A Grave Error

Charlie Kingsley Mysteries #0.5

by Michele Pariza Wacek

A Charlie Kingsley Mysteries standalone prequel novella.

There's no such thing as gargoyles... right?

Charlie Kingsley is NOT a doctor. She is very clear about this to all her customers who purchase her teas and tinctures.

But, somehow that doesn't stop her customers from treating her like a doctor. Including calling her in the middle of the night to help with an emergency.

What's the emergency? Her customer's daughter, Cyndi, was attacked by a ... gargoyle?

But gargoyles aren't real!

Right?

So, who attacked Cyndi? And who's next?

Meet Charlie. Better known as “Aunt Charlie” from the award-winning Secrets of Redemption series. She's back, making teas and solving cases in this funny, twisty, cozy mystery series set in the 1990s in Redemption, Wisconsin.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Ebooks, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

60 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2022

About the author

A USA Today Bestselling, award-winning author, Michele taught herself to read at 3 years old because she wanted to write stories so badly. It took some time (and some detours) but now she does spend much of her time writing stories. Mystery stories, to be exact. They're clean and twisty, and range from psychological thrillers to cozies, with a dash of romance and supernatural thrown into the mix. If that wasn't enough, she posts lots of fun things on her blog, including short stories, puzzles, recipes and more, at MPWNovels.com.

Michele grew up in Wisconsin, (hence why all her books take place there), and currently lives there after spending nearly 30 years living in the mountains of Prescott, Arizona, with her husband and southern squirrel hunter Cassie.

When she's not writing, she's usually reading, hanging out with her dog, or watching the Food Network and imagining she's an awesome cook. (Spoiler alert, she's not. Luckily for the whole family, Mr. PW is in charge of the cooking.)

Reviews

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🎵

This kindle e-book novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account the prequel to the Charlie Kingsley Series.

A cute prequel to a series that is interesting will will developed characters lots of action and misdirection leading to the series.

I would recommend this prequel to the series and author to readers of fantasy mystery novels. 2024 👒😆😎😡🐕

[Mairi Swan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wait! That's it? I know it's a prequel but it felt quite abrupt the ending.

[Rachel Aranda · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars

This was a free novella that was sold as a paranormal cozy mystery where a woman makes teas and finds herself wondering what happened to one of her client’s daughter in the graveyard. I enjoy paranormal books and cozy mysteries are my jam so this seemed like a win for me. I’m left feeling like this was a miss for me though.

The author wrote the story like we had already read her previous series so there wasn’t much of an introduction to the town or the people in the story. You kind of got the idea of how they are as friends, neighbors and residents of the town but no expansion into them. There was no world or character building so this felt a little flat for me. Honestly, I feel like I missed quite a bit from this book. Not sure if I’ll read another even though it’s clear by the not in the end the author wants us to continue.

Also, there was a paranormal aspect introduced to the book but it wasn’t too satisfyingly written. It’s one of those “you decide if it was real or not” endings. If the main character doesn’t even know and there is no indication that more paranormal events may occur than why call it a paranormal cozy mystery!? Feel like this was sold incorrectly to us readers.

[Lisa Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy to read, like a conversation with a friend, the characters are introduced in a simple way and you are not overwhelmed with too many people at once, moves along at a good tempo and not full of blood and gore so would be very happy to read more from this author

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really know what this book was trying to do. It claimed to be a novella but was more like a short story. We teach kids that stories need a beginning, middle and end, but this story only had a middle. As a prequel, there was an assumption that you had read other Charlie Kingsley Mysteries because there were a billion characters with no introduction or world building. The crux of the story was good, but had no resolution. It seemed as if it wanted me to in turn buy the next book to have a conclusion. Promoted as a best selling author, but had hallmarks of self-publishing. Paranormal cozy mystery is not a very familiar genre to me and maybe it just isn't my cup of tea.

[KellyJ1028 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grave Error is a short story, and a prequel to the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series by Michele Pariza Wacek. This is a Halloween story perfectly suited for the season with all the eerie graveside, paranormal vibes one needs in a creepy tale. I enjoyed this cute, novella. It's a very quick read !

[Shelley Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Grave Error is a short story, and a prequel to the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series by Michele Pariza Wacek. This is a Halloween story perfectly suited for the season with all the eerie graveside, paranormal vibes one needs in a creepy tale.

