The second book in the Shady Hollow series, in which some long-buried secrets come to light, throwing suspicion on a beloved local denizen.
It’s autumn in Shady Hollow, and residents are looking forward to harvest feasts. But then a rabbit discovers a grisly crop: the bones of a moose.
Soon, the owner of Joe’s Mug is dragged out of the coffeeshop and questioned by the police about the night his wife walked out of his life—and Shady Hollow—forever. It seems like an open-and-shut case, but dogged reporter Vera Vixen doesn’t believe gentle Joe is a killer. She’ll do anything to prove his innocence … even if it means digging into secrets her neighbors would rather leave buried.
My thoughts: as you can probably tell from my review of the previous book in this series, this is a lot of fun. With a cast made up of animals, it’s Farthing Wood for grown ups, there’s murder but instead of making me cry, it’s highly entertaining. Vera Vixen is an excellent protagonist with a nose for a story. Aided by Lenore the raven bookshop owner, and sometimes by police deputy Orville, she’s digging deep into Shady Hollow’s past.
Moose aren’t particularly aggressive, except during mating season (so says the internet) so Vera’s instincts about Joe are probably spot on, and it would be incredibly callous to keep making apple pies from the trees above his missing wife’s grave. But what does newcomer Octavia Grey have to do with any of this? And why does Vera’s boss seem so keen on her? Vera will get to the bottom of this, she’s certain.
Another excellent outing for the fox who won’t give up, and the rest of the quiet town, that’s got plenty of secrets. I would also appreciate a recipe book from the town’s resident panda chef Sun Li please. Reading this made me really hungry!
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 