Book Beginnings + Friday 56: Mirror Lake (Shady Hollow #3) by Juneau Black

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading. Friday 56 is hosted by Freda's Voice and asks you to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and share a non-spoilery sentence or two. I'm also linking up with Carrie at Reading is My Superpower for First Line Friday.

This week I'm featuring Mirror Lake (Shady Hollow #3) by Juneau Black. 

Pupdate: Remi’s made herself right at home. She’s definitely got that crazy puppy energy but she’s sweet and smart. (And a little stubborn too.) We learned pretty quick that she LOVES water. We got her one of those little kiddie swimming pools and she’ll just go out there and sit in it, perfectly content. It's really cute. 

About the Book

The third novel in the Shady Hollow mystery series, in which Vera Vixen takes on her most challenging case yet: solving the murder of a rat who appears to still be alive.

Change is afoot in Shady Hollow, with an unusually tense election shaping up between long-serving Chief of Police Theodore Meade and Vera's beau, Deputy Orville Braun. But the political tension takes a back seat when resident eccentric Dorothy Springfield becomes convinced her beloved husband, Edward, is dead, and that the rat claiming to be him is actually a fraud.

While most of the town dismisses Dorothy's rants as nothing more than a delusion, Vera has her doubts. More than a few things don't add up in the Springfield household, but Vera will have to tread carefully, since, with Orville's attention on the election, she may be more exposed than ever.

Book Beginnings / First Line Friday

It was mid-October in Shady Hollow, a glorious time of year that showed the small village to its best advantage. The many trees were gold, red, and yellow, blazing colors wherever a creature looked. It was also the time of the Harvest Festival, an annual event that most residents of Shady Hollow looked forward to all year.

Friday 56

A few minutes later, with her breakfast clutched in one paw and her coffee in the other, Vera was on her way to the morgue. She took her time so she could nibble at her bagel sandwich on the way. She wanted to appear professional when she arrived, not dripping with cheese and covered in coffee stains. Not to mention that food and forensics do not mix well.

What have you been doing lately?

Remi says, "HI! Have a great weekend!"