Happy Book Release Day! I hope you had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday weekend (for those of you living in the US). Some of the new books out today are The Diva Cooks Up a Storm by Krista Davis, Murder with Cinnamon Scones by Karen Rose Smith, Crime and Punctuation by Kaitlyn Dunnett, A Passion for Haunted Fashion by Rose Pressey, Murder in Greenwich Village by Liz Freeland, The Angel Makers by Tessa Harris, Bear Witness to Murder by Meg Macy, Too Many Crooks Spoil the Plot by Sarah Osborne, and Confessions of a Red Herring by Dana Dratch. A little something for everyone!
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 (room for improvement).
Thank you for visiting! I will be reviewing Best Beach Ever by Wendy Wax tomorrow. It is the sixth book in Ten Beach Road series. May you have a fulfilling day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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