Cozy mystery readers might really enjoy “Shady Hollow” by Juneau Black. The story takes place in a little woodland village inhabited by animals with very human-like characteristics. There are town gossips, police, reporters, wealthy mill owners and more, just like a human town. I laughed at the predictable matching of different animals with their occupation/personality. There is a murder, but the fact that it is in an animal community somehow makes it seem more quirky than scary.
Vera is the cunning reporter for the Shady Hollow Herald. She is always on the lookout for a story, but never suspected that murders would begin to be the main topic in town.
Along with her friend, Lenore and deputy Orville Braun, Vera investigates the murder of Otto Stumpf. There are a multitude of suspects and some twists and turns along the way. Will Vera identify the killer before she ends up as one of the victims???
“Shady Hollow” is a cute cozy mystery. It took me a few chapters to get used to all of the animal characters, but once I got into the mystery, I enjoyed the read. This novel is a quick, light read – perfect when you need a break from novels with heavy subject matter. “Shady Hollow” is the first in a series of 6 books so far in this series – so if you enjoy this one . . . there are more to check out!
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