Cold Clay

Juneau Black’s Cold Clay is the second in the Shady Hollow series, set in the small American town of that name. It’s apple-picking season and a skeleton is discovered under the last tree in a row of apple trees at Cold Clay Orchards. It’s a cold (!) case as the bone have been there over a decade. 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. 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. Vera, the local paper’s investigative reporter, loves Joe and is deeply upset by this.

Simultaneously, a newcomer to the town, Octavia Grey, opens a School of Etiquette. Vera pops along to welcome her to the town and to write a piece upon the school. However, she and Ms Grey really don’t hit it off. When the owner of the paper arranges for Vera to have complimentary lessons at the school in order to write a series of pieces, you know that Vera won’t enjoy them.

Once again, it pays to watch out for the little gems of humour:
“Do you dance, Miss Vixen?”
“Only the foxtrot.”
It’s lovely to see the characters developing. The spoilt little rich girl in book #1, Esmeralda von Beaverpelt, is turning into a likeable waitress at Joe’s café in book #2. Lefty, the local small-time villain with a heart of gold, is back.

As my notes on the first book in the series, Shady Hollow, stated, these are perfect books for curling up with, preferably under a warm duvet, for a few hours. They really do cleanse my mind and refresh me. If anyone asks you to define a “cosy” mystery, give them a Shady Hollow book.

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