Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Murder Next Door (Charlie Kingsley Mysteries) by Michele Pariza Wacek. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Murder Next Door (Charlie Kingsley Mysteries)
by Michele Pariza Wacek
I received this book free; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.
Murder Next Door (Charlie Kingsley Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Setting – Wisconsin
Love-Based Publishing (April 19, 2022)
~200 Pages
Everyone knows vampires don’t exist.
So when Mildred Schmidt, one of Charlie’s customers, is convinced that her next-door neighbor’s house sitter is actually a vampire, Charlie of course has to step in to see what is really going on.
What she finds is … disturbing. The house sitter DOES have some peculiar habits—like digging holes in the backyard in the middle of the night.
Surely, they aren’t … graves.
But then Polly, a local teenager, goes missing.
Of course, teenagers DO run away from time to time.
Less explainable is the dead body that then appears in the “vampire’s” yard.
Luckily, Charlie is hot on the case, and not a moment too soon as she races to not only find Polly, but to discover the killer before the bodies start to pile up.
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.
My review
Back in January, I was introduced to Charlie Kingsley in Ice Cold Murder. When offered the opportunity to review for this tour, I was all too happy to read Murder Next Door.
Murder Next Door takes place in the fictional town, Redemption, WI. It’s a strange town where lots of unexplained things have happened for years. In fact, Charlie lives in a supposedly haunted house, and lots of townspeople think she’s a witch. In reality, she makes teas. Her teas, like many herbal blends, have medicinal and calming properties. This fuels the fire, but Charlie takes it in stride.
In Murder Next Door, Charlie becomes entangled in another murder quite by accident when her friend Mildred calls her in great distress one night. A “stranger” has moved in next door and she’s convinced he’s up to no good. He only goes out at night and has very pale skin, so Mildred quickly declares that he must be a vampire. And being Redemption, the word spreads like wildfire, and soon the townsfolk are in a frenzy…especially since a teen girl is missing! And then a dead body appears. So, Charlie HAS to get involved in solving the murder and figuring out where the girl is.
Murder Next Door is a very fun cozy mystery with a strong female protagonist, close friendships, quirky side characters, a cute police officer (will he and Charlie get together?!), and a couple of bewildering mysteries to solve…..oh, and a cat! Cats make everything better 🙂 I have really been enjoying getting to know Charlie and the town of Redemption. I definitely recommend you do the same! Give Murder Next Door a read!
Character Guest Post
Meet Charlie Kingsley: Star of the Charlie Kingsley Mysteries
When Charlie Kingsley first introduced herself to me, she didn’t even have a name—she was simply the dead aunt who left Becca her house in her will in the beginning of It Began With a Lie (Book 1 of the Secrets of Redemption series).
Eventually, I gave her a name, Lottie, which wasn’t right (she gave me quite the earful about it). And even though I don’t write paranormal books, she still ended up becoming a force to be reckoned with, appearing in Becca’s dreams to guide her and give her advice over the course of the first three books.
As I wrote them, Charlie then informed me I needed to write her story, about how she first came to Redemption, Wisconsin. So, that became Books 4-5.
Once I published those, I assumed I was done with Charlie.
That was not the case.
A few months later, I got the idea for a Christmas murder mystery starring Charlie. The Murder Before Christmas was published on November 9, 2021, and it launched a whole new cozy mystery series called The Charlie Kingsley Mysteries. (Of course!).
Ice Cold Murder came next and now Book 3, Murder Next Door, was just released.
More books are planned for 2022 as well: Loch Ness Murder, which is included in the Mysteries, Midsummer Sun and Murder cozy mystery anthology that will be released June 20, 2022 along with two more full length novels.
So, if you’d like to get to know this powerhouse character, keep reading for a little heart-to-heart.
MPW: Thanks for doing this with me.
CK: Of course. You and I are in this together, after all.
MPW: That is true. So, when did you first realize I was … ‘underutilizing’ you? I guess that would be the best way to describe it …
CK: (Chuckles.) So, first off, I think ALL characters feel underutilized. But what it comes down to is the lengths the characters are willing to go to get noticed. For me, it was about persistence. You kept wanting to stray, and I had to keep reigning you back. Remember that fairy tale retelling project that went nowhere for ten months?
MPW: Um …
CK: You spent ten months writing the first book, and you barely got halfway through the first draft!
