Shady Hollow
The first in a cosy murder series of 'rare and sinister charm'
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
'Billed as Agatha Christie meets Beatrix Potter . . . Sometimes you just need an entertaining, escapist read to while away the hours, and Juneau Black (the pen name of authors Jocelyn Cole and Sharon Nagel) certainly delivers all the small-town cosy crime vibes, with the animal quirkiness of Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox . . . a perfect long weekend binge-read' Culture Fly
A MURDER TO SOLVE. A REPORTER ON THE CASE.
CAN YOU SPOT THE SECRETS IN SHADY HOLLOW?
In the woodland community of Shady Hollow, you'll discover a secret. Moose and mice, owls and bears live side by side in civilized harmony. Shady Hollow has a coffee shop and a bookshop, a haberdasher and a bank. All is well . . . until the town's querulous toad shows up dead. It's something this village haven't seen before: a murder.
Vera Vixen is new in town. She has a nose for news and catches the scent of a story, one that leads her to dark places. As she stirs up the still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and the folks in Shady Hollow learn that some of their neighbours are lying, while others are downright dangerous. It will take all of Vera's cunning and quickness to come out alive.
Entertaining and perceptive, Shady Hollow is fast-paced and witty, with characters that jump off the page and a hugely satisfying mystery to solve. Once you've met the residents of Shady Hollow, you won't easily forget them.
'It sounds daft - it is daft - but it's also lots of fun' The People's Friend Magazine
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The various animals who make up the community of Shady Hollow might as well be human in the pseudonymous Black's disappointing debut and series launch. For example, the panda named Sun Li, who runs the local Chinese restaurant, has a backstory that could apply, without any changes, to a person. Sun Li was once a "respected surgeon," until the death, during a routine operation, of the prime minister's son. He lost his license and joined a monastery before settling in Shady Hollow to serve vegetarian fare. The placid community is filled with other animals who act like people and generally live in peace. Then the Otto Sumpf, a cantankerous toad, turns up dead in the pond, belly up with a knife in his back. This shattering crime is probed by reporter Vera Vixen, a fox, whose amateur sleuthing eventually leads to the truth. Inadequate worldbuilding is fatal to engagement with a pedestrian plot. There's not much to recommend this one.