When a young girl is harmed late one evening while in a graveyard trying to complete a dare, and then makes the outrageous claim that a gargoyle attacked her, her mother doesn’t know what to think! So she contacts her friend, Charlie Kingsley, maker of homemade herbal brews that seem to cure whatever ails you. Charlie and her friend reluctantly venture to the graveyard to investigate for themselves and all manner of strange, and humorous things occur.

I enjoyed this novella and found it quite engaging, and of course, a quick read. I do think I would have been more invested if I’d read the Secrets of Redemption series first, from which this new series is a spin-off. There was quite a bit of backstory that I missed without having first read that cozy series first. A Grave Error also concluded rather abruptly and felt a bit unfinished, as novellas sometimes do, given their length. That said, this story was well-written with just the right mixture of intrigue and humor, quirky characters and all the fun tropes of a cozy mystery series.

[Amanda Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.

I am a fan of comedy, fantasy & mystery genre's. This was perfect reading for me. Although only a short story, I was hooked from the start & had me turning pages to the end. It is nicely written, well-paced & with no grammatical or spelling errors I noticed. I certainly heard my mother's inner voice in some of the comments made by character's parents in the story. That brought a smile to my face. Although the story is unbelievable in the real word, as opposed to fantasy world, the descriptions brought the scenes to life & yes, made them believable. I would definitely consider purchasing any books that come next, if there are any. I loved it.

[Linda Rorex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the prequel to the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series by Michele Pariza Wacek. Dana, Charlie Kingsley’s friend had contacted Charlie to have Charlie make her an herbal brew to heal and calm Dana’s daughter Cyndi after being attacked by a gargoyle. Charlie tries to solve the case of the gargoyle in Wisconsin in this short cozy mystery read. I really enjoyed reading this short read.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes me want to read the series.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, the novella started out interesting and then fizzled out at the end. In all it was and enjoyable read, but there was nothing that grabbed my attention enough to continue on in the series.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short story about a Halloween prank that goes wrong.. start of a new series. Not very good

[Reagan Devney · Rating 4 out of 5]

for a novella it was very interesting and i wasn’t ever bored :)

[Sarah Welsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute lighthearted prequel novel. Definitely a series I will consider diving into.
Would love to know more about Charlie, her teas and midnight the cat 🖤

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the gargoyles in this book as I read it close to halloween. This is a fun series.

[Cheryl A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great prequel!

Very exciting start to what seems to be an interesting and intriguing story. I can hardly wait to begin this series!

[Emily Gawlak · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent prequel! I love learning more about the Charlie Kingsley series!

This prequel packs a punch. I love that it shared insight to both Charlie and Redemption, in such a short story. MPW does an amazing job creating an intriguing and engaging story, no matter the size of the book.

Happy reading 📖

[Michele Wacek]

There's no such thing as gargoyles ... right?

A standalone prequel in the award-winning Charlie Kingsley Mystery series. Available in audio and ebook on all major retailers.

Direct: https://mpwnovels.com/op/a-grave-error/
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Apple: https://apple.co/46XEn9g
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-gr...
Kobo (and Kobo Plus): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-gr...
GooglePlay: https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

[Jessie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure if I didn’t get the whole book or what, but it ended before the story finished. There was no conclusion, nothing was solved, no indication that the gargoyle arc would continue in the next book. It just very abruptly stopped. Not like a cliffhanger, but like an extended preview you would get in order to make you want to buy the book. I had planned on continuing the series, but after reading this? I’m moving on to something else. I don’t want to take the chance that others are like this.

[Mariahmmm · Rating 2 out of 5]

When one of Charlie's teashop customers is attacked by a gargoyle statue, Charlie steps in to see what tricks are being played in the graveyard.

This cozy mystery didn't have a satisfactory ending. In fact, there wasn't really an ending at all! A scapegoat was "caught" but far too quickly, with big hints of an underlying criminal yet no action or plot to investigate further.

While listed as 0.5 in the series, this book isn't a prequel as much of the background and characters were assumed knowledge from the rest of the series.

[Connie Charron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ghost story without all the gore you usually get. Charlie is a woman with a mind all her own. She decides what she's going to do and listens to no one else's opinion. Of course, that doesn't mean she won't drag one of her many friends along with her. Well done Michele

[Liam · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Grave Error” is a mystery novel that centres around a seasoned detective investigating a series of strange, eerie incidents tied to a small town’s cemetery. The story begins when a young woman is found dead in unusual circumstances, with clues suggesting connections to local legends about the cemetery.

