Moonlight & Misadventure Anthology edited by Judy Penz Sheluk

June 4, 2021 By 1 Comment


Moonlight & Misadventure – 20 Stories of Mystery & Suspense by Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk
Publisher: Superior Shores Press
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller, Contemporary, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Whether it’s vintage Hollywood, the Florida everglades, the Atlantic City boardwalk, or a farmhouse in Western Canada, the twenty authors represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of “moonlight and misadventure” in their own inimitable style where only one thing is assured: Waxing, waning, gibbous, or full, the moon is always there, illuminating things better left in the dark.

Featuring stories by K.L. Abrahamson, Sharon Hart Addy, C.W. Blackwell, Clark Boyd, M.H. Callway, Michael A. Clark, Susan Daly, Buzz Dixon, Jeanne DuBois, Elizabeth Elwood, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Fellowes, John M. Floyd, Billy Houston, Bethany Maines, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Joseph S. Walker, Robert Weibezahl, and Susan Jane Wright.

Mischief comes in many forms.

“Tammy Loves Derek” showed what happened after Tammy discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her again. She was the sort of woman who used her physical appearance to attract attention from men. I wasn’t sure what I thought of her at first, but my opinion quickly warmed as I got to know her better and discovered parts of her personality that the shallow men she dated never would have thought to pursue. There were some clever plot twists in this one for sure. I enjoyed peeling back the metaphorical layers of the main character and trying to figure out what she really had up her sleeves.

This was a solid anthology in general, but there were a few stories in it that I wish had been explained more thoroughly. “My Night with the Duke of Edinburgh” was one of them. It was about a few University of Toronto students who attempted to kidnap something from the Royal Ontario Museum in 1951. This was such an outlandish plan that I couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to do it or how they thought they’d get away with it. While the characters did eventually go into some detail on these matters, I could have used a little more exposition here.

The main character in “A Currency of Wishes” hatched a plan with his uncle to make some much-needed money over the summer. This was one of those tales that was filled with surprises. I enjoyed following all of the twists and turns in it, especially since I didn’t see the biggest one coming. It wasn’t until the last page that I realized what was happening, and even then it took a moment to confirm that my suspicions were correct. Based on how much I enjoyed Ms. Fellowes’ work, I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for more of it in the future.

Anyone who loves short mysteries should check out Moonlight & Misadventure – 20 Stories of Mystery & Suspense.

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Where There’s a Will… by Judy Penz Sheluk

January 7, 2021 By 1 Comment


Where There’s a Will… by Judy Penz Sheluk
Publisher: Superior Shores Press
Genre: Suspense/Mystery/Thriller, Contemporary
Rating: 5 stars
Reviewed by Snowdrop

Emily Garland is getting married and looking for the perfect forever home. When the old, and some say haunted, Hadley house comes up for sale, she’s convinced it’s “the one.” The house is also perfect for reality TV star Miles Pemberton and his new series, House Haunters. Emily will fight for her dream home, but Pemberton’s pockets are deeper than Emily’s, and he’ll stretch the rules to get what he wants.

While Pemberton racks up enemies all around Lount’s Landing, Arabella Carpenter, Emily’s partner at the Glass Dolphin antiques shop, has been hired to appraise the contents of the estate, along with her ex-husband, Levon. Could the feuding beneficiaries decide there’s a conflict of interest? Could Pemberton?

The rest of the year, most biker women keep in order cheap viagra touch by email and snail mail. Intensity in this role play will act overly in the events of stress and related disorder. viagra cialis for sale http://appalachianmagazine.com/2017/03/28/americas-newfound-interest-in-brahma-chickens/ Kamagra pills are sold over the counter in 25, 50 and 100 cialis where mgs and are meant to be consumed orally by the patient. In fact, the first balloon was let gone overnight cialis tadalafil appalachianmagazine.com in 1709 in Lisbon, Portugal. Things get even more complicated when Arabella and Levon discover another will hidden inside the house, and with it, a decades-old secret. Can the property stay on the market? And if so, who will make the winning offer: Emily or Miles Pemberton?

Arabella’s Glass Dolphin is back and in truth Arabella is as sweet and unbecoming and yet as nosy as ever. Well maybe not nosy, just anxious to help her co-owner Emily get the house she “has” to have.

This is not a book about antiques, but it has enough tantalizing conversation about those beautiful old desks or a first edition book to keep me doubly interested. Sort of like a ribbon of candy running through an easy-to-read mystery.

This whole series has a ribbon running through it in the first place. Penz Sheluk teaches us to know the characters… hate some, love some, suspect some. She just paints them so well that they’re your friends. You know or should I say recognize who is who when you finish one book and pick up the next. How she manages to do this and yet make each book a stand-alone is something I really can’t explain. Interesting plots and interesting characters I suppose.

In truth, there’s no candy I need running through any of these books. I loved each of the Marketville Mystery series books and am lookin forward to the rest of the Glass Dolphin mysteries.

Watch for my next review on it, and we’ll watch for Penz Sheluk’s next book in the series together.

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Heartbreaks & Half-Truths: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense by Judy Penz Sheluk (Editor)

June 12, 2020 By Leave a Comment


Heartbreaks & Half-Truths: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense by Judy Penz Sheluk (Editor)
Publisher: Superior Shores Press
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Historical, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (302 pages)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Lovers and losers.

