This is a great book; this is the first book in the A Teddy Bear Mystery series written by Meg Macy. As manager of the family teddy bear shop and factory, thirty-one-year-old Sasha Silverman leads a charmed life. Well, except for the part about being a single divorcee with a ticking biological clock in small-town Silver Hollow. And that's just kid's stuff compared to Will Taylor, the sales rep who's set on making drastic changes to the business her parents built from scratch--with or without Sasha's approval. But before Will digs his claws in, someone pulls the stuffing out of his plan and leaves his dead body inside the factory. This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I am looking forward to reading the next book by this great author. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Bearly Departed is the first book in the A Teddy Bear Mystery series.

I’m going to be looking forward to more visits to The Silver Bear Shop and Factory and getting to know Sasha and Maddie and the residents of Silver Hallow.

Sasha and Maddie, along with Uncle Ross are running the family business and while sales could be better they are holding their own but could be better along with profits. Their sales manager, Will Taylor, acts like he is the CEO and is constantly complaining about the cost of production, the number of bears donated to needy causes. Upon arriving from a sales trip to the East Coast, he calls for a company meeting. At the meeting, he outlines a plan to send the production overseas and claims to have the backing of Sasha and Maddie’s father. That evening when Sasha and Maddie return home, they are nearly hit by a car speeding away from the parking lot behind the factory. They go to investigate why Taylor is still there, but instead, they find his dead body lying on the production floor.

Knowing that a death at their factory could have a negative effect on business, they begin their own investigation. They end up with quite a few suspects, including his wife who he doesn’t pay a lot of attention too, he was suspected of having an affair or two and there is also that it might be a drug deal that went bad.

This book is well written with a very interesting mystery, as well as an exciting cast of believable characters.

Also included is a link for a Coats & Clark crochet pattern for Rita The Beach Bear. A real cutie.

I will be watching for the next book in this entertaining new series.

Good start to a series. I want to read more. This cozy contains quite a mix of murder, drugs, adultery, family issues, and more. Fun teddy bear picnic, too!

How more cozy could it be to have a mystery set in a teddy bear factory? This series has potential but unfortunately this first book really needed a strong editor to tighten things up. I didn't love Sasha as a heroine- she kind of needs to get over herself. This one just didn't grab me but that doesn't mean it won't find a legion of fans. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Book one in the new Teddy Bear Mystery series. I have loved and collected teddy bears since I was just a little girl so when I heard about this book I knew that I would have to read it. We get to meet Sasha who manages the family teddy bear shop and production factory that her father created. The store sounds really cute and I enjoyed reading about the making of the bears as well. The traumatizing part was when the murder victim was found next to the stuffing machine with his throat stuffed. This made me feel bad for the bears because the dead guy was not very nice so I had no sympathy for him. Sasha's Uncle ends up the prime suspect for awhile and the businesses are shut down while part of the investigation is conducted. Sasha feels compelled to investigate and makes things worse along the way though she finds this out a little late. There is lots of stuff happening in this book. Besides the murder there id family drama, personal issues, and more so there is always something to focus on. I really enjoyed the progression finding it very well written and the bears were just the icing on the cake. I really enjoyed it so it gets 4/5 stars.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

Book one in a new series.

As a teddy bear collector, I thought this book would be a fun read. I loved the background info provided about teddy bears, their history and what goes in to making them.

The story itself started off a bit slowly, as the author took time to introduce the cast of characters. Once things picked up though, I enjoyed it. For the most part, it was a fun, light cozy mystery read set in a unique setting.

After her divorce Sasha Silverman became the manager of the Silver Bear Shop and Factory that her parents own but have retired from in the town of Silver Hollow. However even though Sasha is currently managing and helping run the shop with her sister she is constantly clashing with Will Taylor who is trying to make changes to the family owned business behind her back.

When Sasha and her sister return one night to find a car flying out away from the shop hitting the mailbox they just know that something isn’t right. After calling the police Sasha can’t help but check things out for herself and finds the body of Will Taylor giving the small town a murder to solve.

Bearly Departed is the first book of a new cozy mystery series, A Teddy Bear Mystery, by Meg Macy. First I just have to say what cozy fan can resist that adorable cover? Obviously I couldn’t. The setting in this series was one of the best things about it, a small town family owned shop that makes and sells teddy bears and caters events centered around them. Sort of reminded me of a mom and pop version of a build a bear store. I also didn’t mind the main character and her sleuthing and questioning to find out what was going on with the murder.

On the other hand though there were a couple of things that I didn’t quite enjoy with the story in this first installment. One being that there were parts that seemed to drag a bit, perhaps a bit too much detail in the ordinary and not progressing the story. Also, I tended to lose a bit of track of who was who here and there but on another note with that I also had my suspicion early on of how it would end and ended up right all along so it felt it missed out on that big shocking twist to really catch a reader.

In the end though I thought this one was a decent start to a series and decided to give it 3.5 stars. Having liked the main character and setting I would be interested in seeing how the author progresses with the series and hope the next book will be that much better.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Sasha and Maddie run their parents' teddy bear shop and factory. Their sales manager gets "stuffed" to death in the factory and they become involved in solving the murder mystery. Can't wait for the next one.

