Tag: Love-Based Publishing

On Flashback Fridays I will share with you
the books I was not able to review
when they were first released that have been screaming at me
from my To-Be-Read bookshelf.

Murder Among Friends (Charlie Kingsley Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
4th in Series
Setting – Wisconsin
Love-Based Publishing (August 4, 2022)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 309 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1945363460
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1945363467
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09VG4F9DL

Five friends went into the woods. Only four came back.

If something ails you, Charlie Kingsley likely has a tea to fix it.

So, when Charlie witnesses a young woman faint on the side of the road, she has no choice but to offer her services. (Along with a cup of her famous tea, of course.)

In no time at all, the young woman is back to normal, which is good news, as she’s about to go camping with her friends.

Charlie thinks that will be the last of it … so imagine her surprise when she gets a phone call that one of the friends is missing.

Is the friend simply lost? Or did something more disturbing happen?

Luckily, Charlie is not only on the case but fueled with tea, as this will prove to be one of her most puzzling crimes to date.

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.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Charlie met five friends when one fainted and she helped her. Then those five friends went into the woods. Only four came back. Much to the regret of the local law Charlie inserts herself right into the middle of these people’s lives and their investigation. 

Redemption Wisconsin is a unique town with an eerie history that draws people into its web usually with negative results. An old legend has brought  Naomi, Lynette, Raymond, Mace, and Sloan to Redemption and their lives will never be the same.

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The residents of Redemption are used to tourists exploring their community which is why Charlie Kingsley is so at ease helping a young woman who has fainted practically right in front of her. Some of her special tea is just the thing the woman needs. The author has set up the perfect situation to get her protagonist into the lives of these new characters. Charlie is independent and stubborn and no matter how many times Officer Brandon Wyle advises her that she could be putting herself in unnecessary danger she still forges ahead. The relationship between Charlie and Wyle is complicated. You can cut the romantic tension with a knife.

The young adults we meet in this story are an interesting group. They are out on their last adventure before they enter the adult portions of their lives. Finding work and doing humanitarian efforts but their relationships are not normal. Lynette is the ring leader and she has a peculiar involvement with each member of the group. With secrets abound these characters evolve over the course of the entire story.

The mystery this time revolves around the lore of Fire Cottage which seems to be cursed. Those that find it are never seen again. What a fantastic hook! I would expect no less from the town of Redemption and Ms. Wacek. But there is so much more to this story. It is like a great onion, with so many layers to be peeled away.

One of the best things about this series of books is that the author has written them in a way that each one can truly be read all on their own. Yes, the core character’s lives move forward but she doesn’t spoil any of the previous mysteries. They may be mentioned but nothing is given away. So you can pick up this one and go back and read any of the others anytime you wish. They all deserve your time and I recommend them all but you can jump into this series anywhere to give them a try, and then you will want to read the rest and probably the Secrets of Redemption series where Charlie was introduced although those stories are edgier and not cozy mysteries. 

Murder Among Friends is a fantastic story full of twists and turns. It was a book that was very hard to put down. I don’t know how I got behind on this series but I hope to rectify that soon. Red Hot Murder, the sixth book in the series will be released on April 25, 2023.

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About Michele Pariza Wacek

When Michele was 3 years old, she taught herself to read 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. For a free prequel to her cozy mystery series, The Charlie Kingsley Mysteries, visit https://mpwnovels.com/freebies/

Michele holds a double major in English and Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Currently, she lives in the mountains of Prescott, Arizona with her husband Paul, and southern squirrel hunter Cassie.

Author Links
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Purchase Link – Amazon –


Coming April 25, 2023

Also by Michele Pariza Wacek