Book record · Former Barking Rain Press title
A Hole in One:
A Glass Dolphin Mystery
Published by Barking Rain Press in March 2018, the second Glass Dolphin Mystery sends antiques dealer Arabella Carpenter and partner Emily Garland after a killer when a stray tee shot at a charity golf tournament lands beside a body.
This book was once published by Barking Rain Press, which announced its closure in 2019. This site is not that publisher and does not sell books. See “Finding the book today” below.
Premise
A Hole in One is the second Glass Dolphin Mystery. Arabella Carpenter and Emily Garland now run the Glass Dolphin antiques shop together. To promote the business, they sponsor a hole-in-one contest at a local charity golf tournament. Arabella is playing in it when a wild tee shot sends her ball into the woods, where it lands beside a body.
The victim is closely related to Arabella’s ex-husband, who was working as course marshal that day and quickly becomes the police’s prime suspect. Arabella and Emily start looking into the case themselves, even though neither is entirely sure he’s innocent. Promotional material from the time of release says their leads include damaging posts from an anonymous blogger and several local figures. This summary draws on author-written guest posts and stops where those descriptions stop.
Publication history
Barking Rain Press published the first edition in trade paperback and eBook. In blog posts from early March 2018, the author gave the release date as 6 March 2018. Open Library’s record for the paperback (ISBN 978-1-941295-73-1, 178 pages) gives 9 February 2018, which may be an advance listing date. In a March 2018 guest post on cover design, the author named Barking Rain Press as the publisher of the series. She described its covers as a joint effort by artist, author, editor and proofreader, and said artist Stephanie Bibbs Flint designed the cover for this book.
The author’s bibliography lists a second edition from her own imprint, Superior Shores Press, in July 2019. Open Library also has a Superior Shores Press large print record (ISBN 978-1-989495-37-7) dated November 2020. A third Glass Dolphin novel, Where There’s a Will, was first published by Superior Shores Press in 2020.
This page is an independent record. Barking Rain Press no longer sells this or any other book.
Reading notes
These notes come from desk research using author interviews and promotional descriptions. They are not a reading report.
The series hands the lead to a different character in each book. The first novel followed Emily Garland, and this one centres on Arabella Carpenter. In interviews the author said she had played golf for the better part of fifteen years and got the idea for the plot while looking for a lost ball in the woods. She also described the title as a play on words.
The setup is a familiar one for amateur-sleuth fiction: a community event is disrupted by a death, and the investigator has a personal stake in it. Here that stake is Arabella’s ex-husband, which mixes loyalty with doubt. Anonymous online posts appear among the leads, which places the book in a contemporary setting. A 2018 promotional tour listed it under mystery/suspense.
Finding the book today
The Barking Rain Press printing is out of print. The author’s website (judypenzsheluk.com) lists the later Superior Shores Press edition and is the best place to check the series’ current status. To borrow a copy, search public library catalogues and WorldCat by title and author, or by ISBN 9781941295731 for the original paperback. This page doesn’t give prices or say where the book is sold.
Finding the book today
The Barking Rain Press edition is out of print. The author's website lists a second edition from Superior Shores Press (2019); public library catalogues and WorldCat are the most reliable places to locate a copy.
Discussion questions
- The series moved the lead from Emily Garland to Arabella Carpenter. What can a mystery series gain by changing which character is at its centre?
- Arabella's ex-husband becomes a suspect, and she is not fully sure of his innocence. How does a personal history complicate an amateur investigation?
- The Glass Dolphin sponsors a hole-in-one contest to promote the shop. What does a charity tournament offer a mystery writer as a setting?
- Anonymous online posts are among the leads. How has the internet changed the kinds of clues and motives that appear in contemporary mysteries?
- The author has said the plot idea came while hunting for a lost ball in the woods. How do everyday experiences become starting points for crime fiction?
- The title is a play on words. What do you look for in a mystery title, and how much should it reveal?
- Arabella and Emily are business partners as well as co-investigators. How might working together in one role affect the other?
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Sources
- A Hole in One (Open Library edition record), Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Judy Penz Sheluk: Books, Judy Penz Sheluk (author website). Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Creating a Cover (Judy Penz Sheluk, 5 March 2018), The Stiletto Gang. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- The Tao of Golf: Guest Chick Judy Penz Sheluk, Chicks on the Case. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Golf? Or Not? (Jungle Red Writers, 3 March 2018), Jungle Red Writers. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- CYBER CAFE: Judy Penz Sheluk, M.H. Callway. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- A Hole in One by Judy Penz Sheluk – Spotlight and Giveaway, Long and Short Reviews. Accessed 2026-11-12.