Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for Arson, Old Lace and Murder (Charlie Kingsley Mysteries) by Michele (PW) Pariza Wacek. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
Arson, Old Lace and Murder (Charlie Kingsley Mysteries)
by Michele (PW) Pariza Wacek
Arson, Old Lace and Murder (Charlie Kingsley Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery
8th in Series
Setting – Redemption, Wisconsin, in the 1990s
Publisher: Love-Based Publishing
Publication date : March 25, 2026
Number of Pages 200
Paperback
Charlie Kingsley is not a private investigator. She makes and sells custom teas out of her home. Which is why she initially refused to look into a recent case of a bar that had burned down.
Yes, it was tragic that the owner’s body was found inside. But this is an arson case, and what does she possibly know about arson?
Except…one of the waitresses is missing.
Who’s pregnant.
Who everyone thought was having an affair with the owner of the bar.
How can Charlie say no to the owner’s widow? And when Charlie accidentally finds the pregnant waitress, things start to take a strange turn. And suddenly, Charlie finds herself thrust into a decades-old mystery that haunts Redemption to this day.
A mystery that could very well cost Charlie her life.
Meet Charlie. 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.
My review of Arson, Old Lace and Murder
Arson, Old Lace and Murder is the eighth book in the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series by Michele Pariza Wacek. It can be read as a standalone, but you might enjoy it more if you read prior books. I’ve read five of them including this, and I’ve loved them all! This series is set in the 1990s in the unique town of Redemption, Wisconsin which has a creepy past! This past is talked about in the book and plays a part in the mystery with the 1888ers.
Charlie makes teas for whatever ails you, and her tea customers love her. She does have the tendency to get caught up in murder….No, she’s not committing them! Somehow or other, she is roped in to looking into the murders, much to the chagrin of Wyle, a local detective. She does happen to be good at it though, so… However, this time, her best friend Pat begs her not to get involved. The murder mystery involves a bar fire in the 1888ers side of town, and Pat, along with many others, believes that the 1888ers are cursed and that Charlie will be cursed if she gets involved. But then the victim’s wife begs Charlie to look into it, and she can’t say no. Pat quits talking to her, the police are no help, so the only help she gets is from Mildred. By the way, Mildred is in another of Wacek’s series, The Redemption Detective Agency, which is very funny! I recommend checking it out too.
I’ve found the characters in this series (and this book) to be very well-written. They’ve got unique personalities, and I especially like the quirky characters. The side characters in this book gave the mystery plenty of red herrings and rabbit trails to follow. I had my suspicions about who the culprit was, and like a good amateur sleuth, I was right! I liked following the clues and the creepy factor of the 1888ers. Everything wraps up well with no cliff-hangers except we’re still up in the air about the romance developing between Charlie and Wyle! There’s another small issue that isn’t wrapped up yet, but it doesn’t have anything to do with the mystery.
The unique cast of characters, atmospheric setting, creep factor, and well-plotted mystery make Arson, Old Lace and Murder a great addition to the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series! I highly recommend it!
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book as part of Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.
About Michele (PW) 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.)
While each book is a standalone, you may find it more enjoyable to read the books in order, which is:
The Murder Before Christmas
Ice Cold Murder
Murder Next Door
Murder Among Friends
The Murder of Sleepy Hollow
Red Hot Murder
A Cornucopia of Murder
Arson, Old Lace and Murder
Masquerading as Murder (coming 2026)
Other books in the Charlie Kingsley Mystery series include:
A Grave Error (prequel)
Loch Ness Murder
A Wedding to Murder For
Three French Hens and a Murder
A Room For Murder
Margaritas and Murder
Secret Santa Murder (coming 2026)
Author Links – Website Facebook Instagram
Purchase Link – Amazon
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Arson, Old Lace and Murder TOUR PARTICIPANTS
March 23 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – SPOTLIGHT
March 23 – Sarah Can’t Stop Reading Books – REVIEW
March 24 – Jody’s Bookish Haven – SPOTLIGHT
March 25 – @bibliophile_foodie – REVIEW
March 26 – Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 27 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
March 28 – Reading Is My SuperPower – REVIEW
March 28 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
March 29 – deal sharing aunt – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
March 30 – Sarandipity’s – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
March 31 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW
April 1 – Because I said So – REVIEW
April 1 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read– REVIEW
April 2 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
April 2 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
April 3 – Salty Inspirations – AUTHOR GUEST POST
April 4 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
April 5 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
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