Skeletons in the Attic #giveaway

It’s June and that means it’s time for another Stiletto Gang multi-author e-book #giveaway. That might sound simple on the surface, but most (if not all) of us have authored multiple books. Deciding which book to giveaway is step 1 in the process. Step 2 is a bit of shameless self promotion for the promotion (details at the end of the post) and the book selected.

For this year’s #giveaway, I decided to offer my bestselling “cold case cozy,” Skeletons in the Attic, book 1 in my Marketville Mystery Series.

Here’s the official retail blurb:

Calamity (Callie) Barnstable isn’t surprised to learn she’s the sole beneficiary of her late father’s estate, though she is shocked to discover she has inherited a house in the town of Marketville—a house she didn’t know he had. However, there are conditions attached to Callie’s inheritance: she must move to Marketville, live in the house, and solve her mother’s murder.

Callie’s not keen on dredging up a thirty-year-old mystery, but if she doesn’t do it, there’s a scheming psychic named Misty Rivers who hopes to expose the Barnstable family secrets herself. Determined to thwart Misty and fulfill her father’s wishes, Callie accepts the challenge. But is she ready to face the skeletons hidden in the attic?

So, where’s Marketville?

Just as the setting of Lount’s Landing in my Glass Dolphin Mystery Series is loosely based on my former community of Holland Landing in Ontario, Canada, so too is Marketville loosely based on the town of Newmarket, which is situated just south of Holland Landing. Of course, I have taken great liberties with both locations as well as the surrounding area, and the characters are entirely fictitious.

The idea…

The idea for Skeletons in the Attic came to me while I waited with my husband, Mike, in our lawyer’s office. We were there to update our wills, and his goldendoodle kept us company while our lawyer was detained at court. The opening scenes of the book are culled directly from that experience. (Let that be your takeaway from this: everything that happens in a writer’s life may end up in one of their stories.) Anyway, here’s the opening paragraph:

I’d been sitting in the reception area of Hampton & Associates for the better part of an hour when Leith Hampton finally charged in through the main door, his face flushed, a faint scent of sandalwood cologne wafting into the room. He held an overstuffed black briefcase in each hand and muttered an apology about a tough morning in court before barking out a flurry of instructions to a harried-looking associate. A tail-wagging goldendoodle appeared out of nowhere, and I realized the dog had been sleeping under the receptionist’s desk.

What about the skeletons?

I thought you’d never ask! Turns out, there really was a skeleton in the attic, and Callie was the one to find it (along with a few other old family skeletal secrets). And as soon as Callie found that skeleton, I knew I had my book title.

Available on Audible with a 4.4 overall rating.

What if I don’t win the #giveaway?

Well, that would be disappointing, but the good news is that Skeletons in the Attic is available in trade paperback, e-book AND on Audible. So really, there are no losers here… and if you’re a reader who is willing to take a gamble, the first 3 Marketville e-books are available in a box set for just $9.99.

About me

The Past Chair of Crime Writers of Canada and a former journalist and magazine editor, Judy Penz Sheluk is the multiple award-winning author of seven bestselling mystery novels, two books on publishing, and several short stories. She is also the editor/publisher of five multi-nominated Superior Shores Anthologies. Find me on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram, and on www.judypenzsheluk.com.

And now, the #giveaway deets:

Enter to Win the Summer Book Bonanza #Giveaway!

WHERE: sign up at https://www.thestilettogang.com/home-giveaway/

WHEN: June 1 – 30, 2026

WINNERS ANNOUNCED: July

Grand Prize Winner receives… 9 E-BOOKS

Assault with a Deadly Glue Gun by Lois Winston

The Second Shot by Bethany Maines

Murder in the One Percent by Saralyn Richard

The Body Business by Gay Yellen

Skeletons in the Attic by Judy Penz Sheluk

House of Rose by T.K. Thorne

Night of the Living Bread by Mary Lee Ashford

Deadly Recall by Donnell Ann Bell

With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying by Debra H. Goldstein

Two runners up will receive 3 e-books and may select from the list above.