Book record · Former Barking Rain Press title
Skeletons in the Attic:
A Marketville Mystery
Callie Barnstable inherits a house in Marketville, along with a condition: live there for a year and find out what happened to her mother. First published by Imajin Books in 2016; Barking Rain Press published the second edition in December 2017.
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
Skeletons in the Attic is the first Marketville Mystery. Callie Barnstable’s late father leaves her his estate, and it includes a house in Marketville, a town she doesn’t remember. To inherit, she has to move in and live there, renovating it, for a year. According to the published descriptions, the real purpose of the condition is to get her to find out who killed her mother, a crime from some thirty years earlier. A psychic named Misty Rivers adds to the pressure by threatening to expose family secrets. This summary is based on bibliographic descriptions and a 2017 review, and goes no further than they do.
Publication history
The publishing history here differs from most Barking Rain Press titles, because the press did not publish the first edition. According to the author’s bibliography, Imajin Books first published the novel in August 2016. Open Library lists that edition as a trade paperback, ISBN 978-1-77223-264-6, dated 16 August 2016.
A November 2017 review on KRL News and Reviews reported that the author had announced a re-release of the book with Barking Rain Press. The author’s bibliography gives this as the second edition, published in December 2017. In a March 2018 guest-post bio, the author likewise said the book was first published in August 2016 and re-released in December 2017. Barking Rain Press was also publishing her Glass Dolphin Mysteries at the time.
The author’s site lists a third edition from Superior Shores Press in July 2019. Open Library records a 304-page Superior Shores Press paperback (ISBN 978-1-989495-13-1), a 2021 hardcover (ISBN 978-1-989495-41-4) and a 2021 Harlequin Enterprises edition (ISBN 978-1-335-73625-3). An audiobook narrated by Claira Jordyn was reviewed in November 2017. The second Marketville book, Past & Present, came out from Superior Shores Press in September 2018.
This record covers the book as a whole and notes the Barking Rain Press edition’s place in that history. The original press is no longer operating, and this site is not connected to it.
Reading notes
These notes are editorial observations based on the published descriptions. They are not a reading report.
The book uses a common setup in amateur-sleuth fiction: an inheritance with strings attached forces the protagonist into an unfamiliar place and a family history she knows little about. Because the crime happened long ago, the investigation relies on old records, memories and the house itself rather than fresh evidence. The title takes the “skeletons in the closet” idiom and moves it to the attic, which suggests buried family secrets. Bibliographic listings place the book in the mystery and amateur-sleuth categories.
Finding the book today
The Barking Rain Press second edition is out of print. The author’s website (judypenzsheluk.com) lists the later Superior Shores Press edition and is the best guide to the series as it stands now. Library catalogues and WorldCat hold records for several editions; searching by title and author will bring up all of them. This page doesn’t give prices or say where the book is sold.
Finding the book today
Barking Rain Press published only the second (2017) edition, which is now out of print. The author's website lists a later Superior Shores Press edition; library catalogues and WorldCat cover the various editions.
Discussion questions
- Callie's inheritance comes with conditions. Is it fair for someone to set terms like these in a will, and what might motivate them?
- Callie moves to a town she has no memory of. How does being a newcomer shape what she notices and who she trusts?
- The novel turns on a crime from decades earlier. What particular challenges does a cold case present for an amateur investigator?
- Living in and renovating a house is part of the premise. How can a physical space hold a family's history?
- The title uses a common idiom literally. What expectations does that set up for a reader?
- The book has been reissued by several publishers. How might a new edition change the way a book reaches readers?
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Sources
- Judy Penz Sheluk: Books, Judy Penz Sheluk (author website). Accessed 2026-11-12.
- "Skeletons in the Attic" A Marketville Mystery By Judy Penz Sheluk: Audio Book Review/Giveaway/Guest Post, KRL News and Reviews. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Golf? Or Not? (Jungle Red Writers, 3 March 2018), Jungle Red Writers. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Skeletons in the Attic (Open Library work editions, Superior Shores Press / Harlequin), Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Skeletons in the Attic (Open Library work editions, Imajin Books), Open Library. Accessed 2026-11-12.
- Skeletons in the Attic by Judy Penz Sheluk (FictionDB), FictionDB. Accessed 2026-11-12.