This is a book review for Summer’s End by Juneau Black. It’s the fifth book in the Shady Hollow Mystery Series.
This month, I’m reviewing all the Shady Hollow series books 1 – 5. Recently, I reviewed the first book in the Shady Hollow series, the second Shady Hollows book, Cold Clay, the third book, Mirror Lake , and then book four, Twilight Falls.
Today, I’m reviewing book five in the Shady Hollow Series, Summers End. I’ve finally completed reading all five books in the Shady Hollow series – as of this writing.
Here are the books in the Shady Hollow Series I’ve reviewed (so far):
- Shady Hollow
- Cold Clay
- Mirror Lake
- Twilight Falls
- Summers End
Summary
“Summers End” by Juneau Black is a cozy mystery novel set in the whimsical world of Shady Hollow.
The story follows the charming village’s anthropomorphic animal inhabitants. This cozy mystery novel continues the adventures of Vera Vixen, a curious fox and newspaper reporter. In this story, Vera is accompanied by her friend, Lenore Lee, a raven and bookstore owner. The name of her bookstore is called, Nevermore. However, in this book her bookshop is rarely mentioned. In other books, Nevermore, is a frequent location for Vera to visit her friend.
The ebook has a helpful map of Summerhill the quaint town with the historic site of Summers End.
Lenore and Vera are on a school trip as adult chaperones for teen students of Shady Hollow High School. One student is an aspiring journalist who shadows Vera throughout the novel. Their trip is at a place called Summers End. It a historic site for archeologists and professors of different fields.
“Vera was simplifying the situation, but it was true that Summers End was a burial site, and Lenore was quite interested in all things macabre.”
Aside from Summers End being a historic monument and grave site, it was also an annual occasion when the sun shines into the monument itself.
There’s a host of spooky stories about the place, you know. Ancient spirits of those sacrificed on the altar! Filmy ghosts floating through the mists to haunt the tourists!” Black, Juneau. Summers End (A Shady Hollow Mystery) (p. 7). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
In that quote of the first chapter you get a lot of foreshadowing for the rest of the story. Vera and Lenore take a ferry upriver and head to Summer Hill. A place that is an ancient graveyard and where the body of the victim is seen by everyone on Summers End.
The Setting for Summers End
Then, on the sixth of the month, they’d see the sun’s light shine through the site’s specifically laid out boulders into a long tunnel, where the sun would briefly illuminate a special stone. That moment marked the end of summer. Old traditions set that day as being exactly between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox, signaling the shift from the long, lazy days of high summer to the part of the season when crops ripened in earnest and folks had to begin thinking of the harvest.
Black, Juneau. Summers End (A Shady Hollow Mystery) (pp. 9-10). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I enjoyed the eery and unique summer setting. I was recently reading and reviewing the book, the Antique Hunters Guide to Murder. Some of the themes in these were similar and there’s an antique shop in this story as well.
Why I Gave This Book A Lower Rating:
I deducted points from the overall rating of this book due to the divination references.
“The pattern the tea leaves fall into will reveal the universe’s answer to your query.”Black, Juneau. Summers End (A Shady Hollow Mystery) (p. 193). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
“Lenore tagged along, and even purchased a book about tasseomancy.” Black, Juneau. Summers End (A Shady Hollow Mystery) (p. 260). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Tasseography is a method of divination. It interprets patterns in tea leaves, coffee grounds, or wine sediments. This is an actual practice according to online sources. Anyone with religious convictions should take note.
Apart from that, the story is well written. The plot is good. The setting is even better. I don’t enjoy giving books lower ratings. My favorite books in the series were Mirror Lake and Twilight Falls.
There is one spoiler/plot twist in Summers End that I thought didn’t fit well with the story. It felt forced, like if the story was checking off a list to appease some readers. I thought about docking more points, but if I did, it would spoil the whole plot for new readers.
Main Characters
Vera Vixen: A clever and determined fox who works as a reporter for the local newspaper. She is the protagonist and leads the investigation into Otto’s death.
Lenore Lee: A raven, Vera’s best friend, and owner of the town’s bookstore, Nevermore Books. Get the pun? It’s punny. Lenore provides valuable help during the investigation.
Ligeia Lee: Raven and Lenore’s sister. She is a professor and expert of funeral rituals.
Athena: Aspiring journalist who shadows Vera throughout Summers End.
Lefty: A raccoon and a known town thief
Gerry and Cora von Rosewood: The owners of the lodge close to the historic site of Summers End.
Chief Buckhorn: Police deer for the town of Summerhill
Deputy Poole: Police wolverine
Greenleaf: Rabbit who owns an antique shop the, “Bronze Feather”
Roxanna: Owner of a divination and fortune-telling shop
Durham: Sheep and academic who is in charge of the archaeological dig at Summers End.
Augustus van Hoote: Owl, cousin to Professor Heidegger in Shady Hollow.
Keats Loring; Peacock who rights poetry. You probably guessed from a name like Keats. 😂
Chesley: Porcupine and archaeoastronomer.
Cozy Mystery Rating:
Characters: 3 Stars
Setting: 5 Stars
Plot: 3 Stars
Pacing: 4 Stars
Overall Rating: 3.75
I hope you’ve enjoyed this is a book review for Summer’s End by Juneau Black.
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Best,
Anita