Whether it’s 1950s Hollywood, a scientific experiment, or a yard sale in suburbia, the twenty-two authors represented in this collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of “heartbreaks and half-truths” in their own inimitable style, where only one thing is certain: Behind every broken heart lies a half-truth.
And behind every half-truth lies a secret.
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Edited by Judy Penz Sheluk. Featuring authors Sharon Hart Addy, Paula Gail Benson, James Blakey, Gustavo Bondoni, Susan Daly, Buzz Dixon, Rhonda Eikamp, Christine Eskilson, Tracy Falenwolfe, Kate Flora, John M. Floyd, J.A. Henderson, Blair Keetch, Steve Liskow, Edward Lodi, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Joseph S. Walker, James Lincoln Warren, Chris Wheatley and Robb T. White.

Half of the truth is better than nothing, right?

Dave had lost nearly everyone dear to him by the time “Blackjack Road” began. His hopelessness at the thought of living the rest of his life with so little companionship shone through the storyline beautifully. It made the arrival of a dangerous fugitive on his property even more poignant. Threatening someone who has nothing left to lose isn’t an easy task, especially when they’re someone as stubborn as Dave. I devoured this story and was left yearning for more. Reading it was such an immersive experience that I felt both satisfied and eager to find out what happened to him next.

Horror wasn’t a genre I was expecting to find in this anthology. That made “So Long” an unexpected treat! This tale was composed of a series of voicemails left at the apartment of a woman who had completely withdrawn from the outside world for reasons that were soon made clear. While I do wish some of her doctor’s actions were explained better, I still had a wonderful time slowly unravelling the mystery of why she wasn’t responding to calls from her employer, relatives, and other folks in her life who were perplexed by her disappearance.

“Pink Hearts Pierced by Arrows” followed a character named Crystal whose best friend was worried about infidelity. What I liked the most about the plot from that point was how much it twisted and turned around as Crystal tried to find out what was really going on in her friend’s life and marriage. Even though I did have a hunch about what was happening, it was still a great deal of fun to see if my prediction was correct.

Heartbreaks & Half-Truths: 22 Stories of Mystery & Suspense was a rock solid anthology that everyone who loves this genre should check out.

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The Best Laid Plans: 21 Stories of Mystery: An Anthology by Various Authors

November 5, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Best Laid Plans: 21 Stories of Mystery: An Anthology by Various Authors, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk
A Superior Shores Anthology Book 1
Publisher: Superior Shores Press
Genre: Suspense/Mystery, Contemporary, Historical
Length: Full Length (292 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Whether it’s a subway station in Norway, ski resort in Vermont, McMansion in the suburbs, or trendy art gallery in Toronto, the 21 authors represented in this superb collection of mystery and suspense interpret the overarching theme of the best-laid plans in their own inimitable style. And like many best-laid plans, they come with no guarantees.

The men suffer from erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, low sexual drive and infertility are simply discount cialis not true. viagra generic discount Poor sleep – Lack of sleep or sleep deprivation can cause physical and mental exhaustion, which is bad for your well being. If you are unable to get rid of this sexual deficiency. appalachianmagazine.com cialis samples However, grapefruit juice is reputed to prescription de viagra cause interactions in the processing of PDE5 inhibitors in the body. Stories by Tom Barlow, Susan Daly, Lisa de Nikolits, P.A. De Voe, Peter DiChellis, Lesley A. Diehl, Mary Dutta, C.C. Guthrie, William Kamowski, V.S. Kemanis, Lisa Lieberman, Edward Lodi, Rosemary McCracken, LD Masterson, Edith Maxwell, Judy Penz Sheluk, KM Rockwood, Peggy Rothschild, Johanna Beate Stumpf, Vicki Weisfeld, and Chris Wheatley.

Crime doesn’t pay, especially for criminals who think they’ve found a loophole.

“Spirit River Dam” by Susan Daly told the tale of an art dealer who was brought a potential Tom Thomson painting for appraisal. The possibility of discovering an unknown, priceless painting by this artist was irresistible even when evidence began to mount that he might not have been the painter who made it after all. What I enjoyed the most about this tale were all of the plot twists in it. No sooner would I come up with a theory about what was really happening than the next scene would turn that theory on its head. This happened several times, and it kept me guessing until the very last moment.

I enjoyed all of the tales in this collection, but a few of them would have benefited from more development. “The Stonecutter’ by Edith Maxwell was one example of this. It was about a librarian named Eleanor who had an affair with a married man. When her lover began to feel guilty for cheating on his wife, she had to decide what she was willing to do to keep him. I was fascinated by how quickly their illicit romance developed, especially considering the fact that both of these characters were otherwise known to be very moral and upstanding citizens. This made the twist at the end a little hard to swallow. I liked what the author was doing with it, but it would have been helpful to more foreshadowing either about the Eleanor’s personality or what would become of their secret love.

As soon as I finished the first paragraph in LD Masterson’s “Deadly Dinner” and realized that the protagonist was murdering nursing home residents, I had to find out why Bixby would ever do such a thing. While his reasons for these choices should be left for each new reader to discover themselves, I was pleased with how thoroughly the author explained everything. Bixby was not a likeable character, but he sure was a fascinating one. This isn’t always an easy thing to pull off, so I enjoyed reading about someone I would never want to meet in real life.

The Best Laid Plans: 21 Stories of Mystery & Suspense should be read by anyone who loves this genre.

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