Future Tense Audiobook By Kristen Painter cover art

Future Tense

Ellis McFadden Mysteries

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Future Tense

By: Kristen Painter
Narrated by: Robyn Maryke
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Step into the enigmatic world of the Athos—a vessel that blends the luxury of a cruise ship, the intrigue of a scientific research station, and the might of a military starship. Here, amidst the stars, you'll find Ellis McFadden, the ship’s head librarian, embarking on adventures she never anticipated this late in her career.

The plot thickens when the Athos comes to the aid of a stranded craft, taking aboard three mysterious sisters and their father. They offer a tantalizing trade: visions of the future for those eager to know their fate. The crew and guests are soon captivated by the predictions.

But Ellis senses something amiss. The price for these glimpses into tomorrow seems too steep. So she, boyfriend Frank, and her android cat investigate, uncovering dubious secrets, but her friends are already entranced by the charlatans' charms. Can Ellis break the spell and save the ship's crew from an ominous future?

©2025 Kristen Painter (P)2025 Kristen Painter
Animals Cozy Mystery Science Fiction Women Sleuths Exciting
Intriguing Plot • Clever Storyline • Outstanding Performance • Stellar Worldbuilding • Suspenseful Mystery

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Future Tense by Kristen Painter
Ellis McFadden mystery series #3. Science fiction mystery, space opera, romance. Best read in series order.
The luxury space cruise ship is in its Fallow stage. A six week period where there are no planets or other points of interest for travels. Most of the vacationers have offloaded and the ship staff is running on a reduced service schedule. Ellis McFadden is happy to have a little more down time and she’s been spending more time with Frank and knitting a sweater for her compdroid cat Harry.
When an emergency beacon is received from a ship, the Athos rescues the family on board who say their planet has been destroyed and they are the only survivors. They are welcomed on board but Frank is suspicious. His gut says something is wrong. Frank and Ellis tour their ship and it’s like nothing they’ve seen before but photos show a genetic setup. Cruisers start to act strange and a couple disappears. Frank and Ellis won’t stand aside while friends go missing.

🎧 I started this via ecopy and finished by audiobook. The performance was done by Robyn Maryke who does the full series from Ellis’s POV. It’s a fantastic recording with lots of emotion and drama. I listened to this a bit slower than my usual as the narrator keeps a good pace.

So entertaining. I’m having so much fun following Ellis, Harry, Frank and Gracie in their interstellar adventures. A bit of drama, a bit of science, a smidge of closed door romance, and mysterious aliens that come and go in each episode. Favorites Harry and Gracie are pets that are pretty much perfect.
Love this series.

I received a copy of this from the author and purchased a copy to keep and reread.

Future Tense

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This is the third book in this series and is just as good as the first. Great characters and plot make this another hit from Kristen Painter.

Wonderful next installment of this series

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Incorrect pronunciation irks me. Commissary is not co-misery. She pronounced petit four several different ways. I think one time was right.

Fun read!

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I liked everything and disliked nothing. I want a comdroid for my very own. I found parts disturbing, but in normal Ms Painter fashion, everything works out in the end. I hope that Ellis and Frank work together again..

I want more!!

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I really enjoyed this book. It so reminded me of the old Star Trek episodes. I loved the plot and it was interesting from start to finish. Lots of adventure!

Future Tense

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