Past and Present: A Marketville Mystery

Opening Past & Present Investigations seems to be the right path for Callie Barnstable after her last investigation. But the new case puts her in the line of fire with her estranged grandparents. In Past & Present by Judy Penz Sheluk, her new client wants Callie to find out all she can about her grandmother who emigrated from Germany in the 1950s and how she died. (Past & Present will be released on September 21 by Superior Shores Press.)

Louisa Frankow had her grandmother's immigration card from 1952, her passport, photographs and letters, but did not have enough information to learn the full story. That's how she landed at Past & Present Investigations. Her own mother was raised in foster care from age three and she died before she was willing to tell Louisa much about her grandmother.

A train case in her mother's closet held some documents and now
she wanted Callie to use this material to find out more about how her grandmother died. Her grandmother, Anneliese Prei, came to Canada on an ocean liner and married a man in Canada and had

Louisa's mother.

Through careful research, Callie discovers Anneliese was killed when Louisa's mother Sophie was three. Her husband Horst Frankow was accused of killing her even though young Sophie said it was "a bad man" that killed her mother, not her father. Horst was convicted and died in a prison fight a few months later.

Callie uses her research skills only to find herself pointing at her own family in a not positive way. Another excellent mystery for Callie.

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A Hanged Man's Noose

Investigative freelance writer Emily Garland is thrilled to be given a regular assignment to edit a new magazine called Inside the Landing. It requires her to move to a place called Lount's Landing a small town outside of Toronto. In Hanged Man's Noose by Judy Penz Sheluk, Emily's sweet deal includes a renovated Victorian home and a real paycheck. The one caveat is she has to dig into what mega-developer Garrett Stonehaven is up to in the town.

It's a great plan because she has long hated Garrett Stonehaven and believed he was responsible for her mother's untimely death. Off she goes to Lount's Landing and lands in the middle of some long-dead secrets and lies.

Why would the residents of Lount's Landing name their town after an alleged traitor? This story parallels the Hanged Man's Noose plot in that it is complicated and not what it seems. An apt metaphor.

Her first assignment is to meet Johnny Porter, owner of It's a Colorful Life and chair of the Main Street Merchants Association. She meets him and begins to learn about the other busines owners in town. At a town meeting, Stonehaven presents his plan to renovate an old school building and seems to have community support when he suddenly announces the addition of a Superstore to the plans. This throws everyone into a tailspin. Teaming up with Arabella, the owner of The Glass Dolphin antiques shop, Emily learns many interesting things about her new hometown and the residents. When someone is found murdered, they decide to investigate. 

An intriguing game of cross and double cross takes place and Emily weaves her way through the intrigue. The Hanged Man's Noose is an interesting first book in the series and I look forward to more adventures of Emily and Arabella. 

The next book A Hole in One is available now.