However, she and Ms Grey really don’t hit it off. Vera pops along to welcome her to the town and to write a piece upon the school. Simultaneously, a newcomer to the town, Octavia Grey, opens a School of Etiquette. Vera, the local paper’s investigative reporter, loves Joe and is deeply upset by this. Naturally, the police arrest Joe because, as Chief Meade says, they have to arrest someone to show that the police are on top of things. The bones belong to a female moose and gentle Joe Elkin, the moose that owns the town café, had his wife disappear eleven years ago. It’s a cold (!) case as the bone have been there over a decade. It’s apple-picking season and a skeleton is discovered under the last tree in a row of apple trees at Cold Clay Orchards. Juneau Black’s Cold Clay is the second in the Shady Hollow series, set in the small American town of that name. Once you've met the residents of Shady Hollow, you won't forget them. Įntertaining and perceptive, Cold Clay is fast-paced and witty, with characters that jump off the page and a hugely satisfying mystery to solve. To get to the bottom of the matter, she will have to dig into the secrets her neighbours would rather leave buried forever. Vera can't believe gentle Joe the moose is a killer. Soon enough, the coffeeshop's owner is being dragged down to the police station. But the discovery of the body casts a darker shadow. Danger has returned to Shady Hollow.Īce reporter Vera Vixen only wants a good news story as harvest time arrives with the promise of glorious feasts ahead. Life is peaceful, until a skeleton is found buried deep under an apple tree. The town has a coffee shop and a bookshop, a haberdasher and a bank. Moose and mice, owls and bears live side by side in civilised harmony. In the woodland community of Shady Hollow, you'll discover a secret. A REPORTER ON THE CASE.ĬRIMES OF THE PAST WON'T STAY BURIED.

Shady hollow by juneau black