The Charlie Kingsley Mysteries Books 1-3

by Michele Pariza Wacek

Meet Charlie Kingsley. Also 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.

Enjoy the first three full-length books of The Charlie Kingsley Mysteries:

"The Murder Before Christmas": A dead husband. A pregnant wife. A poisoned Christmas gift. Can Charlie discover the grinch who stole Christmas?

"Ice Cold Murder:" What do you get when you combine an estranged family, a blizzard, a haunted house ... and murder? The world's WORST family gathering. Ever.

"Murder Next Door:" Everyone knows vampires don't exist. Which means the house sitter living next to Mildred, one of Charlie's customers, can't possibly be a vampire. Right?

And this is only the beginning! More Charlie books are on tap for 2022, including:
Loch Ness Murder
Murder Among Friends
The Murder of Sleepy Hollow

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

696 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 7, 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

[Doreen Fernandes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining mysteries

All three books had me engrossed. There was humour and intrigue as well as suspense. Charlie does get into dangerous situations with her sleuthing skills. The various characters in the books and their quirks are well portrayed. I enjoyed reading this box set and am looking forward to the next book.

[Regina Schwoeppe · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading a dark thriller I like to read something less heavy. These books were exactly what I was hoping for. The stories were interesting and fun. The characters were either very likable or ones you'd love to hate. The main characters love Charlie. Every book introduced one character that had the personality of a spoiled child that refused to listen to reason. Maybe some would find that not fitting in a book that is considered being any kind of thriller, but I found that aspect light and a little humorous. My only tiff is that from the very beginning you hear a very slight mention of Charlies past she was leaving and got lost but there isn't any context for how she came to the decision to stay in Redemption. What were the events that made her come to the realization Redemption wanted her to stay? I wish there had been more about that in the first book to give context. Overall I enjoyed all three books. Guessing who did it got more difficult in each book with the first one being very obvious from the start, second one was tricky because of the character personalities which made it easy to think you knew but in fact didn't. The last one I feel like was definitely the one I was most way off on. I will plan on reading what other small town crimes Charlie Kingsley has to solve.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tiny bit lost

I don't know what happened in Charlie's past, which gets mentioned a bit as to what drives her and the decisions she's made, including the move to Redemption. I like her and have not seen anything she has atone for, but would recommend reading the original series if not having her history will bother you. I am curious....

In this series, she lives in a haunted house with her cat, selling homemade teas. When her friends or clients end up in a spot of trouble, she finds herself roped into helping solve the murders. The most intriguing story was the second book. But again, lots of hints about the history of the characters.

Redemption has a quite the reputation too. I do worry about Charlie but she is smart and has a few loyal friends at her back.

[Michele Wacek]

Charlie is truly a character that has never given up. She first came to me 30-some years ago with no name and only known as the dead aunt in the book that would become "It Began With a Lie." Since then, she has morphed into the star of her own series. (And no, none of this was paranormal.) There is no question she's a powerhouse, so of course I had to "interview" her for my blog. Check it out here:
https://mpwnovels.com/2022/02/25/meet...

[Kandi A. Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Long but Interesting Cozy

I am not much for the supernatural in cozy mysteries, and thus the 4 stars vs. five, and there was some crude language. However, the stories were tight related to the murders and the characters. The stories were creative and well planned even though it took a while for everything to be brought together.
There is a lot of reading but it gives readers a good sample of this author's writing and storyline. I think that cozy readers will want to visit Redemption again and there are more books to explore.

[Annette Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

not for me

I just couldn’t get into the first book in any way. I wasn’t able to connect with any of the characters, or the simplistic plot, the places, etc, all the ideas and vague theories that were discussed and discussed, it all seemed a bit ridiculous. I ended up skipping reading the first book and I’m not bothering with the others in this set.
It was very disappointing for me.

[Haley Markgraff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I created an account with bookbub.com, scrolling through the free books listed on Amazon I stumbled across this trilogy. Downloaded it because why not? We love murder stories. Read the first book, perfect, muah. Second book, needed more Charlie & Wyle. Third book, LOVE IT. still need more Charlie & Wyle. Buying books 4-8 tonight 🤪👏🏼

[Rachel Cacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredibly entertaining

Well written and fast moving. Cleverly very original as it wends it’s ways through disappearances, murders, all in Redemption, a town that runs it’s residents.

[Louisa Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Redemption, Wisconsin, sounds like I real engrossing place to live. The three books in this boxed set not only have humor, but also intrigue and mystery. The town itself becomes a mildly “living” part of the stories. I can hardly wait for the second series of books.

[Ruth A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mysteries to solve in Redemption along with a handful of fun characters! I really enjoyed reading this collection of books and tried to find out who the culprit was in each story. Would recommend to anyone who likes mysteries.

[marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

hooked on the setting and Charlie ...........light hearted mystery with interesting characters
will read lots more in this series.yeah

[Peni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please see individual stories for review.

[Betty Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fin To Read Mysteries!

All three of these Mysteries were fin to read. Each one really gets you ready to solve but I was wrong on each one! Read! They are really good!

[Maryam J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories

The characters are well described and interesting. The plots all moved along well with enough twists and turns to keep you interested.

[Maureen Doyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

good, solid, mystery

Full of action and turning twists among an interesting cast of characters. Two mysteries in one. Odd characters abound. Page-turning.

[Lee Brothers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read these books when they first came out years ago and then when the box set came out, I read them again. I enjoyed them just as much this time. This is a great author!!!

[Mary Longo · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad I read these! What great stories! An interesting underlying theme throughout the books and a really nice main character who seems like someone that anyone would like as a friend.