Deep in the forest is a place where woodland creatures live together in harmony. Moose and mice, owls and bears, and many more call the charming village of Shady Hollow home. All is well, until a toad is found floating facedown in the millpond. It's something these folks haven't seen before: a murder.

Foxy reporter Vera Vixen is new in town. She has a nose for news and catches the scent of a story, one that leads her to dark places. As she stirs up the still waters, the fox exposes more than one mystery, and the folks in Shady Hollow learn that some of their neighbors are shifty, while others are downright dangerous.

Vera finds more to this shady town than she ever suspected. Someone in the Hollow will do anything to keep her from solving the murder. It will take all of Vera's cunning and quickness to come out alive.