This Fall from HAMMER & BIRCH: Animal Crossing Meets Knives Out in a New Cozy Mystery

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Hammer & Birch announces the publication of author Juneau Black's Mirror Lake, the third novel in the Shady Hollow Murder Mysteries, a quirky series in genre of "cozy mystery." The novel will be available on October 13, 2020 at all retailers. In the world of Shady Hollow, all the characters are animals who live in small town harmony….barring the occasional murder. Luckily, foxy journalist Vera Vixen is ready to investigate, aided by her best friend Lenore Lee, a raven who runs the town bookshop. Reviewers have called this series "gently bizarre" and "what might happen if the Fantastic Mr. Fox decided to solve crimes."

This time, the murder is especially puzzling because the victim is still alive. On the shore of the titular Mirror Lake, eccentric rat Dorothy Springfield insists that her husband Edward was murdered…which Edward strongly contests, since he's standing right beside her. Amateur detective Vera Vixen decides to discover what's going on, but she runs into more obstacles than usual, since the race for police chief is heating up, and no one wants to talk about an unsolved murder.

According to Jocelyn Cole, "adding a local election to the latest book just emerged organically, considering that it's all anyone talks about in the real world." However, co-author Sharon Nagel adds, "We promise that in this story, politics is a lot more fun." Their goal is to offer readers a cozy escape that still feels compelling in 2020. Mirror Lake follows the previous novels, Shady Hollow and Cold Clay, expanding the world of the characters. On October 6, 2020, readers can get all three books in both ebook and paperback.

Juneau Black is the pen name of author duo Jocelyn Cole and Sharon Nagel, who were working together as booksellers at Boswell Book Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin when they came up with the idea for Shady Hollow. Unsurprisingly, they share a love of excellent bookshops, fine cheeses, and a good murder (in fictional form only).

Mirror Lake (The Shady Hollow Murder Mysteries #3) by Juneau Black
Published by Hammer & Birch
ON SALE: October 13, 2020
Trade Paperback $12.95 (ISBN 9781942316435)
Ebook $4.99 (ISBN 9781942316442)

For more information about ordering or to set up interviews with the authors, contact Nicholas Tulach at 414-630-3540 or [email protected] or visit juneaublack.com.

SOURCE Hammer & Birch