Murder, She Edited by Kaitlyn Dunnett is the 4th A Deadly Edits Mystery. It can be read as a standalone if you are new to the series. Mikki Lincoln is surprised when she learns she has inherited a house and some land from an old friend of her deceased mother. Of course, there is a catch to the bequest. She must locate and publish diaries hidden in the old farmhouse within a specified time period or the inheritance will pass on to another individual. Mikki has a feeling there is something the lawyer is not disclosing. Entering the old farmhouse is like stepping back in time. Nothing has been changed since the 1950s. As Mikki expected, the lawyer failed to tell her about the murder that occurred in the house. When Mikki learns the case was never solved, she sets out to unravel the case. I like that Mikki Lincoln is a mature protagonist. She is a retired schoolteacher who now does freelance editing. Mikki is a friendly, relatable character. She is smart, meticulous, and cautious. Mikki pays close attention to details and does her research (well, her friend Darlene does the heavy lifting in that area). She is not afraid to ask for help when she needs it plus Mikki does not put herself into dangerous situation without taking precautions. I like how she talks to her cat, Calpurnia. There are some great, developed characters in the series that includes Mikki’s best friend, Darlene. I enjoy the humor sprinkled throughout the story. Mikki’s anecdotes about grammar missteps had me chuckling. The mystery was interesting and well-plotted. I like that it was a cold case. In addition to the 1950s murder, Mikki wonders who made some recent modifications to the barn. I like how everything tied together with a complete resolution. There was action toward the end that spiced things up. This is not an action-packed cozy series (just to let you know). This series focuses on Mikki (her life, job, family, and friends) who stumbles upon the occasional mystery. There is a secondary storyline involving a fan of author who blames Mikki for typos in her latest book. The woman is relentless. It will take a special solution to resolve this problem. The ending left me smiling. If you like Jessica Fletcher cozy mysteries, then check out Murder, She Edited. Murder, She Edited is a charm filled cozy mystery with grammar gaffes, a faithful feline, hidden diaries, a fanatical fan, and a bizarre bequest. ( )

Murder, She Edited is the fourth book in the Deadly Edits series by Kaitlyn Dunnett.

After retiring from teaching English, Mikki Lincoln has returned to Lenape Hollow, NY, and has started freelance business editing manuscripts.

Mikki has learned that she has inherited the property of Tessa Swarthout. It took a moment for Mikki to remember who Tessa was. Tessa was best friends with Mikki’s mother, and Mikki hadn’t seen her in nearly twenty years. Mikki meets with Leland Featherstone, Tessa’s lawyer, learns the condition of the inheritance. Mikki will need to find some diaries, unknown how many, edit them and publish them on sites on the internet that Tessa decided on. Featherstone has no idea where the journals are, what they might contain, and why Tessa wanted them edited and published.

After meeting with the lawyer, Mikki stops by her best friend, Darlene, to see if she can provide about the house and those who lived there. Darlene had started researching and found that Tessa and her sister moved out, not taking anything with them after their stepmother was murdered there. And the murder has never been solved. Featherstone and his junior lawyer are, for the most part, unreachable, and if she can talk with them, they offer little information that can help Mikki.

This book also has a subplot; Mikki has a stalker. As Mikki’s loading her groceries into her car, she’s accosted by a woman who is yelling at her for missing two typos in her favorite romance author’s latest book. The lady will continue to follow Mikki, criticizing her for missing the typos. The lady will also insist that Mikki introduce her to the author.

The book is well-written and plotted. There were enough red herrings that I was kept guessing as to who the murderer was. The characters are well-developed and very believable. The book reads at a nice pace.

I find this series very interesting and enjoyable. I particularly enjoy reading A Random Selection from “The Write Right Wright’s Language and Grammar” by Mikki Lincoln at the end of the book. I find it to be informative and humorous.

I’m looking forward to the book in this series. ( )

Mikki Lincoln is a retired teacher who now edits manuscripts for others from her home in Lenape Hollow in the Catskills. When she receives a call from an attorney who tells her that she's been left a bequest, she can't imagine what her mother's old friend might have done. But when she learns she now owns an old farmhouse, barn, and the land surrounding it, she's more than surprised. But not as much as learning that she needs to find some old diaries that are hidden somewhere in the house, edit them, and publish them on the internet.

When Mikki visits the place, it's like stepping back into the 1950s. No one has lived there for decades, and everything has been left just as it was -- along with the ravages of time. But Mikki is determined to find the diaries, because she's curious to know what's in them, and what is so important that the woman wants them published. Unfortunately, someone else is looking for them, too...and they won't stop even if it takes murder to find them...

I have to be honest and say that I really tried to get through the first in this series but just could not. I found it boring. However, first in a series aren't easy to write because you're still figuring our your characters and your places. I will say that I am glad I decided to pick up this one and try again. It was delightful.

I love mysteries that have old cold cases within them, so this one was right up my alley. You don't even need to read the first in the series to figure everything out; the author has crafted her characters well and you can enjoy the story from the first page without feeling lost along the way.

Mikki is determined to find out the truth of why the house was abandoned so many years ago, even if she's not getting any help from the attorney or his assistant in doing so. But she's driven, and she's got the help of her friend Darlene who's more than willing.

Unfortunately, she's also being stalked by a woman who blames her for something trivial, and she's having to constantly dodge the woman. Life is not a bowl of cherries for Mikki, and she's got a lot on her plate to handle. Hopefully, she'll be able to find the diaries and get rid of the woman all at the same time. But when she finds out there's more at stake than that -- meaning her life -- will she be able to figure it all out in time?

I loved the book enough to finish it in one sitting, and I loved the plot. There are a few more subplots thrown in, but you will have to read the book to find out. I will say that the ending took me by complete surprise, and when Mikki put it all together, it was definitely a dropped bomb. This alone made it worth reading. Highly recommended. ( )

small-business, small-town, senior-citizens, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, lawyers, murder-investigation, cozy-mystery, bequest, stalker*****

Mikki Lincoln is about my age, a retired teacher, currently a freelance proofreader/editor to augment her pension, widowed, and must find/edit/publish some hidden diaries in an old house in order to inherit. The previous owner has died at 102 but has not been back to the house since the 1950s when her stepmother was murdered. Good sleuthing, some danger, red herrings and plot twists abound. Held my interest beginning to end and the characters are all believable. Loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )