Kate Reilly Mystery Books In Order

Publication Order of A Kate Reilly Mystery Books

Kate Reilly Mystery
Kate Reilly Mystery is a series of mystery books by mystery and thriller author Tammy Kaehler. The series heroine is Kate Reilly, a race car driver who finds herself entangled in a series of murder mysteries.

Dead Man’s Switch

Dead Man’s Switch is the first book in A Kate Reilly Mystery Series. We meet the heroine, Kate Reilly, looking for a simple “ride” at Lime Rock Park expressway in Lakeville, Connecticut, where the Le Mans Series is racing its cars. Because of her experience level, it’s a must that she becomes part of the racing team for anyone to take her seriously as a driver. She shows up at the track and informs everyone that she is ready and willing just in case anyone needs a driver.

As fate would have it, Kate finds a body by almost hitting it when she arrives and parks her car. The dead man is Wade Becker, a 28-year-old Corvette driver and a member of the Sandham Swift team. She seeks help and finds Stuart Telerdy, vice president and communications for ALMS 33 years old and handsome. When the cops arrive, they question Kate over and over, wondering why she’s the only person who discovered Wade’s body. She is dubious when they ask her for her alibi for the previous night. Luckily for her, she had spent her previous night with her friend Holly from the Western racing team, who take Kate under her care after the cops release her on Saturday morning.

Jack Sandham discovers Kate in Holly’s racing team’s paddock. He enlists Kate to drive for Wade to race for the remainder of the series. Kate is happy when her dreams finally come true, and she is enlisted as the second driver. Unfortunately, rumors explode and spread quicker than wildfire. Kate soon finds herself considered the prime suspect in Becker’s murder. However, the dead driver was never popular, and not many will miss him. They are happy to see what Kate is capable of. Others believe that a woman like Kate doesn’t make a good race driver, and they let her know it. She’s just a 24-year-old female who’s been working her way up the racing world since her teenagerhood. But she’s already aware that she’s stepping into a chaotic world full of emotions.
Sandham Swift is a private racing team consisting of two C6R Corvettes acquired from the manufacturer. The cars have competed in the GT1 along with large Vipers, Ferraris, Aston Martins, Maserati’s, and Selene’s. Other race classes the cars have participated in include Le Mans classes 1 and 2 and GT2. Two drivers share the car during any race and more drivers for longer races. Kate had previously joined the team at the end of Sebring’s 12-hour race the year before, and so she knows the team, the car, her crew, and the team owner.

She immediately meets the crew, learns more about the car and the race track. She will only have an hour to practice for the race and, at the same time, convince the cops that she didn’t kill the dead drive. When the race begins, Tammy Kaehler treats us to a detailed rundown of what happens inside the race car. With each move of the car, Kate describes all the actions needed to navigate. She’s done this a million times before.

Tammy Kaehler is an author who knows almost every detail of world racing. He beautifully integrates that knowledge into Dead Man’s Switch. The author gives background information about race strategy and car mechanics dynamically and interestingly, never all dry. The race scenes are exciting and pulse-pounding. Part of this novel deals with the murder mystery with other parts spanning over the four days of the annual American Le Mans Series (ALMS) race.

At the heart of Dead Man’s Switch, this is a cozy mystery using the idea of a female racecar driver as the hook. The book has the usual driver, and Kate feels that she must find the killer to clear her name. The background information about the racing is well detailed. The cops don’t suspect Kate as there is no solid evidence linking her to the murder case, all that Kate wants to do is to clear her name and get back to racing.

To clear her name, Kate gathers her amateur detective skills and goes around asking a detective-y question to anyone who might be connected to the murder case. She then passes all the information to the detective in charge of the case, who’s surprised and grateful for the information provided. The author also introduces us to a series of characters who contribute to the growth of the main character, Kate. The heroine’s experience in the racing tracks enables her to relate freely with the media, other racers, and the support crew and also to decipher the notes of the killed racer’s notebook. The story builds up well from a vivid description of a race weekend to a suspenseful race and then to the final solution of the mystery.
Braking Points

Braking Points is the second book in A Kate Reilly Mystery series. The author has does her homework well. Kate loves her team’s racing Corvettes; unfortunately, during a practice session, she crashes with a popular NASCAR driver sending him in the hospital.

Kates becomes a target of threatening blog posts, emails, and intimidating broadcasts. She arrives in Atlanta to train with her team, and she is happy to meet and catch up with other women she spent time within her early racing career. When one of the women doesn’t return, Kate heads out to search for her only to find her body in the parking lot. The cops discover the drink that Kate had ordered, which her friend drank contained a drug that resulted to a fatal reaction. Kate was the target, and she wonders who’s trying to kill her. Dodging a pit reported biased against women and unfavorable media attention, Kate redeems herself by unleashing a stunning performance at the next race: Petit Le Mans. There are many twists and turns in the braking points; it’s a solid mystery. The plot delicately weaves on and off the road in an intricate pattern that comes to a shocking conclusion in the last pages.