Forest Chronicles 1: The Case of the Lost Hedgehogs

Crime in a world of talking animals? And the blind detective? Oh, my goodness, fir! Mole would like to make a name for himself in the field of detective work, but so far he has a reputation for being... eh... blind, just like the winged saying. So when the fragrant Miss Ježková from the better forest company hires him for a case of a stray roll of toilet paper, the poor sleuth has no idea what a mess he's about to get into. He's a habadour and they'll pin the kidnapping of the glorious Mr. Hedgehog on him! The Tribunal, with Jelen presiding, puts the nice Mole in a closet - but he is afraid of cramped spaces and burrows! Would an alliance with the shifty Captain Vydra, the hunchback Rejsk, help him escape, or should he take on the informer Raccoon? And what about the weird Froggy, as jerky as a Kenneth Grahame fairy tale? Either way, to prevent the conspirators from taking over the forest, the shy hero must finally let go of his childhood fears and trust his sense of smell. The rough school of chandler and British-style humour meet in a Czech children's detective story to take on evil in the animal kingdom. And we'll enjoy the comedy from the front row. "The use of animal characteristics is one of the most frequent sources of language puns and situational humour. It sounds perfect when Máj connects the physical equipment of animals with criminal terminology." - iliteratura.cz "Action succeeds action, and dramatic twists are not spared. The transfer of established techniques of the detective or thriller genre to the forest ecosystem creates many a hilarious situation, and the sharp dialogue gives the story a cinematic quality in a good way." - Best Books for Kids "The author takes us into a world of animals where Hedgehogs are total alphas and protect the whole community from wolves, but one day they go missing and an orphaned Mole is blamed for their disappearance. From now on, an interesting detective investigation is underway, (...) conceived in a very interesting way." - from reader reviews on databazeknih.cz What started yesterday as a new, wonderful phase in his life has suddenly turned into a nightmare. Immediately after the forest tribunal, he was escorted to a stump in a pig cell. The place where the forest police station was located. There, Lieutenant Vydra tried to get out of him what he had done with the Ježky. The Mole said nothing to him, for he knew nothing, and the Lieutenant ordered the Wild Boars to cover him with one of the heavy cages. They reluctantly agreed, waited for Vydra to disappear, and then agreed not to drag the cage to the flat stone. After all, it's well known that the criminal and moron Mole is afraid of digging, so they might as well put him where he is. - excerpt from the text