A Fatal Fiction

A Fatal Fiction by Kaitlyn Dunnett is the 3rd A Deadly Edits Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to this series (or skipped a book). The author has a casual writing style which makes the story easy to read. I enjoyed the descriptions of the town and the surrounding area. The pacing varies throughout the story. Mikki Lincoln is seventy years old and a widow. After her husband’s death, she moved back to her hometown of Lenape Hollow. Mikki also purchased her childhood home and spent most of her retirement money fixing it up. Mikki is a retired English teacher. She takes those skills to begin a manuscript editing business out of her home. Grammar is a theme featured throughout the series with helpful tips at the end of the book. Mikki rarely loses her temper, but Greg Onslow pushed her buttons when she was filling up the tank of her car. Unfortunately, the whole scene was caught by someone wielding a cell phone and posted online. When Onslow ends up murdered, Mikki along with her cousin, Luke find themselves suspects. When the detective seems to focus on the cousins, Mikki sets out to find the true culprit. I like that Mikki is an older protagonist who brings a mature viewpoint to the cases she investigates. The mystery had multiple suspects courtesy of Onslow’s swindling ways. There is a red herring or two to distract the reader. Devoted cozy mystery readers will have no problem pinpointing the guilty party. I would have liked a better wrap up of the case. I was left with a couple of unanswered questions. Mikki needs to work on her questioning technique. She is too direct which can come across as rude. Mikki also feels the need to use her “teacher” voice to put people in their place too often. Nick, Mikki’s nephew, pays a visit and I found him an annoying individual. I know he was trying to protect his aunt, but his behavior bordered on boorish. Nick and Mikki clashed frequently. I have trouble liking the characters in this series. I want them to be more like those in the author’s A Liss MacCrimmon Mystery series. My favorite line in A Fatal Fiction came from Sunny when she said, “Good riddance to bad rubbish” when she learned Onslow was dead. A Fatal Fiction is a blithesome cozy mystery with one dead developer, a reckless writer, magnified memoirs, a nagging nephew, and an annoyed aunt.

Visiting Mikki in Lenape Hollow, NY, was a delight! I enjoy Mikki and her current career as a copy editor. Her work is fascinating to me. Mikki continues to show there is much life to enjoy in the decade I am fast approaching. I appreciate sleuths who are mature in outlook, temperament, and life experience. The setting sounds beautiful, it and the characters are defined very well. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. Mikki is a retired English teacher who returned to her hometown after her husband passed away. She purchased the home she grew up in and updated it to suit her preferences. She works at home as a copy editor. She is currently working on Sunny Feldman’s novel about the history of her family’s Feldman’s Catskill Resort Hotel that is no longer in business. Sunny is a feisty 86-year-old woman who is accustomed to getting her way. Mikki is putting gas in her car when Greg, a local real estate developer and investment scam artist, shouts at her about the book Sunny is writing. He wants Mikki to persuade Sunny to not publish it as she is trying to ruin his project. He purchased the property the former resort hotel was built on and claims she is trying to get the site listed as a historical landmark. Mikki lost her temper big time, which rarely happens. Bystanders filmed her on their phones to post online. The next morning Mikki meets Sunny at the library to review what Sunny needs to research for her novel. Pam, the research librarian, told them she just heard Greg died in a terrible accident at his jobsite at the former resort. He was murdered. Mikki, after that very publicized fight, is the main suspect. Mikki begins to ask questions of people at the historical society, around town, and his employees at Mongaup Valley Ventures, where his now-widowed trophy wife is taking over the company. Mikki has helped solve other murders since returning to her hometown; this time she has to prove herself innocent. Allie, the sister of Mikki’s late husband, called from Maine, very concerned about Mikki. Without her knowledge, Allie sent Nick, her son and Mikki’s adored nephew, to check on her. They were unaware that Mikki had helped police with other recent murders, and he is surprised to see Mikki has a security system in this quiet little town. He thinks she might be getting a little confused and will stay until she is no longer a suspect. Even if it means following her every second of the day! Nick, who is now a husband and father, is almost like Mikki having another parent! I had to laugh at ways that she found to get out of her own house without being seen! He sincerely is looking out for her best interests, but it is hard for her to investigate with him there! I loved this novel! The pace is even, and the plot twists keep it interesting. There were several possible suspects, and watching Mikki try to eliminate any of them was exciting. When her cousin Luke is the next likely suspect, she has to work on his behalf, too. The real whodunit was someone on my pet suspect list even though I didn’t have a motive and almost crossed the person off. The final resolution was perfect and satisfying. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys well-written cozy mysteries with mature sleuths who are not in a romance, enjoy their friends, and have second career. From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher; a review was not required.