The Mysterious Case of the Missing Motive (The Redemption Detective Agency)

)The Mysterious Case of the Missing Motive is the first book in The Redemption Detective Agency, a spin-off from the Charlie Kinsley Mystery series, by USA Today bestselling author Michele PW (Pariza Wacek). The Redemption Detective Agency is a funny, twisty, romcom cozy mystery series set in the 1990s featuring silver sleuths solving cold cases, cats, dogs and an opposites attract love triangle. Great for fans of the Thursday Murder Club, Only Murders in the Building, Murder She Wrote, Gilmore Girls (if they were also amateur detectives) and The Golden Girls (if they decided to start solving mysteries).

"Just finished reading "The Mysterious Case of the Missing Motive" and I loved it!"

"Wacky and fun and characters sure to please even the toughest readers."

"A well-crafted cozy mystery with well-developed characters. I like the humorous dialogue and depiction of the town."

"How do I apply to be a detective at the Redemption Detective Agency? Such a cute cozy mystery."

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or maybe a gin and tonic.

Emily Hildebrandt has run into a bit of a rough patch. She's lost her job, her fiancé and her apartment. Still, she never expected to be desperate enough to accept an invitation to live with her eccentric Aunt Tilde in Redemption, Wisconsin.

But, beggars can't be choosers. Even if part of the deal is she has to pretend to work at her aunt's latest hair-brained scheme, The Redemption Detective Agency.

Seriously, the woman is a retired nurse. Why does she think she's remotely qualified to run a detective agency, especially in a creepy little town like Redemption?

But, when a strange phone call suddenly thrusts them into an actual case, Emily finds herself hoping her aunt really does know what she's doing ... or an innocent person may be the one to suffer the consequences.

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Published Oct 15, 2024

177 pages

Average rating: 8

1 RATING

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Community Reviews

One More Chapter One More Book
Apr 22, 2026
8/10 stars
This was a fun, quick read and totally what I needed to read after the last book (which was excellent but sad). Emily (FMC) loses her job, car, and fiancé after whistleblowing on an embezzler. As luck would have it, the embezzler was a family member who got a slap on the wrist and she got the boot out the door! With nowhere else to turn, Emily ends up at her Aunt Tilde’s house in Redemption, Wisconsin. The characters are memorable and Aunt Tilde & her friend Mildred reminded me of Sophia and Dorothy from The Golden Girls! The duo are a bit ditzy, interfering, and want to play matchmaker, none of which earn any points with Emily right away. The “case” they are working on at the launch of The Redemption Detective Agency was quite a story and I really had no clue to the ending until very close to the end, which is just how I like my cozy mysteries. Overall, a clean, cozy, fast, and fun cozy mystery!

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