Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here.

My name is Michele Pariza Wacek and I’m an award-winning USA Today bestselling author who writes clean and twisty crimes and mysteries.

All my series are interconnected and take place in the fictional towns of Redemption and Riverview, which are located in southern Wisconsin. You can see a map (plus a visual representation of the series) here:

The series are:

Secrets of Redemption: The flagship series. It’s mainly psychological suspense with a dash of romance and supernatural (think ghosts and haunted houses) although it’s NOT paranormal. There will be 9 books and one novella in this series, with the last book coming out in the first half of 2024.

Charlie Kingsley Mysteries: A twisty and funny cozy mystery series set in 199os in Redemption featuring Aunt Charlie from the Secrets of Redemption series. This one is ongoing.

The Redemption Detective Agency: Another twisty and funny cozy mystery series set in 1990s in Redemption. This is a spin-off from the Charlie Kingsley Mysteries featuring Tilde (Red Hot Murder/A Cornucopia of Murder) and Mildred (Murder Next Door/Three French Hens and a Murder), with an emphasis on cold cases. The first book, The Mysterious Case of the Missing Motive, is out, with books 2 and 3 coming in 2025.

The Mysteries of Redemption: This is a spin-off from The Secrets of Redemption that takes place in current times and features Aiden (The Room at the Top of the Stairs/The Search/What Wasn’t Forgotten). Like Secrets, it will be a psychological thriller series with romance and a touch of supernatural. The first book will be released in 2025/2026.

The Riverview Mysteries: A crime mystery series mixed with psychological suspense and romance set in Riverview. More books are planned in this series, but will likely not be published until 2026.

For more about how all the books are interrelated, start here.

For a list of all the books in order, go here.

If you’re wondering which book or series to get started with, I would suggest starting with the genre you most prefer, either cozy or psychological thriller. However, if you’re the type of reader who likes to begin at the very beginning, I would start with It Began With a Lie.

The Redemption/Riverview world is vast and growing every day. If you become a MPW Book Club Member, you’ll have access to bonus content, short stories and more that go into more details and depth than just what you’ll find in the books. You can join here for free.

Got any questions or want to reach out? Find me at all the places here.