Today I have decided to return to the Shady Hollow series, one which is occupied by anthropomorphic animals. Our series sleuth is Vera Vixen, a local reporter, who is remarkably good at sniffing out a solution. Twilight Falls is the fourth book in the series, the others being: Shady Hollow (2015), Cold Clay (2017), Mirror Lake (2020). I have become fond of the characters, although I have been finding that the puzzles are getting easier and simpler as the series progresses, which is a shame.
Synopsis
‘It’s spring in Shady Hollow, and romance is in the air. Even reporter Vera Vixen is caught up in the season as her relationship with new police chief Orville Braun blossoms. But true love is not always smooth sailing, as two of the hollow’s young residents come to find. Jonah Atwater and Stasia von Beaverpelt find themselves battling their families in order to be together. And when Alan’s father, Shelby, goes over the top of Twilight Falls, all signs point to Stasia being the murderer. The evidence against Stasia appears overwhelming, and Orville arrests her. It looks like the case is closed, but Vera isn’t so sure. There are almost too many clues indicating Stasia is the killer, leading her to suspect someone is setting Stasia up. Besides, what about the mysterious ghostly creature skulking around town at night? Maybe he or she was involved? As Vera investigates further, her sleuthing puts her in direct opposition to Orville, and soon she’s stirred up a hornet’s nest of trouble.’
Overall Thoughts
The centrepiece of the prologue is the Twilight Falls itself, as a geographical feature and visual spectacle. However, for me there was too much description, waxing lyrical about its beauty, which resulted in the intended sinister creeping-in undertones making too small of a splash upon the reader’s attention. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the start of chapter one more, with Vera Vixen being woken by her friend bringing coffee and pastries (a sign of true friendship!). If you love baked goods then I am pretty sure you will want to live inside this series, as they are never in short supply and there is no stinting on meal descriptions.
It was nice to see a book later in the series returning to characters affected by crime in earlier novels, seeing how much they may or may not have changed. A prime example of this in Twilight Falls is Stasia von Beaverpelt, whose father was murdered in book 1. Their family finances have suffered since then, and the family can no longer live in the level of comfort they were accustomed to (they’re down to one maid!). Stasia’s sister has previously decided to get work in a local café, but Stasis herself acts like nothing has changed and continues to behave like an entitled and privileged heiress. Will a second brush with death change this?
Like many an amateur sleuth Vera Vixen is a murder magnet. She goes on a picnic with Chief Orville Braun, and he is confident ‘nothing newsworthy’ will ‘happen.’ Yet, the reader is not surprised when even the narrative says: ‘His comment was uttered with the utmost sincerity and with the best intentions. And like so many comments of this nature, it would turn out to be untrue.’
I think this mystery presents Orville and Vera with a solid case to get their teeth into. Given the young adult love angle in this particular plot, and the need for two of the protagonists to defy parental disapproval, I felt like this novel was more aimed at a younger audience. The exploration of this theme is not that subtle or nuanced. The solution is signalled much too early and is therefore easy to anticipate, which again made me wonder if a younger reader was the target market. The clues are there, but they are not well hidden or camouflaged. The leaning towards description slowed the pace a little, and I think this is felt more keenly when you already know what the ending will be (in this scenario you want dramatic developments or a brisk pace).
Rating: 3.75/5