This was the first book I have read from this series, but it won't be the last.

Mikki is an senior citizen who has returned to her hometown in New York from Maine after being widowed. She and her husband had no children but she does have relatives - nephews and cousins. A good many of them feel she is too old to take proper care of herself, especially when there is a murderer about.

Mikki edits books to help suplement her retirement income. A childhood friend is writing memoirs of life over 50 years ago and is willing to name names. When a man is found murdered on the site of the friend's former family property, the suspects are many as Greg had managed to make many enemies during his lifetime.

I found it amusing that a 70 year old woman who is considered helpless by her relatives can chimb out of a window, tumble down a roof, jump from a 7 foot height, and pursue her line of inquiry finally sneaking back into the house with the help of a neighbor holding a ladder so she can go back up the roof to the window. Sorry. I don't buy that - but it is fiction, and fun fiction at that.

This is one of my favourite newer series. I like Mikki very much, and that she and her friends, although senior citizens are portrayed as sharp, witty, competent and fully involved characters. Aware of her own limitations - physically, mostly - Mikki participates wholly in her world, aided by more youthful characters, but is ultimately the one who investigates and picks apart the clues and suspects.

Her nephew, Nick, comes to stay unexpectedly for a few days, shortly after a chat between Mikki and his mother, Mikki's sister-in-law. Of course, he's 'spying' for his mother, but after some verbal standoffs and the realisation that Mikki is, in fact, in control of all her faculties, he backs off (he's in her house, after all) and winds up trying to help her solve the investigation.

The mystery itself revolves around a manuscript that Mikki is editing for a friend. Long-buried secrets and sketchy real estate deals are the motives for this murder, and this time Mikki is a suspect, having had an argument with the victim that went viral online. Someone is trying to set her up for it, and she takes it upon herself to find out who.

A good mystery, great characters and setting, and simply a thoroughly enjoyable read. I will definitely be continuing this series and keep my eyes peeled for the next installment.

Even though this third installment of Dunnett's Deadly Edits cozy series feels a bit flat, I still enjoyed it-- and that's primarily due to the main character, Mikki Lincoln. Her deceased husband described her as a BMW-- Big Maine Woman-- and this seventy-something freelance book editor with her hearing aids and glasses is one sharp observer with a voice that draws me right into the story.

A lot of humor is provided when Mikki is sent a "bodyguard" to keep her safe while she tries to find Onslow's killer, and I did enjoy learning nuggets of history about the Borscht Belt in the Catskills. But that's not all A Fatal Fiction has. It also has a strong mystery that took me some time to figure out.

If you're in the mood for a light-hearted mystery with an older (and wiser) sleuth, A Fatal Fiction is the book for you. If you're a newcomer to the series, start with the first one, Crime & Punctuation. You're going to have some fun.

I love a feisty heroine and this book definitely has one. Cozy mysteries are great but I like them even more when the main character if someone out of the ordinary . Mikki is a Seventy year old retired teacher that seems to have a habit of getting herself into trouble and it’s fun to read how she gets out of it. This is the third book in the series and I really wish I had read the first two. This is a fast pace novel with great supporting characters and makes for a great summer read.

I've really enjoyed reading about Mikki and her sleuthing in this series. As her nephew who came to make sure she was okay after she was being framed for murder found out, Mikki was one lady who could take care of herself. She was always touched by Nick's kindness, but she made sure he knew who was in charge at her house. Her friend Darlene wasn't in the book quite as much as previous books, but she always came in handy for online research.

I knew who I wanted to be guilty and was pretty happy when it happened! The showdown was exciting, and once again, Mikki proved that she wasn't some goofy old lady who walked blindly into a killer's trap.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

It's always a pleasure to read this series: a great storyline, solid mystery and a likeable and well rounded cast of characters.
I recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Greg Onslow was not happy, not one bit, about Sunny Feldman's planned book about the resort her family owned just outside Lenape Falls, where Mikki, who will edit the book, lives. Mikki, a 70 year old widow is a retired English teacher who freelance edits AND solves murders. This time, unfortunately, when Greg is found murdererd, Mikki and her nephew Luke are high on the suspect list because she was caught on tape arguing with him. Well, that's before his long history of swindling, corruption, and general rotten behavior is revealed by Mikki's investigation. It's a classic cozy but I'm a fan because Mikki's mature and she loves grammar. Oh, and she's smart. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. An excellent read for fans of the genre and don't worry - it will be fine as a standalone.

