Published
by Superior Shores Press,
21 September 2018.
IBSN: 978-0-9950007-3-5
21 September 2018.
IBSN: 978-0-9950007-3-5
When her first
client brings Callie a handful of photographs, she doesn’t expect to find a
murder linked to her own troubled family history.
This
is the second in Sheluk’s Marketville Mystery series. Canadian Callie
(Calamity) Barnstable has set up her own investigations bureau, along with her
friend Chantelle and psychic tarot-card reader Misty Rivers. Their first case
involves tracing the life of a long-dead grandmother, and Sheluk follows the
search through achives and old photos in fascinating detail, with each
discovery adding a new twist, and several good recipes along the way. Callie
and her friends are ‘ordinary’ people – everyday enough to identify with, and
quirky enough to be interesting, particularly the imperious matriarch Olivia,
and psychometrist Randi. The dialogue’s lively, the plot zips along, there’s a
real small-town atmosphere, and the ending’s a good surprise. The first chapter
is a handy resume of the previous book, so you can read this as a standalone,
but for readers who enjoy really getting to know their characters, I’d
recommend starting with the first in the series, Skeletons in the Attic.
An
enjoyable Canadian cozy, delving into the past with unexpected results.
------
Reviewer: Marsali
Taylor
Judy Penz Sheluk's debut amateur sleuth mystery novel, The Hanged Man's Noose, was published in
July 2015 by Barking Rain Press (www.barkingrainpress.org). Skeletons in the Attic, the first book
in her Marketville series, was released in August 2016 by Imajin Books. Judy's
short crime fiction can be found in World Enough and Crime (Carrick
Publishing), The Whole She-Bang 2 (Toronto Sisters in Crime), Flash and Bang
(Untreed Reads) and Live Free or Tri: a collection of three short mystery
stories. In her less mysterious pursuits, Judy works as a freelance writer,
specializing in art, antiques and the residential housing industry; her
articles have appeared regularly in dozens of U.S. and Canadian consumer and
trade publications. She is currently the Editor of Home BUILDER Magazine, and
the Senior Editor for New England Antiques Journal. Judy is also a member of Sisters in Crime
International/Guppies/Toronto, Crime Writers of Canada, International Thriller
Writers, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society.
Marsali Taylor grew up
near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is
currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her
husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is
fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive
dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a
keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of
her local drama group. Marsali also does
a regular monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.
Click on the title to read a review of her recent book Death
in Shetland Waters
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