REVIEW: Bear Witness to Murder

Bear Witness to Murder
Author: Meg Macy

Sasha Silverman enjoys her job at the family business, the Silver Bear Shop & Factory. But she's a bit frazzled. Autumn is the start of their busy season...the Cranbeary Tea Party and the Oktobear Fest get the holiday season started. This year there's a bit more stress because an old high school rival has returned to town and opened a gift and book shop, directly competing with the Silver Bear Shop and the local bookstore. Holly Parker seems to want to cause as much drama as possible, at least where Sasha is concerned. Old high school rivalries never die? When Holly's shop assistant is found dead with a knife in her back, Sasha tries to resist doing any sleuthing. It only gets her into trouble. But as other incidents start happening around town, she realizes this is more than old high school problems or jealous business owners. Sasha wants to solve the case before anyone else is killed and Oktobear Fest is ruined.

I love this series. I'm not sure if it's the teddy bear theme (I have collected teddy bears since I was 6 years old), or the mix of humor and mystery...or maybe both? Bear Witness to Murder is the second book in the Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery series. This book was just as enjoyable as the first book in the series. I like Sasha as a main character. She's getting her life back together following a divorce and works hard at the family business. She has a good relationship with her sister Maddie who also works for the teddy bear factory. However, I don't really care for her relationship with her parents. Her mother is always trying to push her into going back to her ex-husband, who was a womanizing jerk. Why would any mother do that? And her father never sticks up for her. Just seems like a weird family dynamic.

I liked the Oktobear Fest theme. The teddy bear theme didn't over power the mystery, but just added some flavor to the story. The mystery kept my attention and had some interesting twists and clues. There is a little bit of romance sprinkled in amongst the sleuthing and fall festival-ing...just enough to round out the characters. All in all, a "beary'' enjoyable cozy mystery! I'm definitely going to keep reading this series. :)

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**