MPW: That isn’t one of my prouder ‘moments.’
CK: That’s an understatement. And you were just so stubborn. It took you getting an eye infection during the pandemic before you would slow down long enough to realize the project you should be working on was my story in the Secrets of Redemption series.
MPW: Okay, but give me some credit. I pivoted last summer to start on The Murder Before Christmas pretty quickly.
CK: Yes, you’re improving. Not perfect yet, but definitely getting better.
MPW: Speaking of The Murder Before Christmas, when did you realize the spin-off series was going to be a cozy?
CK: I always knew it was going to be a cozy. I’m not sure why it took you so long to get on board.
MPW: Well, for one, the original series was a psychological suspense.
CK: Yeah, but there are cozy elements in it. Especially in Book 2, This Happened to Jessica. But they’re all mystery-driven—they take place in a small town with a repeating cast of characters, and they’re clean.
MPW: That’s true.
CK: So, with The Charlie Kingsley Mysteries, it just made sense to step fully into the cozy world.
MPW: When you put it that way, it does make sense. So, there are now three books in the series: The Murder Before Christmas, Ice Cold Murder and Murder Next Door…
CK: Don’t forget about the prequel short story, A Grave Error.
MPW: I definitely haven’t. Do you have a favorite?
CK: Hmmm. I like them all, but for different reasons. I was excited we were finally writing a Christmas mystery … I know we both wanted to do that for a long time.
MPW: That’s true.
CK: But Ice Cold Murder was a lot of fun, as well. After all, what’s more intriguing than being trapped in a supposedly haunted house with a dead lawyer and a dysfunctional family in the middle of a snowstorm? At least when it comes to solving a mystery.
MPW: I can’t think of anything better.
CK: Although if you ask Claire, she might have a different answer.
MPW: Yeah, that’s why we’re not asking her.
CK: Murder Next Door was great because it takes place in the spring, and I very much prefer Wisconsin once it warms up.
MPW: I think you’re in very good company.
CK: Also, I know you really liked the “vampire meets Rear Window” plot line going on in that Murder Next Door, (poor Mildred, she really does try hard to keep a sharp eye on the neighborhood) but what I liked most was that I was able to finally start atoning for some of my past sins. The town is called Redemption, after all, and I think allowing people a chance to redeem themselves is important.
MPW: Totally agree. I think that’s something we need at times, a way to make a difference and to put something right. Last question—do you ever get upset with me for all the bad things that happen to you?
CK: That question assumes you’re the one coming up with the bad things.
MPW: Wait … what?
CK: I mean, has it occurred to you that our stories are our stories and you’re just the one writing them down? Honestly, you’re kind of like a glorified secretary.
MPW: Um …
CK: Now, that isn’t to say I don’t get upset with you. But it’s mostly when you get stubborn and start working on other projects and listening to other characters when you should be paying attention to me.
MPW: Okay then. Good to know.
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 she does spend much of her time writing stories now. Mystery stories to be exact, ranging from psychological thrillers to cozies, with a dash of romance and supernatural thrown into the mix. If that wasn’t enough, she also hosts a virtual book club you can check out and join (for free!) at MPWNovels.com.
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
Website – https://mpwnovels.com/
Facebook – facebook.com/michelepwauthor
Linked In linkedin.com/in/michelepw
Twitter – twitter.com/michelepw
Instagram – instagram.com/themichelepw
Purchase Link – Amazon
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
April 19 – Novels Alive – SPOTLIGHT
April 19 – Here’s How It Happened – REVIEW
April 20 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 20 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 21 – The Mystery Section – SPOTLIGHT
April 21 – Baroness’ Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
April 22 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
April 22 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
April 23 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
April 23 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 24 – Drink Coffee and Read Books – REVIEW
April 24 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog – SPOTLIGHT
April 25 – Diane Reviews Books – REVIEW
April 25 – Nellie’s Book Nook – REVIEW
April 26 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
April 26 – My Journey Back – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 27 – Elizabeth McKenna – Author – SPOTLIGHT
April 27 – I Read What You Write – GUEST POST
April 28 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
April 28 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
April 29 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
April 29 – StoreyBook Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 30 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
April 30 – Books Blog – SPOTLIGHT
May 1 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
May 2 – BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
May 2 – Girl with Pen – SPOTLIGHT
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I like the excerpt!