Review: Shady Hollow by Juneau Black

About the Book

The first book in the Shady Hollow series, in which we are introduced to the village of Shady Hollow, a place where woodland creatures live together in harmony--until a curmudgeonly toad turns up dead and the local reporter has to solve the case.

Reporter Vera Vixen is a relative newcomer to Shady Hollow. The fox has a nose for news, so when she catches wind that the death might be a murder, she resolves to get to the bottom of the case, no matter where it leads. As she stirs up still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and discovers that additional lives are in jeopardy.

Vera finds more to this town than she ever suspected. It seems someone in the Hollow will do anything to keep her from solving the murder, and soon it will take all of Vera's cunning and quickness to crack the case.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY THOUGHTS

This was a really fun and whimsical cozy mystery. I thought the whole concept of the story was great. Talking animals living together in a cozy village trying to solve a murder? Yeah, sign me up! The story really did come alive. The descriptions were vivid, and I felt like I could picture everything clearly.

It's full of wonderful and lively characters. Good or bad, they were all distinct and very intriguing. From Vera the fox and investigative reporter, to Gladys the hummingbird and town gossip, to Orville the bear and police deputy, to Heidegger the owl and know-it-all philosophy professor, to Reginald von Beaverpelt the president of the sawmill, to Lenore the raven and owner of Nevermore Books, and so many more. They were so fun to read about.

The mystery was really good. Otto was not a very likable toad, so the suspects were plentiful. I had my suspicions early on but was never 100 percent sure and couldn't figure out a motive.

I expected to enjoy this book, but it was even better than I thought it'd be. As the story deepened, my love for it just kept growing. I can't say enough good things about it. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries, it's a must read.

I won this book in a giveaway and voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and comments are my honest opinion.

FIVE STARS