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Charlie Mack Motown Mystery Books in Order

6 Books
2016 – 2021 Published
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How to Read the Charlie Mack Motown Mystery Series

Written by Cheryl A. Head, the Charlie Mack Motown Mystery series follows Charlene "Charlie" Mack, a queer Black private investigator leading a diverse team at Mack Investigations in Detroit. To get the most out of the series, you should read the books in their publication order. The characters' relationships, personal growth, and the recurring subplots—such as Charlie navigating her identity and her mother's battle with Alzheimer's—develop sequentially across the novels.

Charlie Mack Motown Mystery Books in Recommended Reading Order

Here is the list of novels in the recommended reading path:

  1. Bury Me When I'm Dead (2016) – Charlie is hired to find a missing person in Birmingham, Alabama, uncovering a web of local secrets. This debut was a Lambda Literary Award finalist.
  2. Wake Me When It's Over (2018) – Charlie and her team must prevent a high-stakes attack targeting the Detroit Auto Show.
  3. Catch Me When I'm Falling (2019) – Charlie goes undercover within Detroit's homeless community to track down a serial killer targeting the vulnerable.
  4. Judge Me When I'm Wrong (2019) – Charlie takes on a case that tests her ethics and personal boundaries. This installment won the Golden Crown Literary Society's Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award.
  5. Find Me When I'm Lost (2020) – The team gets pulled into a complex puzzle involving a missing heiress and corporate greed.
  6. Warn Me When It's Time (2021) – Charlie faces off against a radical hate group targeting sacred places of worship in Detroit.

Chronological Order vs. Publication Order

There is no difference between the chronological order and the publication order for this series. The timeline moves forward chronologically with each novel, making the publication order the absolute best way to experience the narrative. Cheryl A. Head is also working on a seventh installment in the series, tentatively titled Mourn Me When I'm Gone.

Are There Spin-Offs or Standalones?

Currently, there are no short story collections or spin-off series set in the Charlie Mack universe. However, if you want to explore more of Cheryl A. Head's crime fiction, you can check out her historical novels:

  • Long Way Home (2014) – The author's debut historical novel set during World War II.
  • Time's Undoing (2023) – A standalone crime fiction novel inspired by her grandfather's murder in 1929 Alabama, which deals with racial injustice and intergenerational trauma.

Frequently Asked

QWhere should I start reading the Charlie Mack series?

You should start with the first novel, Bury Me When I'm Dead. The series relies on character development that builds sequentially from book to book.

QAre the Charlie Mack books written in chronological order?

Yes. The chronological order matches the publication order exactly. There are no prequels or time-skips, so reading them in order of release is recommended.

QWho is Charlie Mack?

Charlene 'Charlie' Mack is a Black, lesbian private investigator based in Detroit. She runs Mack Investigations with a loyal, diverse crew, solving intense local cases while dealing with personal struggles like her mother's Alzheimer's.

QHas the Charlie Mack series won any awards?

Yes. The debut novel, Bury Me When I'm Dead, was a Lambda Literary Award finalist, and the fourth book, Judge Me When I'm Wrong, won the Golden Crown Literary Society's (GCLS) Ann Bannon Popular Choice Award.

QIs the Charlie Mack Motown Mystery series finished?

While the sixth book, Warn Me When It's Time, was released in 2021, author Cheryl A. Head has announced she is working on a seventh book with the working title Mourn Me When I'm Gone.

QDoes Cheryl A. Head have other books?

Yes. She wrote the historical novel Long Way Home (2014) and the highly acclaimed standalone crime novel Time's Undoing (2023), which is inspired by her own family history.