Cold Clay: A Shady Hollow Mystery

The pseudonymous Black’s lame sequel to Shady Hollow revisits the village of Shady Hollow, whose inhabitants amount to clichéd humans in animal form. Vera Vixen (a fox), intrepid reporter for the Shady Hollow Herald, is at Cold Clay Orchards interviewing the rabbit workers about the coming harvest when bunnies Ralph and Peter uncover the bones of a large mammal. The medical examiner, Dr. Broadhead (a snake), slithers up and determines that the remains belong to a moose. Could this be the final resting place of Julia, a moose who disappeared some years earlier? It doesn’t take long for Vera’s budding sweetheart, Deputy Orville Braun (a bear), who has learned his detecting skills from The Big Book of Policing, to make Joe, Julia’s moose husband, suspect number one. Vera investigates, even though Orville warns her to stay out of police business. This entry, with its obvious culprit and standard-issue plot, shows that giving a character fur or wings is no substitute for an original, well-rounded personality. Even cozy readers will find it wanting. (Mar.)