The Mysterious Case of the Missing Ghost
(The Redemption Detective Agency)
by Michele Pariza Wacek
About The Mysterious Case of
the Missing Ghost
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Ghost (The Redemption Detective Agency)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Redemption, Wisconsin, in the 1990s
Publisher : Love-Based Publishing (September 2025)
Number of Pages ~200
Digital ASIN : B0DJ7WTMS2
Emily Hildebrandt is learning to settle into some of the very strange cases that come through The Redemption Detective Agency’s door.
Like Aunt Tilde’s friend Ruth who claims she’s lost a ghost.
How does one lose a ghost? Apparently when the ghost decides to walk out the door.
But, to make matters more complicated, it’s not just any ghost but the ghost of Ruth’s dead husband. Who was murdered decades ago under very suspicious circumstances.
Emily has no choice but to go back in time and figure out what really happened to Ruth’s husband, in order for everyone to rest in peace.
A spin-off from the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series! The Redemption Detective Agency is a funny, twisty cozy mystery series set in the 1990s featuring silver sleuths solving cold cases. Great for fans of the Thursday Murder Club.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Redemption, Wisconsin, is not your typical small town. Back in 1888, every adult disappeared, leaving all the children behind. No explanation was ever determined, and none of the missing ever returned. Fast forward to the 1990s, things still go missing, this time, The Redemption Detective Agency has been asked to find a missing ghost.
Emily thinks the agency finally has a real case when Tilde’s friend, Ruth Jonasburg, calls to ask for help finding her missing husband, Hank. It is only when she, Mildred, and Tilde arrive at Ruth’s home that she learns Ruth’s husband died 10 years ago under questionable circumstances. Ruth believes her husband’s ghost has been with her in their home until they recently had an argument. She hasn’t felt his presence since. While there, they also learn about a huge problem Ruth is not fully aware of.
So it’s all hands on deck to investigate Hank’s death, what happened to his ghost, and try to get Ruth out of a troubling situation while getting answers on how she got into the situation in the first place.
Aunt Tilde is a retired nurse who thought opening a detective agency with no training or experience would be fun. Mildred, a retired teacher, jumped at the chance to join Tilde in her new endeavor. Nora owns a local used bookstore and is ready to help on every case. Emily is the senior citizen wrangler of the group and the only paid employee of the agency. The woman has the patience of a saint. Tilde is ready to take on every case, no matter how crazy. Mildred automatically jumps to conclusions before she even knows what the case entails. Tilde tries fruitlessly, tries to reason with her. Nora was not present at the start of the case but was fully invested, along with her ill-tempered cat, Smoke, as soon as she learned about the case. And poor Emily, trying so hard to deal with it all. The interactions and dialogues are laugh-out-loud funny.
Of course, Tilde brings in Nick Stewart, the agency’s unofficial lawyer. You can cut the romantic tension between him and Emily with a knife, even though they are both dating other people.
Ruth is a very tender character who lost the love of her life. She was comforted by Hank’s ghost, not only watching over her but also the belief that he was in the house and sending her messages. Sadly, like too many senior widows and widowers these days, there are people out there taking advantage of them in horrible and cruel ways. The motto of The Redemption Detective Agency is “Solving the unsolvable”. I was heartened that while finding a missing ghost would be unsolvable, there were other things that the agency could solve for Ruth.
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Ghost was a wonderfully entertaining read. I started reading and didn’t stop until I flipped the final page. The senior sleuths are a hoot and a half, especially when they bring their pets, Scout and Smoke, along on their investigations. Be prepared to laugh out loud a lot while Emily tries to control the chaos and follow the clues to solve the mystery.
Emily’s life is in flux at the story’s end, making me wish Book 4 would be released soon, but The Mysterious Case of the Missing House won’t be released until August 18, 2026. Waiting will be so hard 🙂
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC.
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About Michele Pariza Wacek
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 she does spend much of her time writing stories now. 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 still visits regularly, but she herself escaped the cold and now lives 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.)
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” “As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” I am also an affiliate of Bookshop.org and I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.” These funds are often used for gift cards and other giveaways.
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