Alternative title: The Mysterious Origin of The Redemption Detective Agency
Well, okay, it’s not THAT mysterious (even though the titles of the books are all “The Mysterious Case of …”).
The Redemption Detective Agency is a spin-off from the Charlie Kingsley Mysteries (cozy mysteries) which is a spin-off from the Secrets of Redemption series (psychological thrillers).
I know that sounds a little confusing, so let me start at the beginning.
I wrote the Secrets of Redemption series first. At the time, Book 1 wasn’t supposed to be the first book of a 9-book series, but standalone.
The book, however, had other ideas.
That series takes place in contemporary times. Becca, the main character, inherits her aunt’s house in Redemption, Wisconsin–a peculiar town with a haunted past. (To be clear, it’s a fictional town.) When she first inherited, it seemed like divine providence. Her marriage is crumbling and she’s hoping a fresh start will help her rekindle her relationship and save her marriage and family.
Alas, it doesn’t work out like that.
The Secrets of Redemption series is a psychological thriller with romance and a touch of the supernatural. We meet Aunt Charlie, the aunt who left Becca her house, in Becca’s dreams and memories.
At the time when I was writing that book, I didn’t intend on Aunt Charlie to want to tell her own stories. But Charlie has her own ideas about things. Along with writing her origin story (how she arrived in Redemption) I also found myself writing a spin-off cozy mystery series starring Charlie Kingsley.
The Charlie Kingsley Mystery series takes place in the 1990s, as Charlie is dead in contemporary times. Currently there are 7 full-length cozies and 4 novellas in that series. More books are planned for that series.
The Redemption Detective Agency also takes place in the 1990s in Redemption, Wisconsin. Two characters we meet in the Charlie Kingsley Mysteries decide to start a detective agency and focus on cold cases. Mildred Schmidt, a retired teacher, who we meet in Murder Next Door and Three French Hens and a Murder,and Tilde Tillerson, a retired nurse, who we meet in Red Hot Murder and A Cornucopia of Murder.
We also meet Emily Hildebrandt, Tilde’s niece, who ends up in Redemption because her life imploded and she has nowhere else to go. She helps Tilde, Mildred and a few other quirky characters get the Redemption Detective Agency up and running.
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Motive is book 1 of this brand new series full of humor and fun, with dogs, cats, romance and a twisty mystery.
