Clause & Effect

Kaitlyn Dunnett

Jun 2019 · Deadly Edits Book 2 · Kensington Cozies

About this ebook

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 . . .

Ratings and reviews

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.

About the author

KAITLYN DUNNETT grew up in the Borscht Belt of New York State, otherwise known as the Sullivan County Catskills, the area she writes about in the Deadly Edits mysteries. These days, Kaitlyn lives in the mountains of western Maine with her husband and cats and can be reached through her website at www.kaitlyndunnett.com.