Shady Hollow

By: Juneau Black

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

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.

A VINTAGE CRIME/BLACK LIZARD ORIGINAL

Critic reviews

“Black’s books — Shady Hollow, Cold Clay and Mirror Lake . . . have become my favorite new comfort reads. The plotting is sharp, the prose lean and the atmosphere pure joy. Vixen and the rest of the critters never feel like anthropomorphic Disney cartoon characters. I eagerly await a fresh infusion of Shady Hollow mayhem.”
—The New York Times

“This captivating tale offers sunshine and murder in perfect proportion to keep readers entertained and engrossed in deceptively placid Shady Hollow.”
—Shelf Awareness

“An absolutely delightful cozy read. . . . An remarkable empathy is also on display in these pages, putting this book firmly in the category of heartwarming reads despite the murders it chronicles.”
—Criminal Element

“Watership Down meets Mickey Spillane. A mystery of rare and sinister charm.”
—Alan Bradley, New York Times bestselling author of the Flavia de Luce series

“A magical confection that will leave you nostalgic for the storybooks of your youth. It’s quirky and clever, charming and smart. I read Shady Hollow in one sitting and can’t wait for more!”
—Sarah Addison Allen, New York Times bestselling author of First Frost

“Get ready to fall in love with Shady Hollow and its quirky cast of animal characters. Charming and clever, Juneau Black will take readers on delightful ride as the mystery unfolds. I can’t wait to read more!”
—Amy E. Reichert, author of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club

“Need a book to curl up with by the fire? This is it! Shady Hollow must be the coziest of cozy crime stories. It’s a whimsical woodland murder mystery like no other! I not only enjoyed reading about it—I want to live there, surrounded by enigmatic pandas, diligent mice and well-read corvids. I have to try the food, listen to the gossip and visit the tiny café—and I don't even care that there is a murderer on the loose!”
—Leonie Swann, bestselling author of Three Bags Full

Brilliant!

The skill it takes to write a story like this is much greater than is first apparent. It would be very tempting to moralize, for example. But the writer deftly anthropomorphizes her characters without overthinking it. Very unique premise, written and performed well.

Very fine Listen

Cassandra Campbell did perfectly as voices for lots of forest animals. This story was very good not boring. A seriously cozy mystery

adorable

this story qas super adorable. I will have to look for the rest in the series.
the characters were so well written.
just such a cute spin in a whodunit mystery. fresh and different. and the story line was good too. it was not easy to figure it out, like in some other mystery books, where after the second chapter you know who did it. i was guessing for way longer this time.
thank uou so much for this story.

Very entertaining

Refreshing-very enjoyable. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

Such a fun read.

Zootopia meets Agatha Christie

This was a cozy mystery that I binged in 2 sittings! So whimsical and very engaging. The narrator was great!