Future Tense

Ellis McFadden Mysteries

By: Kristen Painter

Narrated by: Robyn Maryke

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

Future Tense

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.

Wonderful next installment of this series

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.

Fun read!

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

I want more!!

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..

Future Tense

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!

Definitely worth listening to.

This is the 3rd book in the Ellis McFadden Mysteries series, which is definitely Painter’s best written series. I hope for more stories about Ellis the space librarian and her chubby android cat Harry.

If Star Trek was a cozy mystery!!

4.5 stars
I am loving these mysteries so much!
They make an absolutely terrific and fun, easy read. I love the whole crew of characters, and they are giving me a bit of a cozy Star Trek vibe, which I love!!
The audio narration is spectacular, and I definitely recommend!!

Love the whole book

If your looking for a great cozy sci-Fi mystery this is the perfect series to listen to the narrator does an amazing job telling the story and Kristen Painter knows how to keep you you interested I could stop listening

Good reading

I love the stories and hope to find more by this author in same story line

Great story!

This is the 3rd book in the Ellis McFadden series. Ellis and Frank have some downtime, and they are enjoying it! I love Harry and Gracie! They remind me of Spider and Sugar from the Jayne Frost series. I really enjoy this series and can't wait for more to come! I also love the narrator, she’s great!!