Retired teacher Mikki Lincoln has moved back from Maine to her hometown of Lenape Hollow, New York. She supplements her retirement earnings by doing freelance editing. One of her latest projects is editing the memoirs of Sunny Feldman whose family owned a large resort in the area. The resort has been sold and developer Greg Onslow is heading up a new renovation and for some reason is furious about Sunny’s upcoming book and gets into a loud, very public shouting match with Mikki over the book. When Greg is found dead at the renovation site the next day, Mikki becomes one of the county sheriff’s prime suspects. In spite of the danger, Mikki starts asking questions of potential suspects so she can find the real killer.

This is the third book in this series. I enjoyed the debut but missed the book immediately preceding this one. I was able to quickly catch up and think brand new readers would have no problems getting to know the main characters. I like having an older main character who is independent, intelligent, and out-spoken. Mikki can sometimes be hot-tempered, but at least she stands up for herself. I enjoy the friendship she has with Darlene and also like her younger cousin Luke who also lives in the same town. Luke also becomes a suspect in the murder and I love how Mikki and also Darlene stick up for him. As much as I like these characters, there are a few that are annoying, including Mikki’s high school rival Ronnie, the victim’s gold-digging widows, and also the pastor’s wife. I really didn’t take to Mikki’s nephew Nick. Even though he means well, I didn’t care for his overbearing ways and wish he would have headed back home to Maine earlier in the book.

Since Greg was a shady businessman and could be quite rude in his dealings with other people, there was no shortage of suspects in his murder. Mikki does a good job of figuring out who had a motive to kill him and with help from Darlene’s online research, finding out quite a few secrets that were being kept. When the murderer is revealed, I was surprised since the clues were pointing elsewhere. The ending was a bit of a letdown because the killer’s motive is disclosed it’s second-hand instead of during the murderer’s dramatic confrontation with Mikki. Overall, I enjoyed the story, as well as the grammar and language tips at the very end. Fans of J.D. Griffo’s Ferrara Family mysteries which also features an older widow turned amateur sleuth will enjoy the latest from Dunnett.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Kensington Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and Kensington Books for my honest review.*

Mikki Lincoln has a verbal altercation with a con man in town who winds up dead that night. Since the altercation was recorded and has gone viral, she is the prime suspect.

A Fatal Fiction is the third book in the Deadly Edits series by Kaitlyn Dunnett. This is the first in the series that I have read and did not feel like I was missing anything by not having read the first 2 in the series. Mikki is an elderly freelance book editor and it's refreshing to have a cozy series with an older main character and her friends. It's possible that a lot of villains would underestimate her abilities or physical capabilities.

I enjoyed this cozy. I felt like it was a good read alone from the series and I didn't feel like I was missing anything in character interactions from not having read the first books. The characters were interesting and the interactions were good. There were plenty of red herrings for the mystery. I think that the thing that I liked the most was that the clues were not rehashed throughout the book as they can sometimes be in cozies. Or if they were, it did not feel like I was being hit on the head with the recounting each time.

I look forward to reading the first two books in the series and recommending the series to my cozy loving friends!

“A Fatal Fiction” can best be described as a cozy mystery. When copy editor Mikki Lincoln engages in a public verbal spat with a local developer, she never expects him to wind up dead within 24 hours. Greg Onslow was not well-liked in the small town of Lenape Hollow, and murder suspects abound. Mikki teams up with local law enforcement to try to solve the case. Several ex-lovers and co-workers serve as likely criminals. Readers might guess the perpetrator, but probably not the motive. However, the final scene might make readers wonder what Mikki was thinking at the time. Devourers of cozies will no doubt enjoy feisty Mikki Lincoln as well as her nephew Nick and other assorted characters who people this novel.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This is the 3rd book in the series.  I normally only like to read in order but didn't realize this was the 3rd book in the series.  Other than some references to the past two murders she helps to solve, this book can definitely be read as a stand-alone.

