Genre: Mystery
Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781496709653
Kensington Publishing
288 Pages
$15.95; $9.99 Amazon
May 29, 2018
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Silver Bear Shop and Factory manager Sasha Silverman is cozying up to the fall season by hosting Silver Hollow's Cranbeary Tea Party, the opening event of the village's Oktobear Fest - a too-cute celebrating themed around teddy bears. She barely has a moment to agonize over the return of her high school rival, Holly Parker, whose new toy and bookstore in town could spell big trouble for the Silver Bear Shop and her cousin's small bookstore...
But when Sasha discovers Holly's shop assistant dead with a knife plunged in her body, the unpleasant woman suddenly looks like a real backstabber. So does Sasha's ex-husband, rumored to have rekindled the fiery extramarital affair he once had with the victim. Now, before a gruesome homicide case takes the fun out of both the Fest and her personal life, Sasha must identify the true culprit from a daunting suspect list - or risk becoming as lifeless as one of her stuffed bears...
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Sasha Silverman and her sister run the teddy bear factory that their parents own, along with help from their aunt, uncle, and several employees. But when Sasha’s old high school nemesis Holly Parker shows up in town, she knows things are about to get problematic. While in school Holly did her best to make Sasha’s life miserable, and her return is proving that things haven’t changed. She’s opened a shop that sells teddy bears and other toys along with books, and it’s causing a loss in customers for Sasha’s cousin Matt who own a bookstore across the street; and Sasha fears that there might soon be a loss in her own customer base, too.
But while at a teddy bear tea party for little ones and their teddy bears she learns that Holly’s assistant Gina is suing the mayor because he refused to pay her for some work - work that presented him in a negative light. It doesn’t help that the suit has been delivered by her ex-husband Flynn Hanson, whom Sasha wants nothing to do with. Then Gina is killed, and while everyone thinks the current mayor had the best reason to want her dead, Sasha's mom Judith is convinced otherwise and asks her to prove him innocent.
Her sister Maddie is working on a large acrylic bear for the Oktobear Fest, along with other artists in the town, including Maddie's boyfriend, Kip O'Sullivan. But she's upset that Kip won't finish his bear, and she's afraid it won't be done in time for the fest, which is causing tension between them. She doesn't know that Kip, in a moment alone with Sasha, has professed his love for Maddie and wants to marry her.
Also, Jay Kirby, another local artist, has made no bones about the fact that he's highly interested in Sasha, but this is complicated by the fact that her ex-husband was a louse, and her mother is trying to push them back together again, regardless of what Sasha wants.
It doesn't help that Holly is making her life miserable, making snide remarks at every turn and trying to ruin her business any way she can. But little things she discovers about Holly make her suspicious of the woman, and when she goes so far as to do something that puts Sasha in a panic that she realizes she'll have to keep on her guard. However, it might almost be too late for her when she discovers the truth of the matter, and how far some people are willing to go...
I truly enjoyed reading this book; Meg Macy is a talented writer with a voice that naturally tends to mystery. She is able to spin a tale that is lively and full of twists and turns, many of which you never see coming - like that in the end. She has drawn Holly as an unlikable character indeed; I can't imagine having someone this toxic in my life, and I truly feel for Sasha - which brings us to the fact that these are no one-dimensional characters, they have life and breath and you enjoy being with most of them (except, perhaps, Sasha's annoying mother, which is probably which she has the patience she does).
It is always a treat to read about a protagonist who doesn’t allow her emotions to run wild over her life. Sasha is a delight to read about - she’s smart, attractive, and doesn’t cave to the whims or machinations of others - including those of her mother and ex-husband. I like a woman with a backbone, and one who doesn’t come off as bumbling or pushy. Sasha is just such a woman, one you would enjoy spending time with and call your friend.
When all is said and done, I was truly surprised at the ending, which makes a very good mystery indeed. While this is only the second book in the series, I hope that there are many more to come, and I look forward to the next. Highly recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Witness-Murder-Teddy-Mystery/dp/1496709659/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2401756419
More on Meg Macy's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/meg-macy/
Her sister Maddie is working on a large acrylic bear for the Oktobear Fest, along with other artists in the town, including Maddie's boyfriend, Kip O'Sullivan. But she's upset that Kip won't finish his bear, and she's afraid it won't be done in time for the fest, which is causing tension between them. She doesn't know that Kip, in a moment alone with Sasha, has professed his love for Maddie and wants to marry her.
Also, Jay Kirby, another local artist, has made no bones about the fact that he's highly interested in Sasha, but this is complicated by the fact that her ex-husband was a louse, and her mother is trying to push them back together again, regardless of what Sasha wants.
It doesn't help that Holly is making her life miserable, making snide remarks at every turn and trying to ruin her business any way she can. But little things she discovers about Holly make her suspicious of the woman, and when she goes so far as to do something that puts Sasha in a panic that she realizes she'll have to keep on her guard. However, it might almost be too late for her when she discovers the truth of the matter, and how far some people are willing to go...
I truly enjoyed reading this book; Meg Macy is a talented writer with a voice that naturally tends to mystery. She is able to spin a tale that is lively and full of twists and turns, many of which you never see coming - like that in the end. She has drawn Holly as an unlikable character indeed; I can't imagine having someone this toxic in my life, and I truly feel for Sasha - which brings us to the fact that these are no one-dimensional characters, they have life and breath and you enjoy being with most of them (except, perhaps, Sasha's annoying mother, which is probably which she has the patience she does).
It is always a treat to read about a protagonist who doesn’t allow her emotions to run wild over her life. Sasha is a delight to read about - she’s smart, attractive, and doesn’t cave to the whims or machinations of others - including those of her mother and ex-husband. I like a woman with a backbone, and one who doesn’t come off as bumbling or pushy. Sasha is just such a woman, one you would enjoy spending time with and call your friend.
When all is said and done, I was truly surprised at the ending, which makes a very good mystery indeed. While this is only the second book in the series, I hope that there are many more to come, and I look forward to the next. Highly recommended.
https://www.amazon.com/Bear-Witness-Murder-Teddy-Mystery/dp/1496709659/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2401756419
More on Meg Macy's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/m/meg-macy/
