Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Mysterious Case of the Missing Motive (The Redemption Detective Agency) by Michele Pariza Wacek! Today we are featuring a review of book one in this new cozy mystery series. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews, and more! It’s a great way to add books to your TBR! There is also a Rafflecopter Giveaway for two paperback copies of The Mysterious Case of the Missing Motive. ENTER HERE! 

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Motive (The Redemption Detective Agency)
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Setting – Wisconsin
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Love-Based Publishing (October 15, 2024)
Number of Pages ~200 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CL7YVSJN

About the Book:

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or maybe a gin and tonic.

Emily Hildebrandt has run into a bit of a rough patch. She’s lost her job, her fiance and her apartment. Still, she never expected to be desperate enough to accept an invitation to live with her eccentric Aunt Tilde in Redemption, Wisconsin.

But, beggars can’t be choosers. Even if part of the deal is she has to pretend to work at her aunt’s latest hair-brained scheme, The Redemption Detective Agency.

Seriously, the woman is a retired nurse. Why does she think she’s remotely qualified to run a detective agency, especially in a creepy little town like Redemption?

But, when a strange phone call suddenly thrusts them into an actual case, Emily finds herself hoping her aunt really does know what she’s doing … or an innocent person may be the one to suffer the consequences.

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.

My Review:

This was such a fun read, especially appreciated during a stressful week when I just needed to escape into a great story! 

I was immediately drawn into the story (I love so much getting to start at the beginning of a series). Michele does a great job introducing the characters (I’m a new reader of Michele’s work) and describing the setting. I cheered for Emily and am so glad she ended up in Redemption with her wonderful Aunt Tilde after some big bumps in life’s road. There are mysterious moments as the newly established detective agency takes on their first case, and those moments are blended perfectly with great humor and wonderful dialogue. The characters really came to life. And there are delightful pets, which to this dog lover is a huge plus! I am happy to see that there are two more books slotted to come out in this series and I can’t wait to get my hands on them. There was even a hint of a little romance for Emily, perhaps?  

This is my first read from Michele and when I saw that it was a spin-off from another series by her (the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series), I immediately downloaded book one in that series. (The Murder Before Christmas: A twisty cozy mystery, only .99 cents when I downloaded!) So happy to have found a new to me author with a great backlist. 

Five glowing stars! 

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 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.)

Author Links:

Website https://MPWNovels.com

Facebook https://Facebook.com/MichelePWauthor

Instagram https://instagram.com/themichelepw

Purchase Links: – Amazon – B&N 

TOUR PARTICIPANTS:

• October 14 – Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense – SPOTLIGHT
• October 15 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
• October 16 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
• October 16 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
• October 17 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
• October 18 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
• October 19 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• October 20 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
• October 21 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
• October 22 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
• October 23 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
• October 24 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW  
• October 25 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR GUEST POST
• October 26 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
• October 27 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW

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