• Past & Present

  • A Marketville Mystery, Book 2
  • By: Judy Penz Sheluk
  • Narrated by: Kelli Lindsay
  • Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (70 ratings)

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Past & Present  By  cover art

Past & Present

By: Judy Penz Sheluk
Narrated by: Kelli Lindsay
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Publisher's summary

Sometimes the past reaches out to the present. It’s been 13 months since Calamity (Callie) Barnstable inherited a house in Marketville under the condition that she search for the person who murdered her mother 30 years earlier. She solves the mystery, but what's 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.

©2018 Judy Penz Sheluk (P)2019 Judy Penz Sheluk

What listeners say about Past & Present

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Book 2

I really enjoyed Past and Present. Having listened to the audio bbok the earlier Marketville Mystery books, It does a good job of advancing the characters and bringing the reader into the community.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Cozy mystery that reveals more than expected

Callie Barnstable, after solving the mystery of her mother’s murder, has decided to settle down in Marketville. She and her friend Chantelle join together to open a private investigation/genealogy service. Their first customer asks them to delve into her history, specifically that of her grandmother and mother. This inquiry brings Callie into contact with her own, heretofore, estranged great grandmother, who holds information important to the case. Callie will find that some things fall closer to home than anticipated, and while some of her discoveries are unpleasant, others prove much more palatable. Throw in a little romance with her hot former neighbor, and Callie has a busy agenda. Slowly, methodically, and with the help of a psychometrist, an object reader, who holds and analyzes vibes from objects presently or previously owned by various people, Callie works through the mysteries that appear.

I really liked Callie and her supporting cast. This is the first book in this series that I’ve read, and I thought it positively lovely and well done. The author provided all the information I needed for the book make sense, even without having read the first in the series. The writing is excellent as is the narration. I had no complaints on either, which made enjoying the book that much easier. The narrator voices the characters in clear and distinct ways, and she brings life to much of the book that is internal thought, where Callie remembers what happened in the first book or thinks about how she can go about learning more about the case. I will say that the vocalized footnotes in the middle of the book’s narration were a bit jarring. I’d have rather they be read at the end of the chapter or the book with perhaps a bit more information that was included in this version.

I listened to this book while packing and cleaning my kid’s apartment at school, and the book made those mundane and boring tasks whiz by. It’s definitely an enjoyable book to listen to; although, on more than one occasion there’s a touch of sadness necessarily brought into the story.

If I have one small complaint about the book, it’s the cover. While the story does involve people traveling by steamship in the 1950s, the story primarily takes place in the here and now. The cover gives the false impression that the story is far more historical than it is. This is a contemporary story that takes place in Canada with some flashbacks to what happened in the 1950s after the people involved arrived. Once they’ve arrived, the story is firmly set in Canada. Just a small thing, but covers influence readers’ choices.

A delightful book in all ways.

I received this audiobook for free from the author. I thank her for her generosity, but it had no effect upon my review. All opinions expressed in this review reflect my true and honest opinions about audiobook to which I listened.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Earns 5/5 Ancestry Mysteries…Clever Journey!

This second book in Judy Penz Sheluk’s Marketville Mystery series is an engaging journey into the past rippling into the present with unforeseen consequences. With personal experience researching her own family’s past and working with people who had helpful skill sets have led to the confidence that others may hire her to do the same thing. So Past and Present Investigations has been created. Now Callie Barnstable and her team of talented women need a client…Enter Louisa Frankow! Louisa Frankow is seeking information about her maternal grandmother who had emigrated from England to Canada in the 1950s, and it was suggested she approach Callie and her team who might be able find some answers. While researching the common online databases and archives, each photo, bit of memorabilia, news article, and more begins to reveal an intriguing picture of love, family secrets, and murder. However, what Callie discovers is much more than she ever anticipated.

Judy Penz Sheluk’s well-written mystery with rich characters engaging in informative, witty, and often emotional banter is greatly enriched by Kelli Lindsay’s talented narration in the audiobook version. With a fascinating look into tarot and psychometry and more dramatic experiences with her maternal family which began in book one, “Skeletons in the Attic,” the drama is exciting, clever, and unique. Adding Kelli’s pleasant voice to portray the emotions, tone, and varied personalities can be heard in her reading, and she makes a great effort at gender differences. Well done!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A well-written story from a very good author

Past & Present: A Marketville Mystery, Book 2, my second enjoyable mystery read from author Judy Penz Sheluk and the second in the Marketville Mystery series. Well-written with intriguing characters. 6-hours 33-minute/256-pages of enjoyment. No spoilers here, buy the book, read & review the book. I was given an Audible copy of this book in June a year ago & am finally voluntarily reading & reviewing it. Kelli Lindsay’s narration adds to the book's enjoyment. I look forward to reading more from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 - July 24, 2018).

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Good Story

Interesting plot of turning to being a PI with genealogy. This leads to secrets and family skeltons, also comes closer for Callie and learning about her great grandmothers. Enjoyed the twists, a little romance and new author will look for more. Given audio which was good, for my voluntary review.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
Listener received this title free

Quite enjoyable

This is the second book in the Marketville Mystery series and continues directly on from the first. Callie (Calamity) has decided to open up a business investigating missing persons. She employs the help of the cast of characters from the first book to help her out. Soon after she starts the business she gets a client wanting to look into the death of her grandmother.

I am quite enjoying Judy Penz Sheluk's books. She has a great attention to detail, and knowledge of tidbits of history, like Eatons Stores, and train schedules, etc., which she adds to the stories to provide the details Callie would be looking at/for when doing her searches. She ties everything in nicely.  

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Fun cold case mystery

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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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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Good Sequel to the First in the Series

The setting up of the lead's new business went a little slow, but only for a brief time. Things get extremely interesting when Calamity meets a very old relative for the first time. The ending was the perfect set-up for the next book in the series. I'll be looking for it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Another Masterpiece from Sheluk

Callie Barnstable (Calamity) settles down in Marketville, where her recently divorced friend, Chantelle and her decide to open a private investigative business where they are to find out what happened to the client's grandmother. Throughout the investigation, new things are brought to life, with many surprises throughout. This book is a great stand alone, however, I would encourage you to listen to book 1 first, as it will make this easier to follow.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of AudiobookBoom

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Past secrets unfold present mysteries

Callie settles down in Marketville and starts a private investigation business with her friend Chantelle. Her first client requests them to investigate what happened to her grandmother. The investigation reveals some enticing connections between her client, her grandmother, and Callie's family.


The characters are developed well from the first novel in the Marketville series Skeletons in the Attic. I loved the strategic construction of each clue in the story to unravel the ultimate secret. The ending was definitely surprising!


Overall, i really liked this story. Family drama, mystery and finding out the truth and connections between old family secrets was very well portrayed.


Note: This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this objective review voluntarily.

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