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Judy Penz Sheluk
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Past & Present: A Marketville Mystery Kindle Edition

by Judy Penz Sheluk (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 97 ratings
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Sometimes the past reaches out to the present...
It’s been thirteen months since Calamity (Callie) Barnstable inherited a house in Marketville under the condition that she search for the person who murdered her mother thirty years earlier. She solves the mystery, but what next? Unemployment? Another nine-to-five job in Toronto?
Callie decides to set down roots in Marketville, take the skills and knowledge she acquired over the past year, and start her own business: Past & Present Investigations.
It’s not long before Callie and her new business partner, best friend Chantelle Marchand, get their first client: a woman who wants to find out everything she can about her grandmother, Anneliese Prei, and how she came to a “bad end” in 1956. It sounds like a perfect first assignment. Except for one thing: Anneliese’s past winds its way into Callie’s present, and not in a manner anyone—least of all Callie—could have predicted.
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  1. Book 2 of 4
    A Marketville Mystery
  2. Print length
    256 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    September 21, 2018
  6. File size
    2143 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Psychological realizations and self-inspection are an exquisite touch to this story that keeps readers not only engaged, but completely cognizant of the forces that motivate families, murderers, and investigators alike... The result is a tense, emotionally gripping, multifaceted mystery that serves both as a perfect continuation of Callie's life story and as a fine stand-alone read for newcomers." -- Diane Donovan, Senior Book Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"A well-crafted story that keeps readers engaged as history blends into the present." -- Debra H. Goldstein, award-winning author of the Sarah Blair mystery series

"Sheluk nails it with this intriguing mystery that stitches together an investigation into the past with people's lives in the present--including that of protagonist Callie Barnstable. Treat yourself to a new present-day read--you won't be disappointed." -- Edith Maxwell, author of the Agatha-nominated Quaker Midwife Mysteries

"An intriguing small-town mystery populated by engaging characters you want to spend time getting to know. Ocean liners, immigration, and family ties; the past is always present--an idea Ms. Sheluk explores to great effect." -- Micki Browning, Agatha-nominated author of The Mer Cavallo mystery series

"An engaging journey into the past that ripples into the present. Sheluk's well-written narrative and clever banter follows protagonist Callie Barnstable as she seeks answers for a client; each photo, memorabilia, and news article reveals an intriguing picture of love, family secrets...and murder. A top-notch mystery that keeps you guessing to the end."-- Kings River Life Magazine

From the Author

Past & Present is dedicated to my mother, Anneliese Penz, who lost a lengthy battle with COPD and related health issues on September 21, 2016. Until the very end, she was handing out bookmarks for Skeletons in the Attic and The Hanged Man's Noose to any doctor or nurse who would take one (and I suspect she may have slipped a couple into their lab coats when they weren't looking). 

I take comfort in the fact that the last book my mother read was Skeletons in the Attic, the first book in this series. She was so pleased that I'd dedicated the book to my father, Anton "Toni" Penz, who succumbed to stomach cancer at the age of forty-two. I like to think my mother and father are together again, handing out bookmarks in heaven.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07FYZ6HPF
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Superior Shores Press; 3rd edition (September 21, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 21, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2143 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0995000735
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 97 ratings

About the author

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Judy Penz Sheluk

Judy Penz Sheluk

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A former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the bestselling author of two mystery series: The Glass Dolphin Mysteries and the Marketville Mysteries. Her short crime fiction appears in several collections, including the Superior Shores Press Anthologies, which she also edited. Her books have been published in several languages.

Judy is a member of Sisters in Crime, International Thriller Writers, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and Crime Writers of Canada, where she served as Chair on the Board of Directors. www.judypenzsheluk.com

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
97 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

MJ Payne is pen name
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a Charming mystery!
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
I used PAST & PRESENT to read for relaxation and escape. The characters are well drawn and the story is wonderful. I could not resist the writing about the past and the protagonist's family. Family ties here are compelling as are ties of friendship. I will probably re-read it because I enjoyed it so much. Oh, and there is a touch of the supernatural too which makes it that much more fun!
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Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars How to manage my account better
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2018
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I can't load two or three other books I ordered, and don 't know where to go for help!
One person found this helpful
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Gail M Baugniet
5.0 out of 5 stars Sheer pleasure to read
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2018
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Mystery and murder with genealogy research woven throughout, what's not to like? Protagonist Callie has opened up shop as an investigator, eager to help people learn more about their ancestors. Questionable deaths lead to interesting suspects and plenty of family skeletons. Nicely plotted with a satisfying conclusion and some twists to keep the sharpest mystery reader guessing.
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DabOfDarkness
4.0 out of 5 stars Fun cold case mystery
Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2020
Note: Even though this is Book 2 in the series, it works fine as a stand alone story.

It was fun, cute. I enjoyed the mystery and the hunt through history to find the answers. Our main character, Callie, came up against a lot of surprises in this book! The tale starts off with Callie and her new best friend Chantelle forming a private investigation business called Past & Present. Chantelle has experience researching family trees and Callie has her investigation experience from the events of Book 1. Then they also loop in the self-proclaimed psychic Misty Rivers. Within the first week, they have their first case – Anneliese wants to learn about her grandmother and perhaps other relatives.

I did find it interesting learning some of the guts of digging up old medical records, death certificates, and travel information. I’m surprised by how much was available for the general public, either online or per request. I especially enjoyed Callie going through old photos and analyzing every bit of clothing and jewelry.

