Author: Kaitlyn Dunnett
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover, Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496726896
Kensington Publishing
288 Pages
$26.00; $13.26 Amazon
July 27, 2021
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When Mikki inherits a nearby farm from a woman she hasn't seen in two decades, the unexpected arrangement comes with a big catch: forgotten diaries hidden in the neglected house must be recovered, edited, and published across the internet within one month. The lonely locale is like an untouched time capsule from the 1950s, and it was left behind for good reason.
While searching for the mysterious memoirs and clues about the former owners, Mikki discovers that the once peaceful place was punctuated by an unsolved homicide and other rumored crimes. Worse, suspicious activity in the creepy, dilapidated barn suggests it really hasn't been abandoned at all...
In a remote farmhouse with only her observant calico cat, Calpurnia, keeping her company, Mikki must swiftly crack an eerie cold case from the past and stop a clever culprit from leaving red markups on anything other than pages of revised copy...
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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.
More on Kaitlyn Dunnett's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/d/kaitlyn-dunnett/
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