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THE CRAFTY TEDDY
A Bear Collector's Mystery
John J. Lamb
Berkley Prime Crime
ISBN 9780425218853
November 2007
Cozy Mystery
Retired San Francisco homicide detective, Brad Lyon
and his wife Ashleigh are enjoying small town life in
Remmelkemp Mill, nestled in the Shenandoah Valley of
Virginia. The couple share a love of teddy bears and at
the heart of their collection is a revered Farnell Alpha
bear -- a gift to Ashleigh for the Lyons' twentieth
wedding anniversary. When the Farnell bear is stolen,
the Lyons are saddened and shaken but, though the
investigation runs cold, life goes on and their teddy
bear collection continues to grow. Two weeks after the
break-in, Japanese gangsters show up in town inquiring
about the local museum. Brad's cop instincts tell him to
keep an eye on the unusual tourists and so he heads out
toward the museum to check things out. What he finds is
the museum director dead and a homicide investigation
where among the items taken into evidence are suspected
forged artifacts such as two other valuable antique
bears. Working closely with the local sheriff (and
friend) Tina Barron, Brad and Ashleigh wade through the
list of suspects and leads in search of the killer and
the suspected teddy bear connection...
THE CRAFTY TEDDY is the enthralling third installment of
author John J. Lamb's Bear Collector's Mysteries. Told
in the first person by Brad, THE CRAFTY TEDDY displays a
greater attention to detail and plausibility of events
and character motives than is sometimes experienced in
other cozy mysteries. Action, suspense, humor and
romance are not foreign to these pages. Delightfully,
the reader is presented with relevant information
regarding the hobby of teddy bear collecting, but more
important, is the truly first rate mystery led by
captivating characters. This is a prime example of a
book which will compel readers to devour it in one
sitting! Thankfully, the series will continue in late
2008 with THE CLOCKWORK TEDDY and I can "bear-ly" wait!
Highly recommended!
Reviewed by Melissa Fowler
Rating 4 1/2 |
