Shady Hollow

Chapter 1

 

One lovely dawn in late August, the sun was cresting the tops of the distant hills to pour its golden light over the forest. Gladys Honeysuckle, always an early riser, was already on the wing, more than halfway into her daily journey toward town. She was a hummingbird (as her name implied), and her bright green wings were always in motion, going about a hundred miles an hour. Her tongue seemed no different. Gladys had something of a reputation as the town gossip. Conveniently, she was well employed by the Shady Hollow Herald, the town s sole newspaper, where she wrote a regular column about town events and goings-­on. Not a prestigious post, perhaps, but one suited to her gifts. BW Stone, the editor of the Herald, had kindly provided Gladys with a small desk in the newsroom, making her the first gossip columnist to rate as a regular reporter. This distinction made Gladys puff up her chest with pride and ensured her daily attendance at the paper. BW Stone liked all his reporters to be on-­site, where he could keep his sharp skunk eyes on them.

 

Gladys was a widow, and her chicks were grown and gone. A true empty nester, she looked forward to going to work every day. Further, she was determined to prove her worth to the paper, thus assuring that her job would exist forever.

 

On this particular morning, she left her small straw-­nest cottage, located high in a beech tree outside town, and flew toward the center of the village and the newspaper office. Peering down the quiet paths partly hidden beneath the leaves, she saw that almost no one else was about yet. She spied only Joe, ambling along the north track, his massive hooves surprisingly quiet on the road. The moose was not by nature an early riser ­at least not compared to the birdfolk. But Joe wouldn t dream of allowing a customer to wait outside his coffee shop. He was up well before dawn to open the café, with fresh joe ready to

Juneau Black

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