's. Mick Jagger is 75 and still rocks! Betty White is 97 and still funny!
So age had nothing to do with the review. Mikki isn't as interesting as Harry, doesn't move like Jagger, and isn't funny like Betty.
It was an easy read so i carried on to the end. Just not my type of murder mystery. 2 1/2 stars.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the Deadly Edits and a new author for me. I will definitely read this author again. Mikki Lincoln has purchased the house in Lenape Hollow where she grew up. She needed a job to pay for repairs she became an editor and has a number of clients. Mikki, a member of the historical board for the celebration of the 225th founding of the town is present when a wall collapsed at the Society headquarters and body wrap in plastic is exposed. Mikki and up directing the pageant. She becomes involved looking for the killer before someone is in danger. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.

Disclosure: Thanks to Kensington Books for a copy through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Tari · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was happy to go back to Lenape Hollow for another visit with Mikki and her friends. This mystery was quite a bit different from the first one, and I have to say that I actually liked the first one better. This one just didn't seem like it was as involved and didn't have as many suspects as before. It wasn't quite as exciting until it was close to the end, and Mikki had to survive against the killer. I do love Mikki's character and her job, but I was a bit disillusioned with this particular mystery.

I liked that Mikki has a cousin she'd never met before and was going to get to know better. He seemed really interested in their family history, so it'll be interesting to see if he shows up again.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a physical copy of the book provided by the publisher, and my opinions are my own.

[LORI CASWELL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Mikki Lincoln finds herself reluctantly tasked with editing and basically rewriting the script for the play the was performed 25 years ago at the town’s bicentennial celebration so it can be performed for the Quasquicentennial this year. The problem is the old script is kept at the historical society and can’t be checked out. Mikki is forced to work in the archives room while construction on the building continues so it can be completed before the celebration.

While the contractor is working on the renovation one of the walls crumbles on top of him revealing an old fireplace. He has minor injuries but another body is found in the rubble. One that was murdered and closed up in the wall presumably during the last renovation before the bicentennial. Mikki can’t get the body out of her mind and finds herself spending more time trying to solve the cold case that her regular editing work or the Lenape Hollow founder’s day script. When a new murder is added to the mix, Mikki finds herself editing her time to do it all. She may be asking her last question, writing her last paragraph, final sentence, period, end of story, if she finds herself in the killer’s sights.

I love that Mikki Lincoln is an older lead character, retired teacher, set in her ways, working so that she can live in the house she grew up in. She wears hearing aids that come in handy for some stealth eavesdropping. Mikki is smart, a great multitasker, with keen insight. All qualities that make her a great amateur sleuth. We also continue to meet the residents of Lenape Hollow. Ms. Dunnett does a wonderful job fleshing out her characters and connecting them to Mikki is a believable way.

I enjoyed that a cold case connects to a new one. It allows readers to not only follow the clues but get to know about the village’s past. Much has changed in 25 years but many things remain the same. The mystery unfolds in a very intriguing and interesting way. There were plenty of twists and a wonderful moment when the last clue falls into place. I was so surprised when I realized where the story was leading. It is so much fun when that happens.

The subplots tangled within the mystery were great too. I was really drawn by the character researching their family history. They have a big secret and they learn something they wouldn’t have found out if they hadn’t made the trip to Lenape Hollow.

Another strong story for this series. Well-written, relatable characters, set in a place with a long history. An entertaining read! I hope to visit Mikki and her friends again soon.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
After Book #1 in the series, Clause & Effect is a bit of a disappointment. The writing is just as good, the characters are as engaging, and the premise of a play at a town festival is fun. The disappointment comes with the very noticeable absence of the grammar and literary references that made the first book so much fun. Also, the scenes leading to the reveal were predictable and fairly stock material for a cozy mystery. In all, the book is decent, but not amazing.

[Kirsti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the chance to read this book!

What a charming sleuth Mikki makes! In this one book we learn a fair bit about Mikki and her childhood, as well as her friends and almost enemies. She is delving into a cold case, but we learn about her as wellin the process. I loved how everything tied together, and it had to for a crime that happened over 25 years earlier. All it takes are the right questions to the wrong people for someone to slip up and reveal themselves as a murderer!

What I really liked was the red herrings, and I wonder where some of the characters (Luke especially, although the sister's quarrel and reconciliation was interesting as well) I haven't read the first book, but I'd like to now, as well as this author when they write under a different name.

