A Room for Murder

Charlie Kingsley, #5

by

Michele Pariza Wacek

Ghostly drama is going down at the Redemption Inn!

A Room for Murder is a novella in the Charlie Kingsley series by author Michele Pariza Wacek, and reading it is an excellent way to become acquainted with the main character and town of Redemption, Wisconsin, and enjoy an intriguing ghost story. Charlie Kingsley is drawn into a ghostly drama by Nancy, her friend and the owner of the historic and haunted Redemption Inn, where she meets the Redemption’s handsome, aggravating, and recently hired police officer. 

Charlie is a friendly and helpful woman who operates a small home business crafting specialty herbal tea blends. She first learns of the Redemption Inn’s ghost, Darla, from a pair of tourists she encounters at Quoth the Raven, the local new and used bookstore. Intrigued, she heads to the Inn to ask the owner, her friend Nancy, about the ghost but inadvertently stumbles into a scene of turmoil with a guest loudly complaining that Darla tried to kill her husband. 

The town of Redemption has a peculiar reputation and odd history, so everyone is quite willing to accept the presence of a ghost as fact. But as these types of things go, something just doesn’t feel right, and before you know it, one of the guests falls victim to the supposedly deadly specter. 

The author’s writing style is easy to read, and I was soon invested in the outcome of the story. The characters were engaging and easy to get to know, and the plot was compelling. Readers new to the series should have no trouble getting comfortable with the current tale without having read the earlier novels. 

I recommend A ROOM FOR MURDER to cozy mystery readers and fans of the previous books in the series. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.