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    Shady Hollow
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    Shady Hollow
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    Shady Hollow
    Audiobook6 hours

    Shady Hollow

    Written by Juneau Black

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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 
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
    Release dateJan 25, 2022
    ISBN9780593554760
    Unavailable
    Shady Hollow

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    Reviews for Shady Hollow

    3.5/5

    96 ratings10 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      #vacationread No 1: SHADY HOLLOW by @juneau_black, from Vintage Books

      I just finished this cozy murder mystery and all I can say is it is paws-itively delightful! When Otto Sumpf, the curmudgeonly toad who lives on the millpond, is found dead by possible murder, it is up to Vera Vixen, star reporter at the Shady Hollow Herald, to piece the puzzle together and find answers before another beast falls to the same fate!

      Shady Hollow is a small forest village inhabited by woodland creatures of every sort, living their lives in peaceful coexistence. The whole story and setting immediately put me in mind of Twin Peaks, with its quirksome characters juxtaposed against the hometown feel of Shady Hollow. Juneau Black does an excellent job of fleshing each character out, while leaving any necessary secrets to be found out at the appropriate time; I found myself wishing several times I could be sitting in Joe’s Mug, sipping a cup of coffee, listening to the town’s gossip with Vera.

      The cover (and interior map) are by Perry de la Vega, and it perfectly captures the woodsy feel of the story; I love it!

      Michelle at @greenhandbooks recommended this series to me, and she was spot on. It’s the perfect palette cleanser if you find yourself in a reading slump or just need something a little on the lighter side to read. I’ll probably be ordering the rest of the series, because who am I kidding? I can’t wait to see what the townsfolk of Shady Hollow are up to next!

      ?️ #ShadyHollow #JuneauBlack #PerryDeLaVega #cozymystery #murdermystery #VintageBooks #books #booksbooksbooks #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #bookreview #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog
    • 3/5
      Hear me out: a mystery set in a small town in which all the inhabitants are animals. Vera Vixen, a fox and reporter for the local paper, investigates the death of a curmudgeonly toad since the police force (made up of bears) don't seem to have a clue about what to do. And then a beaver, owner of the local mill, also turns up dead. This could have been really clever or really bad. In the end, it was a little of both, and not enough of the former to make me want to try the next in the series.

      3 stars
      (According to my "new" rating system, 3 stars means "Some redeeming qualities, but I wish I’d read something else")
    • 4/5
      What a cute and charming cozy mystery! I absolutely loved the world of Shady Hollow and all of the animals living in it. The murder mystery was fun too. I am eager as Edith Von Beaverpelt to read the next installment! Ha!
    • 5/5
      Shady Hollow and its inhabitants is not your typical village.

      Reporter Vera Vixen is a reporter for the Shady Hollow Herald. When Vera gets word that Otto Stumpf was found dead by Gladys Honeysuckle, Vera head to the location to check it out. Something seems a bit off, but she isn’t sure what.

      Vera’s investigation uncovers the possibility of murder and also connections to other crimes involving one of the most prominent families. Murder, adultery, blackmail and more become part of the web surrounding Otto Stumpf. Vera also finds herself in a precarious position that could lead to her own death.

      It seems there is more beneath the façade of Shady Hollow. The resident creatures can be hiding secrets, deadly secrets, even if they are part of the upper class.

      This is the first in the short series of the village of Shady Hollow. A very enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      I greatly enjoyed Shady Hollow - it was exactly what I needed to escape the real world for an afternoon. Our heroine, a delightful investigative reporter fox, and her best friend, a whip smart raven who owns a bookstore, are probably two of my new all time favorite characters!
    • 4/5
      I needed something a bit lighter than the thrillers I've been reading, and this really filled the bill. Still a mystery, but with animals as the main characters. I enjoyed the simple writing style and fast pace of the story. Who killed grumpy frog Otto Sumpf? Vera Vixen, journalist and amateur detective, is a curious fox who sets out to solve the crime. Lots of fun.
    • 4/5
      A nice cozy mystery. I wish the animal thing was even more embraced and part of the text; instead it comes off as something like a metaphor.
    • 4/5
      A fun, light cozy mystery with animal characters well-matched to their real-life behaviors, and those of some people as well! Includes a Cast of Characters and a map of Shady Hollow & Environs.
    • 4/5
      I received an advance copy of this book via NetGalley.

      Shady Hollow is a comfy, cozy small town murder mystery book in an early 20th-century-ish setting, with a cast that entirely consists of anthropomorphic animals. Indeed, the stereotypes of the creatures often match with the stereotypes within a murder village, from the overly-busy logging company magnate beaver to the protagonist small town reporter who is also a nosy fox.

      The fact that the entire cast is animals adds an extra dose of whimsy and gives opportunities for some laugh-out-loud jokes at times, but this is really quite the traditional murder mystery. It has twists and turns, attempted murder, extra murder, sordid affairs, family secrets--all the drama one would expect. It's a fast and breezy read that had plentiful surprises even as it stayed true to form. I would definitely read more in this series.
    • 5/5
      If you're going to do cozy, what could be cozier than setting a mystery in the dens of a community of charming forest creatures?

      The authors' playfulness and humor had me hoooked from the "Author's Note" at the front, and the promise was kept straight through to the bio at the back. This little book proved to be the perfect diversion in my pandemic reading list. In a pop-culture world dominated by superheroes, and stories with whole galaxies in peril, here's a light-hearted, not-too-drama-laden small-town tale of friendship and romance, concern for your neighbor's job, and questioning the wisdom of a lock on your door. Plus there's the nostalgia for all the comforting animal picture books from childhood. That's no small thing, especially for a life-long fan of Walt Kelly's Pogo.

      From Aesop to Pogo, from Wind in the Willows to Animal Farm, having animals stand in for human characters has been just the twist to see people and their foibles in a new way. Of course it's a fine line between "twist" and "gimmick". Having a cat help solve a human mystery was a twist a half-century ago; it soon became a gimmick. "Recipes Included!" is a gimmick. The animals of Shady Hollow are a twist, when presented with this perfect balance of drollery and self-awareness.

      I tend to be stingy with the stars in my reviews: five stars are reserved for "big" books or little books with "big" ideas. I gave this one four stars when I finished it, because "I really liked it." But on further reflection, I'm giving it that fifth star, because although this is a little book with little themes, it is so well done --it succeeds so well in its intent-- that the achievement is pretty darn big after all.

      Recommended to fans of Pogo, the chronicles of the "Moosepath League", the very first Cat Who ... books, and all the classic cozies of the past.