A solid start, five stars.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book editor Mikki has been roped into writing the play for the 225th anniversary of the town. She looks at the play written 25 years ago and can’t use much of it. The historical society is being remodeled and a body falls out of the wall when they try to unblock the old fireplace. With little help from the police she figure out who the body was and sets out to figure out who did it. A family secret and a new cousin add to the story.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clause & Effect is the second installment in A Deadly Edits Mystery series. It can be read as a standalone if you have not had time to read Crime & Punctuation. I like that Mikki Lincoln is a mature main character (70 years old). She is a retired English teacher who now lives in the home where she grew up with her cat, Calpurnia. I think the name of her proofreading and editing business is clever (The Write Right Wright). We learn a little more about her friend, Darlene Uberman and her frenemy, Ronnie North. Personally, I could do without Ronnie. She is an abrasive character (the traditional mean girl) who quickly got on my nerves. The endless sniping reminded me of high school girls instead of mature women. Mikki’s cousin, Luke shows up and we learn more about Mikki’s family tree. I enjoyed Mikki’s reminiscing about her childhood as it lets us get to know Mikki better. The two mysteries tied together nicely which provided multiple suspects and a red herring or two. There are clues to help the reader identify the evil doer before Mikki. Mikki’s questioning technique leaves a lot to be desired (blunt). She comes across as a busybody instead of amateur sleuth. Detective John Hazlett tells her multiple times to stop investigating, but he does appreciate the intel Mikki shares with him. Readers also learn more about the village and how it has changed over the last twenty-five years. I admit it is confusing that there is a town and a village with the same name. I did feel that the story lacked humor and the pacing was lethargic (action was sorely needed). The literary and grammar references that were sprinkled throughout Crime & Punctuation were missing in Clause & Effect. There are some language and grammar tips from Mikki at the end. Clause & Effect has a town celebration, two dead bodies, a crumbled fireplace, feuding sisters, a cat named Calpurnia, and one prying proofreader.

[RO G'ma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clause & Effect is the second book in Kaitlyn Dunnett’s Deadly Edits series. This is an entertaining mystery with a great cast of well-developed characters. The book starts out slow, but the pace does pick up. There are some and twists and turns to keep the reader guessing.

Mikki Lincoln is a recently widowed, retired English teacher, who decided it was time to make a change in her life, so she bought her childhood home in Lenape Hollow, New York, which she hasn’t seen since she was seventeen. She packed up her possessions, her Calico cat who is named Calpurnia, and moved from Maine to the Catskills only to find the house in desperate need of repair. When she realized the repairs would quickly eat through her retirement income, she decided to become a freelance editor. Mikki’s friend, Darlene Uberman, and her high school nemesis, Ronnie North, guilt her into proofreading and editing the script for the Quasquibicentennial pageant, a celebration of the arrival of Lenape Hollow’s first settlers. She ends up rewriting it when she finds glaring historical errors in the script. While visiting the historical society building, which is undergoing renovations, to look at the old script, a wall comes crashing down, and human remains fall out. Mikki becomes caught up in learning the identity of the victim, begins asking a lot of questions, and tries to help solve the murder. Detective Jonathan Hazlett doesn’t seem to be making much headway in his investigation, and Mikki shares her findings with him.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Senior citizen Mikki Lincoln has settle back into the town where she grew up, Lenape Hollow in the Catskills. A widow and retired English teacher, she's reinvented herself as an editor, taking on the freelance work of correcting other people's grammar.

When the town celebrates the 225th anniversary of its founding, they ask Mikki to update and correct a script left over from the 200th anniversary.

While Mikki is at the historical society, where the building is being renovated, a wall comes down, complete with human remains, comes tumbling down. It's up to Mikki to figure out whose remains they are, and why they were hidden, before she ends up dead herself.

Clause & Effect is the second book in the Deadly Edits series, and it's just as much fun as the first one. Mikki is perfectly written character. She is of a certain age, but she is still feisty and ready to go on all fronts. I rather love the fact she bought the house where she grew up, because I think for many people it's a dream to go back to home. Mikki does it very well.

There is a laundry list of suspects in this book, and Mikki explores each of them perfectly. She's n0t afraid to ask the hard questions, and I enjoyed the tension that brought about in many of the scenes. I found the ending, although I had figured out the killer, to be tightly written and tense.

