MRM - Who's Who - Shari T. Mitchell

Meet the Marnie Reilly Mysteries characters.

Creekwood, NY

A fictional town located along the Hudson River somewhere between the Adirondack Mountains and Hudson, NY. A statue of Henry Hudson stands in Creekwood Town Square

Marnie Reilly

Psychic psychologist Marnie Reilly has learned the hard way that seeing what others can’t is dangerous. Shaped by trauma, she trusts few people and relies almost entirely on herself. Her clairvoyance—etched into her haunted aquamarine eyes—offers glimpses of what others would rather keep buried. Marnie is driven to fix broken people and abandoned animals, even as her own scars remain unhealed. A survivor of an abusive relationship that nearly killed her, she knows evil isn’t always supernatural—and that the most dangerous monsters are flesh and blood humans.

Tater

Tater isn’t just a dog—he’s an early warning system. Marnie Reilly’s rough-coat Border Collie is intelligent, fast, and alert to danger. Trained to perform commands and capable of learning by observation alone, Tater can open doors, escape kennels, and identify threats before they fully emerge. He herds people, animals, and bad intentions with equal determination, standing as a formidable presence between Marnie and the darkness that follows her.

Detective (Lieutenant) Daniel Gregg

Detective Daniel Gregg has spent his career chasing truth, justice, and closure that rarely comes. A skilled detective with an unerring sixth sense about people, Danny wears his badge as both armor and obligation. Haunted by the suicides of his wife and mother, guilt shadows every decision he makes. He avoids emotional attachments, believing love passed him by—until Marnie Reilly enters his investigation and his life, disrupting his carefully constructed defenses and forcing him to confront the past he’s never escaped.

Detective Thomas Keller

Detective Thomas Keller hides sharp instincts behind humor and an easygoing smile. His long, athletic frame and striking eyes make him impossible to miss, but it’s his loyalty that defines him. As Marnie Reilly’s best friend, he understands her in ways few others do—and uses humor as both shield and bridge when the darkness closes in. In a town where death is never far away, Tom is a reminder that levity can be its own form of survival.

Margaret “Gram” Ryan

Danny Gregg’s grandmother, Margaret Ryan, has been watching Creekwood for decades—and the inhabitants of Creekwood know it. An Irish immigrant who rebuilt her life after loss, Gram runs Ryan’s Diner with calm authority. She keeps her clairvoyant gift honed and rarely speaks of it. She knows everyone, remembers everything, and understands how far truth can be pushed before it breaks. Whether rumor or reality, one thing is certain: underestimating Gram Ryan is a mistake no one makes twice.

Carl Parkins

Carl Parkins understands perception—and how easily it can be shaped. A spiritual healer and psychotherapist with the polished appearance of a respected academic, he cultivates warmth, empathy, and approachability while revealing very little of himself. His deep brown eyes hint at insight sharpened by experience. Whether ally or foe, Carl is a man whose influence is felt long before his intentions are understood.

Kate Parish

Kate Parish has learned early that survival favors the prepared. Elegant, controlled, and lethal, she presents herself as polished, helpless, and unassuming while hiding a ruthlessness that borders on maniacal. Her indigo eyes are sharp with calculation, her movements deliberate, her intentions rarely revealed. Once part of Marnie Reilly’s childhood circle, Kate understands the power of familiarity—and uses it without hesitation. She doesn’t act on impulse. She plans. And she finishes what she starts.