For Book 1, there were 2 minor characters that I found a bit annoying. Unfortunately, they play bigger roles in this book – Chantelle and Misty. Chantelle has to be cute about everything and while Callie explains that she’s lonely and insecure and trying to make up for both, and I get that, I still didn’t care for Chantelle’s character. And I still view Misty as a bit of a con artist and her contributions in this story didn’t change my mind on that.

Royce is still in the picture, but since Callie moved to a different area of the city, Royce is no longer her neighbor nor her contractor for renovating her father’s old house. I’m still on the fence about the man – which is good. I want to know more about him and whether he will truly treat Callie right or if he’s just killing time.

My favorite character was Olivia, which is Callie’s estranged great-grandmother. I loved her very specific instructions concerning tea and sandwiches. I’m glad Callie got to make this connection with some part of her mother’s family. Over all, it’s a fun cold case mystery that has meaning for Callie’s current life. 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Kelli Lindsay was OK. I do have trouble adjusting to a new narrator when the series switches narrators. That said, she had a good voice for Callie and I could just see Chanetelle’s facial expressions with Lindsay’s narration. In a way, that made Chantelle the star of the story. Lindsay also did a great aged madame voice for Olivia. My only quibble was her pronunciation of Anneliese – sometimes she said it right and sometimes it sounded like Anal Lease. The pacing was good and there were no technical issues. 4.5/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Judy Penz Sheluk. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.
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margaret armstrong
5.0 out of 5 stars It's all in the details
Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2021
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If you like attention to details, you will like the way the author writes. I found the book had a very systematic approach to solving the murder at hand.
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Jennifer Logan
5.0 out of 5 stars Good second book in the series
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2020
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This book kept me reading and then surprised by the unexpected ending. Very entertaining and can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
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MeezCarrie
4.0 out of 5 stars intriguing concept
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2020
3.5 stars

The whole premise of this cozy mystery intrigued me – investigating past mysteries in the present, using photographs and memorabilia and personal belongings as well as research to bring closure to their clients. I would personally love to do something like this – old photos just call to me, teasing me with stories that lie just beneath the surface. Wouldn’t it be fun to piece those stories together?

Calamity (what a great name for a heroine) and her best friend Chantelle have just started this business, after events from the first book which I want to go back and read now. I loved their interaction and friendship and how they worked as a team, utilizing each other’s strengths, etc. The case was very compelling, and at times I forgot we weren’t talking about real people – that’s how well the author develops particularly the historical characters that Callie and Chantelle are investigating. I was fully invested in finding out what happened.

My enjoyment of the story, however, was broken up by large sections of explanatory text about what they happened to be researching – or how they were doing so. Paragraphs of Wikipedia-like entries, instructions on social media use, etc. distracted me from the story and broke up the flow of my reading. Y’all know I don’t like stopping my story for a sermon. Apparently I don’t like stopping it for lessons either lol! I also wasn’t crazy about the amount of time given to the tarot card angle (the blog posts written out, etc). Granted, my own personal belief system played a part in this opinion (I believe tarot cards can open the door to forces we have no business messing with) but, while I don’t mind if they pop up for character arcs every once in a while in a story, this approach was more educational than I was comfortable with & honestly I started just skipping through the educational narratives.

Why did I skip through those parts instead of just quitting the book? Because the story itself is SO compelling and I enjoyed the characters and wanted to see how it ended. There were some great twists, excellent character development, and engaging plot points. And I also didn’t feel I was missing anything important to the story by skimming over the tarot card scenes and web pages and articles I would rather not spend time on. Bring on more story!

Bottom Line: I want to be Calamity Barnstable and grab my bookish sisters and start a ‘historical mystery’ investigations firm! Who’s with me? haha! Very interesting plot, well-crafted, with layered and engaging characters. And even though it stopped the story too often (for my tastes) to input an article or blog post or instructional guide, it’s easy to ignore that ultimately in favor of finding out how everything ties together in the end.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.)
2 people found this helpful
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Sylvia A. Nash
5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery and History
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2018
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Intriguing and well-written mystery. I enjoyed the mystery, the history, and the twists and turns that took me from the past to the present!
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Top reviews from other countries

Dragonfly
5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable read
Reviewed in Canada on October 30, 2018
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This is the third book by Judy Penz Sheluk that I have read and third time is a charm. The small town setting and interesting and diverse cast of characters are well developed in this second book of the Marketville series. The depth of research is clearly evident in the historical details that Penz Sheluk has cleverly woven into her her book. Each chapter ends with a litt hook that pulls you on to the next chapter making it hard to put the book down. The ending is just right - most issues are resolved but just enough questions remain to make the reader look forward to the next book in the series.
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Anky
4.0 out of 5 stars Loved it
Reviewed in India on November 13, 2019
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Past & Present was just as good as the first book, and I'm looking forward to reading Book 3. I love the mix of investigation, research and the psychic readings that make up the mystery solving.
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Amanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book from this author yet! SO SO SO good !
Reviewed in Canada on January 2, 2019
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Wow ! Judy’s best work yet! I couldn’t put the book down and now that the last page has been turned I’m yearning for more news, more adventures, more mystery from my dear friends in Marketville. Please Judy - don’t keep us waiting long !!
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Jon Eakes
5.0 out of 5 stars Engaging
Reviewed in Canada on December 11, 2018
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She writes like someone knitting a sweater with the strings of life. You can't see the pattern until it is finished.
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Wendy Ryckman
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing
Reviewed in Canada on October 25, 2018
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Love the book.
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