I also enjoyed the way the author wove the history if the town into the story. Those details made for very rich reading. Clause & Effect is a great addition to this series. I enjoyed it very much, and look forward to the next book in the series.

I received a digital ARC of this book from Kensington through NetGalley.

[OpenBookSociety.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://openbooksociety.com/article/c...

Clause and Effect
Deadly Edits, Book #2
By Kaitlyn Dunnett
ISBN 9781496712578
Author Website: kaitlyndunnett(.)com
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

Synopsis:

As a professional editor, Mikki Lincoln is used to crimes against the English language. As an amateur sleuth, she’s finding catching criminals a lot more dangerous than catching
typos . . .

Nestled in the picturesque Catskills, the village of Lenape Hollow prepares to celebrate the 225th anniversary of its founding. Freelance book editor Mikki Lincoln has been drafted to update and correct the script, left over from the town’s bicentennial, which is housed at the historical society.

The building is being renovated for the first time since that last celebration. But when construction reveals a shocking discovery—human remains walled up in a fireplace—Mikki shifts focus from cold-reading to solving a cold case.

Just as her investigation seems to have hit a brick wall, a new murder rattles the townspeople. Clearly, someone is hiding a few skeletons in the closet. Now Mikki will need to go off script to make a connection between the bicentennial bones and the current homicide. But if this book editor isn’t careful, she may be the next one sentenced to death . . . (Goodreads)

Review:

I very much enjoyed this second in the Deadly Edits series! Clause and Effect is the first novel I have read by this author, and it won’t be the last! The characters and mystery are drawn with excellence. As I am one of those people who is challenged when seeing numerous grammar errors in a novel, I appreciate the work Mikki does – even though I will never know nearly as much as she does!

Mikki, a retired junior high English teacher, returned to her hometown of Lenape Hollow, NY after her husband passed away. The home she grew up in was for sale and she is now the proud owner. To pay for repairs needed, Mikki opened her own editing business. She is excellent at what she does, so much so that two women on the board of the Historical Society approach her to edit the script used and performed twenty-five years ago at Lenape Hollow’s bicentennial. Darlene, Mikki’s best friend from high school, and Ronnie, her least favorite person from high school, serve on the board together. Ronnie wanted Darlene to talk Mikki into doing the work, taunting her that if Darlene’s older sister Judy were there, she would have already gotten a commitment from Mikki.

Mikki has several paying business commitments, so she only plans to look at the script. She is willing to proofread and edit the script. One of many little challenges, however, is that it was typewritten before the days of computers being readily available. Another is that the only copy is in the Historical Society’s archives, therefore unavailable to take home to work on. Gilbert Baxter, the current director of the Historical Society, won’t allow the script to be copied as he feels it would damage the original.

Mikki takes her laptop to the Historical Society, planning to re-type the script as she edits it. She is there on a day that the building is closed to the public while remodeling is done. This will be more than a simple proofread and edit job, or even re-typing. It is a narrative rather than driven by conversations, rendering it completely boring for a viewer, and it is not historically accurate. While she reads it, a wall in the work area collapsed. Charlie, the man working in the area, was not injured, and claims to be working alone. Mikki sees what looks like a second body under the wallboard. It has been quite some time since that body has been alive, though, as it appears to be mummified, wrapped in heavy plastic and secured by duct tape.

Shirley, the society’s librarian, thinks the last time that wall was open was 25 years earlier, just before the bicentennial. Records showed that the wall was put in to cover over the fireplace that was in the area. Since the building is now a crime scene, closed, for at least a couple of days, she gives the script to Mikki to take home and work on. What the director doesn’t know won’t hurt him.

Mikki, Darlene, and Ronnie work together to get the script re-written. Mikki tries to learn who was around the society at the time that the body, only identified currently as a young woman, would have been stuffed in the wall. Mikki, putting together what she learns, to help the police determine who the woman was. Who killed her, though? Mikki had helped find the bad guy who killed one of her clients after she returned to town, and her curiosity is definitely whetted by this cold case.

Mikki is very well defined through conversations, thoughts, and actions; other characters are as well as necessary for their roles. We learn about some people a little at a time as the past is investigated. One mystery is why Judy, Darlene’s older sister, has been estranged from her for several years. Their age and personality differences never brought them closer, but Mikki can’t get the story from Darlene or Judy. I like Mikki best, in part for her intelligence, ability to juggle her business and the play that will be presented at the celebration, her love of cats, and yes, even her maturity. I also like her best friend Darlene and how even after many years apart resume their friendship. These multifaceted women demonstrate that being retired, and in Darlene’s case partially disabled and retired, does not take away from one’s ability to contribute to the world around them. And Ronnie? Well, she is still the quintessential high school bully who grew to an adult meanie.