The protagonist, a detective with a dark past of his own, is assigned to uncover the truth behind these incidents. As he delves deeper, he encounters a tight-knit community with more secrets than expected. Each interview and lead reveals layers of hidden relationships, long-buried grudges, and unexpected betrayals. Townspeople are reluctant to talk, with some believing the cemetery is cursed, while others hide their motives behind polite smiles.

As the detective gets closer to uncovering the truth, he realises that not all mysteries are as supernatural as they seem—and that some of the real monsters can be human. With well-crafted suspense, A Grave Error combines a whodunit with supernatural undertones, inviting readers to question what they believe as they’re drawn deeper into the dark, atmospheric setting.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Grave Error. The story unfolds in a small, eerie town filled with intriguing characters, each hiding their own secrets. The protagonist, a determined and relatable detective, drives the story forward, and the pacing is just right, keeping me invested without feeling rushed.

The atmosphere is wonderfully moody, and the author’s attention to detail really brings the setting to life—it’s almost like you can feel the chill in the air. The mystery itself had a few twists that caught me off guard, though I figured out some clues early on, which took a bit of the suspense away. Nevertheless, the journey to the final reveal was satisfying, even if not all aspects were perfectly tied up.

Overall, A Grave Error is a solid mystery that fans of the genre will enjoy. It balances dark themes with moments of levity and creates a world that’s easy to get lost in. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a well-crafted, atmospheric read with a few surprises along the way!

[Brianna Breedlove · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free read, so I figured I’d give it a go. I had also got done reading another book by Michele, and it was so good! The book was Ice Cold Murder, which was such a good read that I read it in one day. So, that’s what I was expecting with this book. But I was wrong. This was a short read, which i wasn’t expecting. It was also an unfinished book. I didn’t think to read reviews about it because I was expecting it to be just like the other one I had read.

Basically, the story starts off with the main female character, Charlie. She gets a phone call from her friend, Dana, and she explains how her daughter, Cindi got attacked by a gargoyle. Charlie doesn’t believe that is what really happened. Gargoyles don’t come to life. However, she goes to her friend’s house to get the full story from Cindi. Basically, Cindi got hit in the head and didn’t see her attacker, but claims that a gargoyle was after her. The police do not want to do a further investigation since there is no proof of what happened.

Charlie and Pat go to investigate the graveyard where the incident occurred, and they didn’t see anything. But, they did run into detective Wyle, someone Charlie has worked with in the past. What they found was beer and cigarettes in the ground and determine someone was watching Cindi and her friends. They conclude that a gang is back in town.

There isn’t much detail about the past, just a quick flashback of Charlie investigating a gang and seeing a man named Red get burned up in a fire. So, Charlie believes Red is back and he’s trying to get back at her. She becomes completely paranoid with that in mind.

Turns out, Cindi got attacked by one of her friends because he wanted to win the bet against his friends. So, he hit her in the head so Cindi wouldn’t finish the bet which required each of them to walk around the cemetery 3 times without bailing. Cindi didn’t get attacked by a gargoyle.

The book was unfinished and I don’t know if there is a second part or not.

[Ainee Beland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Having read this one chapter of A Grave Error, I find that it has possibilities for making a lot of good reads…by expending more on the gargoyles; walking through the graveyard is not original since it seems that the young do this on Halloween eve or during the week of…but gargoyles coming to life is from a movie like “Haunted” with that actress Katherine Zeta-Jones as they stood beneath the very large fireplace glancing up at the wall’s etching of Purgatory…and Zeta-Jones replies… ‘Oh, I have been there once during a flight from Milan to LA’…meaning the flight was long and very tiresome for her; hellish was more like it.
And we find that what happened to Cyndi in that graveyard was that one of the boys in the group had gone in after her waiting for her at the halfway point to hitting her on the head as she was nearly done; he did this because he wanted the hundred dollars; he needed it bad. We’ve also had a warning for Charlie to be careful because her friends fear for her safety.
This prequel has possibilities to take plight---and I recommend for others to go out and seek books by this author for a good and frightful read!

[Jodi_xo✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was such a cosy, autumnal read, perfect if you’re in the mood for something light with a touch of mystery.

