Tiffany Scott, Free-lanced Editor, expects the latest manuscript she receives for review to be a monster of "typos and sloppy" prose. She not only gets a lot more than she expected, but the young authors death might not be the accidental and as she wonders about the strange "inconsistency" in the manuscript and the weird behavior of those alive and well and those dead portrayed in the manuscript, and the suspicions she has that the wrong suspect is the favorite of the police and they don't really think it's accidental either, and as real life takes over and merges with a too long, terribly written "story",Tiffany begins to fear for her own life's possible ending way too soon as she follows the info in the manuscript and in the dead author's notes. Well written, well paced, and a good read for a cold winter night or a hot, sandy summer day at the beach.

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. ( )

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. ( )

Mikki Lincoln starts an editing business after moving back to the small town where she grew up. Her first client, the granddaughter of someone Mikki went to school with, is murdered. Who doesn't want Tiffany's book to see the light of day?

I DNF'd this book the first time I read it because of Covid but decided to give it another chance after reading some positive reviews. I did finish it this time but still couldn't summon up very much interest in the characters or who dunnit. ( )

What first drew me to try this new cozy series was the front cover to this book. I love the book spine motif! Cozy mysteries always have interesting covers, but this is one of the best I have seen in a long time! Once I started reading, I also fell in love with the characters. Great start to a cozy series!

Mikki Lincoln is 68 years old. She lives in a 3-story home with her calico cat, Calpurnia. Cal for short. After buying back her childhood home in the Catskills, Mikki's retirement budget is stretched a bit too thin for comfort. So, she starts working as a freelance editor. Editing manuscripts will not only keep food on the table for her and the pampered cat, but also help pay for the renovations to the 110-year old house. When her newest client, Tiffany Scott, is murdered, Mikki discovers similarities to Tiffany's manuscript and an actual past crime. She decides to conduct her own investigation when local police start focusing on the wrong suspect. Mikki discovers that amateur sleuthing can be quite dangerous. Will she crack the case before the killer cracks her?

I love the characters in this book! Mikki is older but feisty, incredibly intelligent and observant. She joins forces with several other seniors she went to school with back in the day. The supporting cast is just as quirky and lovable as Mikki. The story is a fun mix of humor and sleuthing. The plot moved along at a nice pace, with a good number of suspects, twists and surprises. The ending caught me a bit by surprise, but it was perfect. Great story-telling!

Kaitlyn Dunnett is a pseudonym of author Kathy Lynn Emerson. As Kaitlyn she writes the Liss MacCrimmon mysteries as well as this new Deadly Edits cozy series. I will definitely be reading more by this author!

**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )