Mockingbird Court - Juneau Black

"It's a crisp, cool autumn in Shady Hollow, and preparations are underway for the annual Harvest Festival. Creatures have flocked from far and wide to partake in the seasonal festivities, from pumpkin carving to pie tasting to soup throwing. With all these new faces around town, it's the perfect time for someone to slip in unnoticed. Unless that someone is Bradley Marvel, the most famous author--and most noticeable personality--in any woodland warren. It seems the wolf is on the lam. Back in the city, a body was found in his penthouse apartment at Mockingbird Court, and Marvel skipped town before the questioning could commence. Marvel claims to be innocent, and it's up to Vera and her friends to piece together what might have happened that fateful night so many miles away in the beating heart of the big city. But things get complicated when Vera learns that she also knows the victim ... and might even be implicated herself"

Biographical Note:
Juneau Black is the pen name of authors Jocelyn Cole and Sharon Nagel. They share a love of excellent bookshops, fine cheeses, and good murders (in fictional form only). Though they are two separate people, if you ask either of them a question about their childhood, you are likely to get the same answer. This is a little unnerving for any number of reasons.


Review Quotes:
Praise for The Shady Hollow Mystery series:

"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

" 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

Publisher Marketing:
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.

A VINTAGE CRIME/BLACK LIZARD ORIGINAL.

Review Citations:

• Publishers Weekly 01/31/2022 (EAN 9780593466285, Paperback)