Surprisingly, there are several possible suspects in the young woman’s murder. Mikki finds creative ways to ask questions about people and circumstances, and shares her findings with Jonathan, the young, handsome police detective who wasn’t excited about her opinions in the past. I did figure out who the killer had to be not long before Mikki did – and if the person didn’t hesitate to silence a young woman twenty-five years earlier, would s/he be ready to kill an older woman today…This exciting mystery has a satisfying ending, leaving no loose ends. I highly recommend it!

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clause And Effects is the second book in the Deadly Edits Mystery series.

I’m really enjoying visiting with residents of Lenape Hollow and especially Mikki Lincoln. Most all seem to be salt of the earth folks who watch out for each other.

Mikki Lincoln, a 60-something retired English teacher has returned to her hometown and has bought the home she grew up in. The house needs updating and she decided to start a freelance book editing business to supplement her retirement income. The community wants to celebrate the 225th anniversary of its founding. Her best friend Darlene Uberman her high school nemesis, Ronnie North are able to convince her to rewrite the play that was used for the 200th celebration.

The historical society won’t let her take the original play from the building and is provided some space on the second floor of the building as there are renovations going on the first floor. As Mikki is reading the original script, she hears a loud crash goes to see what has happened and finds that a wall that was built 25 years ago has come down. Once the dust settles, Charlie Katz the contractor working on the project discovers a body wrapped in plastic in the fireplace. Mikki doesn’t really have the time to learn who the body might be, but she can’t try and learn whose body was found. Hopefully, the identity of the body will soon be learned and the killer will be determined if the killer is still around.

The story is well told and plotted proceeds at a good pace. This book has a cast of interesting and believable characters. Many of the characters from the first book are back once again. A new character is introduced in this book. The new character is Luke and he is a cousin of Mikki who she didn’t know anything about and is able to share some family history that Mikki was aware of. Hopefully, he will be back in future books so that we can learn more about him.

I will be definitely watching for the next book in this series.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice revisit to Mikki and her sexagenarian friends. The uncovering of a decades-old murder sets the plot into motion here. This installment dealt with sex a lot more than most cozy mysteries do, which felt kind of out of place here. There were no graphic scenes, but a lot was inferred and there was a scene where a particular body part was described as having a birthmark that changed shape depending on whether said body part was at rest or at attention, and I might be mildly mentally scarred from that experience.

Overall, it was a decent continuation of the series, and I'll get around to more of them in the future.

3 out of 5 stars.

[Readaholic Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book in an excellent series. I love Mikki and the other characters. And I sincerely hope Kaitlyn Dunnett writes more books for this series.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad series but not an exceptional one. When I saw this book available for request from Netgalley, I purchased the first one to get a feel for the series. The premise is great: Mikki Lincoln, a 60ish retired teacher purchases her childhood home, opens an editing business to make extra money, and finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation. As a librarian and former English teacher, I enjoyed the references to grammar and punctuation and word choice and I appreciate an older protagonist vs. some of the cozies that feature younger (often empty headed) heroines.

But this one is just "okay" for me. I don't connect with Mikki well; her sleuthing is about as subtle as a sledge hammer and I find myself wondering why anyone would talk with her let alone give her personal information about themself or their past. She seems to be merely a busybody (she has no great personal stake in solving the murders in the first two books) so why risk life and limb?

The Deadly Edits series is readable if not compelling. If you have a few hours, the titles are not a bad way to pass the time, but, for me, not "must reads."

Full Disclosure--NetGalley and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

[E. Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep hoping for a good series in the 'cozy'genre, and this almost made it. I very much enjoyed the first book's discussion of the Oxford comma, and hoped for a similar editorial aside in this one. I mean, let's face it, it's not going to be the plot that pulls anybody in. The main character, Mikki Lincoln, is simply annoying. She's a self-righteous prig who just wants to see 'justice done', and can't keep her nose out of murder investigations. However did Lenape Hollow manage before she moved back? Maybe she's just an obnoxious Yankee, but I was hoping for someone more likable. I'm not even sure how she'd go about it. I wanted to attach myself to this series, being a fellow cat-owning editor, but I just couldn't do it.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Clause and Effect” earns 5/5 Suspicious Scripts...Engaging Fun!

