Crime & Punctuation

March 1, 2018
An editor who's come back to her childhood home turns detective when her latest client winds up dead.Now that she's returned to Lenape Hollow in the Catskills, 68-year-old retiree Mikki Lincoln is prepared to relax and enjoy the good life alongside her cat, Calpurnia. To earn a little extra money, she does some freelance work as a book editor, offering novice writers guidance on the finer points of grammar. A few months later, young Tiffany Scott shows up unannounced at Mikki's place with a full manuscript in tow. Though writers usually just send her work online, Mikki humors Tiffany, agrees to review the manuscript, which is a murder mystery, and even skims the first few pages, which look promising. Before she can return it to Tiffany, a call from the local police tells her Tiffany's drowned with Mikki's business card in her pocket. When the police officer says that Tiffany might have been murdered, Mikki begins to investigate, using Tiffany's book as a springboard. She gets help from her closest childhood friend, scooter-riding Darlene Uberman, who's not one to let her friend get into trouble alone. It's a good thing Mikki has Darlene on her side, because she has to contend with her childhood history with the rest of the town, starting with her high school ex, Mike Doran. According to the cops, Tiffany's grandmother Ronnie is a likely suspect for the murder, and the long animosity between Ronnie and Mikki makes it hard for Mikki to believe in Ronnie's innocence--at least until she gets to know Tiffany's husband, wealthy developer Gregory Onslow. Greg, a relative newcomer to town, owns Mongaup Valley Ventures, and Mikki suspects that he had the most to gain from Tiffany's death, if only Mikki can get to the bottom of it.The signature cozy style of Dunnett's Liss MacCrimmon series (X Marks the Scot, 2017, etc.) translates easily to this editorially focused new venture.

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April 30, 2018
Freelance editor Mikki Lincoln, the heroine of this entertaining series launch from Dunnett (X Marks the Scot), is coping with renovations to her childhood home in Lenape Hollow, N.Y., when aspiring writer Tiffany Scott asks for help revising her fiction manuscript. Despite promising early chapters, Mikki finds the tale of violent gangsters far-fetched and full of clichés. After Tiffany drowns, Mikki begins to wonder whether the book’s characters have real-life counterparts—such as Tiffany’s husband, Greg Onslow, an entrepreneur who has a controversial theme-park proposal; his associate, Alan Van Heusen, who may have secrets in his past; and Onslow’s creepy security guard, Paul Klein, who has been following her. Ronnie North, Tiffany’s grandmother and Mikki’s supercilious former classmate, also has a motive: the shares of stock Tiffany left her. As Mikki’s suspicions grow, a burglary at her house suggests that she may be asking too many uncomfortable questions. Appealing supporting characters include Mikki’s loyal and resourceful friend, Darlene Uberman, and the ever-gossipy patrons of the local café. Cozy fans will be pleased. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency.