This holiday season, teddy bear shop manager Sasha Silverman must solve the slaying of Santa Bear . . . Sasha and her sister Maddie are thrilled that the Silver Bear Shop and Factory has won the Teddy Bear Keepsake Contest, which means they get to produce a holiday specialty toy, a wizard bear named “Beary Potter.” Promising to be just as magical is Silver Hollow’s annual tree-lighting … annual tree-lighting ceremony and village parade. Only one hitch: the parade’s mascot, Santa Bear—played by Mayor Cal Bloom—is missing.
After a frantic search among the floats, Bloom is found dead. When the outfit is removed, it’s clear the mayor’s been electrocuted. Who zapped hizzoner and then stuffed him into his Santa Bear suit? While the police investigate the grisly crime, Sasha attempts to track down the murderer herself, with some help from the Guilty Pleasures Gossip Club. Can they wrap up this case in time for Christmas—or will Sasha meet her own shocking end?
Praise for BEARLY DEPARTED
“You’ll fall in love with this delightful debut mystery.”
—Victoria Thompson, bestselling author of Murder in Morningside Heights
“The first in a new series features a complex plot awash in red herrings, a perky heroine . . . and everything you ever wanted to know about teddy bears.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“The appealing, impulsive amateur sleuth, dedicated to the family business, will appeal to fans of character-driven cozies.”
—Library Journal
“Entertaining . . . inhabited by quirky, fully developed characters and good dogs and cats.”
—Publishers Weekly
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Sasha Silverman is the manager of the Silver Bear Shop & Factory, a family-owned business that is very active in the community. Their town, Silver Hollow, is hosting their annual Christmas Tree Lighting and Festival of Lights Parade, with Santa Bear as the featured attraction. Having won the Keepsake Award for their creation of the “Beary Potter Keepsake Wizard Bear,” Sasha, and her family were looking forward to the night’s festivities. That was, until Santa Bear, the star of the parade, goes missing and is discovered not far from the parade route, dead! With a suspicious death marring the celebration, Sasha, once again sets out to find information that leads to Santa Bear’s demise. Was it a heart attack or something much more sinister?
This “beary” little mystery is filled with excitement! I would love to visit Silver Hallow during the holidays when all activities have a bear-related theme. The BEAR-zarre craft show, a Teddy Bear Cookie decorating contest, and of course the Bear Factory. This is the perfect story to read as the temperatures start to dip. There were so many twists and turns with an abundance of suspects, I kept waffling back and forth between suspects. The ending was certainly a surprise as who the murderer was! Meg Macy’s storytelling at its finest! I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through Kensington Publications, and NetGalley.
Christmas Bears and Murder
This is a very good cozy mystery. The plot is very good. The culprit certainly caught me by surprise. I loved the way her small town celebrates Christmas and the family atmosphere. I plan on reading more of this author’s books. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.