Typos might be within Mikki’s skill set as an freelance book editor, but investigating murder just might her talent. Engaging fun! Kaitlyn Dunnett has penned a very entertaining second book in her Deadly Edits series. With a clever mystery incorporating a recently uncovered cold case and then a current one adds to an engaging dramatic layer to the mystery. Also including an exploration of the town’s interesting past, wonderful characters, and a final solution that was a “Wow!” The citizens of Lenape Hollow are set to celebrate the 225th anniversary of its founding and hope to reenact a play written for the previous bicentennial...but the script needs a bit of work. Enter Mikki Lincoln...she has been asked to polish it up with some updating, unfortunately she’ll need to work on the script in the archives...at the museum...during its renovations. Worse? While there, a wall collapses revealing a dead body appearing to be about twenty-five years old...leftover from the bicentennial? When another suspicious death occurs, Mikki is compelled to investigate. Could the old script riddled with content errors be a clue waiting to be deciphered? I love Mikki! She is delightful, clever, and easily identifiable to me (I, too, am a recentlyretired teacher, who even does a bit of editing on the side). The other characters are quite intriguing, but the “mean girl” senior citizens seemed over drawn, but then I recently ran into a former high school acquaintance who seems to be the same personality...so outgrowing the pompous snarky attitude may be very realistic after all. I wavered a bit as to who was the killer, but the whole experience was very entertaining! I recommend that cozy fans check out this book!

Disclosure: I received an ARC from NetGalley. My review is voluntary with honest insights and comments.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Deadly Edits series features protagonist Mikki Lincoln, a 68 year old retiree, who now works as a freelance editor. The small town in the Catskills where she lives is going to be celebrating its 225th anniversary of its founding and the committee has decided to perform the play that was originally written for its bicentennial 25 years ago. Mikki has been drafted/voluntold to update and correct the script. When she visits the historical society building to find the script, she works her way around the construction that is going on for its renovations. While she is there, the contractors discover a body that had been wrapped in plastic and hidden in the fireplace that had been covered over during the last renovations. As Mikki investigates the cold case by searching through archives, she asks questions that seem to scare someone and another person is murdered. Will Mikki and the police find the culprit before another murder takes place?

This is a fun cozy mystery series with some great characters. Mikki is still quite active although not so much so that it’s unbelievable with reminders she is an older leading lady. She is smart and knows how to use archives and search for things, perhaps due to her job as an English teacher. She is also persistent and does not give up easily. There were plenty of red herrings, but only a few suspects. This story seemed to be a bit drawn out, with some slower sections, but the ending was quite climactic. I will read more in this series, to see what else Mikki gets up to. The audiobook was narrated by Christina Moore, who does a nice job with this story. She was able to add to my enjoyment by using expression and emotion to her reading. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, especially those with an older MC, then be sure to pick up this series.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mikki Lincoln moved away from Lenape Hollow, got married, raised a family, and lost her husband. Now, years later, she's moved back, and she's constantly learning how her hometown has changed while she was gone. Mikki may be sixtysomething and wear hearing aids and glasses, but she seldom misses a trick when it comes to grammar or murder. I really enjoy this character, although I certainly didn't enjoy how everyone forced her into dealing with that script for the play. As you know, when you get roped into something after being told over and over again that it's just "this one little thing that won't take but a minute," that one little thing rapidly turns into a time-consuming rattlesnake den of problems. I did notice, however, that once the cold case popped up, Mikki stopped complaining about missed earnings. She's definitely got the amateur sleuth bug.

She's also got an old school acquaintance named Ronnie who always bulldozes everyone in her path into doing things her way. I would dearly love a future book in this series to have Ronnie be forced to do everyone else's bidding. What deliciousness!

Luke makes his first appearance in Clause & Effect, and I'm hoping that he'll return; otherwise, he's a bit of a wasted character. And while we're talking about residents of Lenape Hollow, there's Calpurnia, the de rigueur cozy mystery pet. Calpurnia is for those cat lovers who only require their felines to demand food constantly and occasionally deign to be cuddled. (I know, more action from the cat detracts from the mystery. It's just the dog lover coming out in me.)

As you can tell, I've fallen under the spell of the cast of characters, and Dunnett knows how to write a strong mystery as well. I wonder what sort of trouble Mikki Lincoln will find herself in next?