Mikki Lincoln is a spunky and tough woman that has enough energy for someone half her age.  She is also confident and doesn't need anyone to watch over her, as her nephew, Nick, soon finds out when sent to visit by his mother, Mikki's sister-in-law.  Nick was a little too overprotective for my liking.  Mikki wasn't a feeble minded old woman, she could well enough take care of herself.  However, Mikki compares Nick to her deceased husband and that they were both bull headed and it took a while to bring them around to the right way of thinking....her way!

There is a varied cast of characters and while many might have a motive to kill Greg Onslow, there was only one murderer in the lot.  I will have to admit that I didn't suspect this character and probably should have looking back.  There weren't a lot of clues to point the reader in this person's direction, but when you look at the possibilities, this person was definitely one of the ones to consider.

A very enjoyable book and a series I would suggest checking out.  We give this 4 paws up.

I liked the characters. The amateur sleuth is in her 70s. A modern day Miss Marple living in Maine.

This was an enjoyable read overall despite some serious plot holes. Mikki becomes a prime suspect in a murder of a local land developer after a public argument despite the fact that there are scores of people closely involved with him who have a lot more motive and reason to kill him. If you're willing to overlook this bizarre fact the rest of the book is a solid read. I like the widow Gizelle despite the author's obvious attempt to paint her as a horrible human being- she's a strong woman who knows what she wants in life and frankly if someone wants to marry for money who are we to judge? The book was pretty long and could've lost 40-50 pages without cutting anything of substance.

Widowed, Mikki Lincoln has returned to her childhood home for a peaceful retirement from teaching middle school.. Unfortunately, there is little peace to be found, as her re-entry into the community and her freelance editing business continue to place her in the thick of the action. When the video of her losing her temper with a prominent businessman is posted online, she becomes a suspect in a felony criminal investigation.

The familiar characters and setting are here in Book 3, and we are introduced to some extended family and community members as well. Red herrings abound, keeping a reader unsure of the culprit until near the end. My only issue with this installment is the same as with the previous one: the wealth of literary references and grammatical gems that was so enjoyable in Book 1 has completely disappeared. Please, please, Kaitlyn Dunnett, bring them back for Book 4. They are sorely missed!

Deadly Edits #3


A retired teacher, Mikki, has added editing services to supplement her retirement income since moving back to her childhood home.


Lenape Hollow is a small place where everyone knows your name and your past.


Mikki is helping Sunny Feldman with her memoirs of growing up in Felman's Catskill Resort, a once thriving and successful vacation destination. With famous stars, singers, and hanky panky.
 Sunny sold the crumbling resort long ago and there seems to be some seriously bad blood between the new owner and pretty much everyone in town.


When his body is found on the property the day after he verbally attacks Mikki in public, she is going to have to find out who did the deed before she gets arrested!


I enjoyed Mikki, an older, mature woman who has no problem speaking her mind.


I didn't care for either of her relatives and I even thought Nick may be suspect!


When you spend your life swindling people there is a long list of suspects.


I enjoyed the older main character a lot.




Give this one a try!


 NetGalley/June 30th, 2020 by Kensington

Mikki Lincoln, a retired school teacher, encounters Greg Onslow, CEO of Mongoup Valley Ventures, at the gas station. He seems very angry, and asks her to "call off your dogs". When she asks what he's talking about, he says Sunny Feldman is trying to ruin sabatage him. Mikki is worked as an editor to help supplement her retirement, and is currently editing Sunny's memoirs. Mikki finally loses control, slaps Greg's hand and calls him names. Unfortunately, someone has videod the confrontation, and soon Mikki's friends and family are calling her.