The only reason I didn’t rate it higher is that it felt a bit too short. If it had been a little longer, it could’ve offered more depth and really drawn the reader in. I understand it’s a prequel, but it still felt like it needed a bit more development, especially towards the end, which came a little too abruptly. I would’ve loved to see more exploration around the gargoyles and their mystery.

I received this book for free in a cozy mystery event, and while it’s a sweet paranormal mystery overall, I think it could benefit from a stronger paranormal element to leave a more lasting impact.

All of the characters are lovely and easy to like. I especially enjoyed the friendship between Charlie and Pat, it had that perfect balance of teasing and loyalty that makes for great chemistry. I also wish there had been a deeper dive into Claire’s warning about something bad happening to Charlie, that had so much potential for tension and intrigue.

Overall, I did enjoy this short book and highly recommend it for a light hearted October read.

[Alexandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Grave Error wasn’t an outright bad book for me, but it also didn’t pull me fully into the story. I didn’t feel the urge to keep it open all the time or come back to it. It’s another “cozy” type of story, which isn’t a genre I usually enjoy, so from the beginning I felt it might not be completely for me.

However, I have to say the plot itself was genuinely interesting. I was fascinated watching the gargoyles terrorize the town — it was original, suspenseful, and at times really engaging. That’s why I kept waiting for a grand finale that would tie everything together. I expected a moment of surprise, something that would captivate me.

Instead, I ended up truly disappointed. In the end, I learned absolutely nothing. The book remained open-ended, with no explanation. The author likely intended it as a way to make readers think more about the story, but for me it had the opposite effect — frustration. I read the book specifically to learn the story, not to be left without any answers.

Even though the plot had tremendous potential, the feeling of incompleteness at the end significantly lowered my overall impression.

[Nadine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it, until the end, that knocked a star off.

Great story! Even though it did bug me that there were so many references to a previous case, when the author says it’s standalone but clearly it’s not. And this is the prequel so what previous case? The original series this spun off from? But that’s not a cozy series, so I’ll have to skip that one. And I felt like I missed out on important information. I needed more information about who Red was, for example. Clearly someone from the past, but I didn’t really understand. But I really enjoyed the story, right until the end. And then the attacker was known, but it’s being left open if he did it on his own and it’s clear there’s more going on, and that didn’t excite me, but it irritated me. It’s not wrapped up so it’s not a standalone! So don’t say it is. Still, looking back, this prequel got me very excited for the series to come! I will for sure be reading more!

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the premise of the book and the cozy mystery setting. I liked the characters and they were written in a way that I could visualize.
Here were the things that didn't get answered for me. Were there real gargoyles? Why was the girl attacked? Who wanted her attacked? How did this all tie into Charlie? Why was she given danger warnings? What was the significance of the events in the graveyard?
Maybe another reader will see the answers that I didn't but the ending wasn't an ending. Seriously, how can you not tell us what was up with the gargoyles?
The story might be an intro. to something but I was left unsatisfied. I think there were great ideas if they'd been more fully realized by the writer. I gave it a three because I liked the author's writing style.
I would hesitate to buy books in this series based on how this one had too many loose threads.

[Ruth McDaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This addition to the Charlie Kingsley mysteries is a short read. I always like these books! (And novellas).
This one sees Charlie investigating a local legend about the gargoyles at the cemetery, who supposedly come alive during the week of Halloween. A young girl was in the cemetery on a bet, and she swears she saw a gargoyle behind her who then proceeded to hit her over the head.
However. This is why I give this story 4 stars.
The ending was far from complete. There were several very important questions that were not addressed. Why was Claire so troubled? What exactly did Charlie see concerning the gargoyles at the cemetery? And is Red alive????
I'd have liked to have seen those questions answered.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy from Book Funnel. I have read some of the Charlie Kingsley mysteries and enjoyed them. This is the prequel. Novella 0.5 in the series. I noticed Tahoe Wyle’s name became Williams by mistake, it was correct the rest of the time. Another little word mistake of “attached” when it should have read “attacked”, which could be an auto correct issue. The story is based on a girl being attacked by a gargoyle in the cemetery. The resolution seems to be up in the air. Which is probably the intention since the town of Redemption has many secrets. The novels are fun! The characters are relatable. This was a quick and light read. I do recommend the series.