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mikki Lincoln is busy with her freelance editorial service, and working on the house that used to be her parents. But she can't resist the pressure to help the village of Lenape Falls celebrate its 225th birthday, since one of her own ancestors was one of the founders. Even if it means editing and bringing up-to-date the pageant script from the 200th anniversary, written by a woman who disappeared shortly before it was presented. When a body is found in a bricked-up wall in the historical society, Mikki jumps to the (correct) conclusion that they've found the author. A long-lost cousin raises Mikki's suspicions, and she sees the chance to help a friend grieving over an estranged sister. There's always something to do, and Mikki is the little old lady to do whatever is required, even when a murderer decides that she's too much trouble to have around. Second of a truly delightful series.

[Wicked · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to see an older female protagonist!

[Laura M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book!! ❤️

[Jessi · Rating 3 out of 5]

After her husband died, Mikki Lincoln didn't want to stay in Maine. She discovered that her childhood home was for sale and immediately moved back. Her current pension can't support both her and her home repairs so she is taking on work editing. But she has also been roped in to helping the hamlet put on their 225th anniversary celebration complete with updating the play used at the 200th. But something is amiss. The original play used the wrong story. And then there's the body found wrapped in plastic inside the walls of the library.
Mikki also is dealing with the rift between her best friend and the friend's sister, an unexpected distant relative, and the fact that she's a known sleuth, meaning that someone is worried that she is looking into the murder.
I didn't read the first book in the series and I don't think that I missed much except maybe some character building. I got a gloss of Mikki but not much more than that. She's almost 70 and not quite crochety but maybe heading there? It's hard to tell in this story.

[Lea · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars - I enjoy this MC as an older sleuth. It’s a bit outdated but I enjoyed the family history and town history elements.

[The Cozy Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Series: Deadly Edits - Book 2
Author: Kaitlyn Dunnett
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Literary
Publisher: Kensington Books
Page Count: 288
Publishing Date: June 25, 2019

Clause & Effect by Kaitlyn Dunnett is the second book in the cozy book series “Deadly Edits, published by Kensington Books. This is fast becoming a favorite series. Only two books into this cozy book series and fans are already making it a must read. This book is articulate, edited well and plot driven with great characters and beautiful settings.

Mikki, is what women of a certain age aspire to become. She is independent, hardworking and enjoys spending time with her friends. She gets involved with community situations that aren’t always to her plan, but she does them never-the-less and does them better than anyone else could. She is smart, funny and energetic. Other characters are equal to Mikki is strength and determination, even when they don’t like what is going on, they give it their all. They are loving, and supportive of each other, while still retaining some of their high school rivalries and grudges. All-in-all they are wonderfully exciting and fun.

Finding a body is not Mikki’s idea of fun, but she seems to attract them out of the woodwork, literally. A body that has been walled up for twenty-five years isn’t a pretty sight. It doesn’t take Mikki long to find out who the victim was but figuring out who the killer is tests her investigative abilities. When she finally figures it out, she almost becomes the next victim and has to play keep away with the killer. Thankfully, Mikki wins the game, banged up and bruised but intact.

I genuinely love this cozy book series and Mikki. In Clause & Effect, just like in the last book keeps you guessing, has lots of action and ends up making the reader happy with the outcome. Questions are posed, and answered, victims are abundant, and the killer comes off as a nice person, but in the end, is ruthless and single-minded. I am thrilled to have read this book and look forward to the next. A cozy book series that will entertain and make readers smile is always welcome on my bookshelves.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is book 2 in a series but it thankfully read well alone.

Anyway, the book follows Mikki, a 70 something year old book editor tasked with editing a pageant script for her small towns historical society. While at the historical society human remains are found during a renovation and a murder mystery emerges.

Cute book. I wouldn’t consider Cozy mysteries one of my favourite genres as it tends to spiral into the unbelievable (a 70 something year old solving a murder that had nothing to do with her is less than common). Still, it kept me interested, the mystery was actually a mystery (not too predictable), the concept of the story was really unique and so I did enjoy it.

Sidenote: I wish Netgalley would make it clear that a book is part of a series when requesting. I thank them for a complementary copy.

[JB · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book really boring, seriously you're in your seventies and you still care about high school? I finished it but I won't be reading anymore in the series.

[Carole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Light reading. A whodunnit with a mildly interesting plot and not very convincing characters. I wouldn’t recommend it.