Then, the next day, Greg's body is found at his demolation site of the hotel previously owned by Sunny's family. Mikki becomes a suspect and has some visits from the police, and she decides she has to figure out the culprit in order to save herself. There are lots of suspects, because Greg was not a popular person. Several of his projects had lost money for the local investors, he was always arguing with his Vice President Ariana, and his wife appeared to have been interested in him mainly for his money. Even though someone has thrown a rock on her windshield as she goes under a bridge, she still manages to put herself into a very dangerous position as she is desperately trying to solve the murder.

I hadn't read either of the earllier books in the series, but I didn't feel that I needed to. This is a very clever mystery, and I will go back and read the earlier books!

A Fatal Fiction is the 3rd book in the Deadly Edits cozy mystery series and stars Mikki Lincoln who is 70, wears hearing aids and has a lot of spunk and common sense! This was a very enjoyable addition to the series! Mikki is a retired teacher but currently is a book editor to earn a little extra money. She is currently editing a book for Sunny whose family owned a large and famous resort, Sunny is writing a memoir about all the famous people who frequented the resort a long time ago. The resort is decrepit and the remaining buildings are being torn down. A local businessman ends up dead there. Mikki and her cousin are both suspects. On top of all that, Mikki's nephew shows up unexpectedly. The characters are likable and interesting. This was a very enjoyable cozy mystery! #NetGalley #AFatalFiction

When a man who has spent most of his life swindling people is murdered there are a lot of suspects. At the top of the list is Mikki Lincoln, a septuagenarian, who just happened to get into an argument with the victim before his death. Now Mikki is investigating what happened but is being deterred by her nephew Nick who is trying to keep her safe.

There are a lot of things I liked about this story. An older protagonist is rare and she along with other seniors were portrayed as still being a vital part of the community. The plot was interesting and kept me guessing to near the end. What kept me from giving it 5 stars is I got tired of Mikki getting mad/annoyed all the time.

Thanks to Kensington and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Michelle (Mikki) Lincoln is a retired school teacher now working as a freelance book editor. She has a very vocal and public loss of temper with the town's reviled slippery character regarding content an author may be including in a book she is editing and the video of the altercation is quickly shared online. When he is murdered THAT night, the police obviously suspects her.

The protagonist, at 70 and having dealt with hormonal teens for years, has learned to brook no nonsense from anyone and quickly puts most in their place--to the point of being rude. Her interview style tends to be direct and it's difficult to invest in her. Her nephew, Nick, comes to make sure she is safe, but they clash. Her cousin, Luke, is hiding secrets but she is determined to see he is cleared while not seeing the same dynamic in the relationship between her and her nephew. Whether or not you can invest in the characters, they are entertaining, if not wholly developed.

The storyline is well-plotted and moves at an engaging pace. There are red herrings and twists and the author repeatedly points to the obvious, who the reader has already discounted. But that leaves...who?

The conclusion wraps up the plot with only a slight surprise at the ultimate perp. I enjoy the author's writing style, although I have some difficulty with the picture painted of War Babies and Baby Boomers. This is my first experience with the author and the series, which I thought worked as a standalone, but I'd like to see a softening of Mikki in Book 4, as well as her cane-wielding friend. I appreciated the perfect grammar, definitely a few teachable moments, and the Fun Facts at the end of the book.

I received this digital download through the publisher and NetGalley and appreciated the opportunity to read and review. Would recommend to those who enjoy cozy mysteries. 3.5/5 stars

What a fun cozy-mystery series to discover. Mikki is a retired 70-something school teacher who supplements her income by editing manuscripts. When she gets into a very public argument with a real estate developer who is later found dead, she is a viable suspect in his murder, as are a lot of other people.

I liked Mikki and her independence, and I also enjoyed the surrounding characters - there were a lot of them but not so many that I felt lost. I also liked that Mikki wasn't stupid about the things she did (one of my pet peeves in mysteries). The setting is also good and sounds beautiful!

My thanks to netgalley for letting me review this book.