Synopsis:


"You'll fall in love with this delightful debut mystery." --Victoria Thompson, bestselling author of Murder in Morningside Heights
The Silver Bear Shop and Factory might be the cutest place around, but there's nothing warm and fuzzy about murder . . .
As manager of the family teddy bear shop and factory, thirty-one-year-old Sasha Silverman leads a charmed life. Well, except for the part about being a single divorcee with a ticking biological clock in small-town Silver Hollow. And that's just kid's stuff compared to Will Taylor, the sales rep who's set on making drastic changes to the business her parents built from scratch--with or without Sasha's approval . . .
But before Will digs his claws in, someone pulls the stuffing out of his plan . . . and leaves his dead body inside the factory. Reeling from shock, Sasha's hit with more bad news--police suspect her hot-tempered Uncle Ross may have murdered him. Sasha knows her uncle would never do such a thing, and she's launching her own little investigation to expose the truth. As she tracks Will's biggest rivals and enemies for clues, Sasha can't get too comfy--or she'll become the next plaything for a killer . . .
"A twisty mystery tale with a likable protagonist and a colorful supporting cast. Sure to be a very enjoyable series!"--Livia J. Washburn, bestselling author of Black and Blueberry Die
"Cute and cuddly on the outside, murder and mayhem on the inside--I love this book!!! Totally adorable."--Duffy Brown, bestselling author of Braking for Bodies (Goodreads)



Review:

The characters are well rounded and well developed. Sasha is a strong smart woman who is not afraid of hard work. She manages The Silver Bear Shop and Factory along with her sister, Maddie. It’s a family business and she also has help from her Uncle Ross. I enjoyed meeting all of them and I liked spending time with them. There are a lot of neighbors and people from the community that we were also introduced to and at times I felt like there were a few too many characters in this book. I had a hard time keeping all of them straight in my mind. That is only my opinion and other readers may not agree with me.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book I felt like I was right there watching all the action taking place. I felt like I was right there in the factory, watching the bears come to life. The mystery was carried on well throughout the book and there were enough suspects to consider and clues to sift through that it made figuring out the killer difficult.

One thing I really liked about the book is that the premise of the book was unique. I really liked that the book revolved around bears and all the things that went with the manufacturing and selling of the bears. It was interesting and different. I also really enjoyed the fact that Sasha was not in a relationship or had a love interest. Most of the cozy that I read have the protagonist being involved with someone so I found this rather rare and enjoyable. The book was more about Sasha and her family and I liked that.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series and getting to know the characters a little better.
This was a good start to the series.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I would like to that NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Bearly Departed: A Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery
By Meg Macy
Kensington
June 2017

Review by Cynthia Chow

Ever since her father retired seven years ago, Sasha Silverman has been managing the family’s Silver Bear Shop & Factory in Silver Hollow, Michigan. It’s not the future the thirty-one-year-old divorce had envisioned for herself, but Flynn Hanson’s womanizing tendencies ensured her single status within a year of their marriage. At least Sasha retained custody of their Bichon-Lhasa Apso mix Rosie, if not the approval of her parents. They are uncharacteristically incommunicado now that Sasha is desperate to contact them in order to gain support in battling their salesman Will Taylor’s efforts to outsource labor, eliminate jobs, and even sell out teddy bear patterns. Sasha and her sister Madeline pride themselves on the quality of their teddy bears, not to mention their unique, teddy bear-specific designs. The standards set by Sasha’s father are jeopardized by Will’s ruthless cost-cutting proposals, with Sasha’s Uncle Ross having the most combative reaction. In the ultimate twist of ironic fate, a final statement is certainly made when Will is literally stuffed to death next to the teddy bear stuffing machine.

One might say that anyone with a personalized license plate that reads “1MRIGHT” deserves to be killed, but with Sasha’s Uncle Ross in police headlights she can’t allow the real culprit to go free. It might be a cute and fuzzy business, but the secrets being uncovered within their Teddy Bear shop is proving to be alarmingly criminal and costing them the majority of their staff. When Maddie is called out of town as a result of their parents’ absence, it is up to Sasha to follow-up on alibis, provide every child has a teddy bear for their Labor Day Parade of Bears, and ensure that production meets the needs for upcoming holiday Teddy Bear events.

Despite the subtitle, this is not just a shamelessly adorable mystery series. Yes, there are ample descriptions of teddy bear events, teddy bear lore, and even teddy pastries to delight any toy aficionado. However, it also blends together very real, well-developed characters with the very topical challenges that face small businesses. There is a surprisingly dark thread of crime running through Silver Hollow, and Sasha solving the crime will mean learning as much about her town as her family. Even as Sasha takes it upon herself to track down social media-backed alibis and motives, the mystery remains unsolvable until the very end. Romance is mostly off the plate considering how much Sasha’s ex burned her with his infidelity, allowing the focus to fall on her friendships, close family, and the delightful Teddy Bear business.

Bearly Departed: A Teddy Bear Mystery
Author: Meg Macy
Publisher: Kensington

Sasha Silverman, along with her sister Maddie and her Uncle Ross manage the family business, a stuffed teddy bear shop, and factory, The Silver Bear Factory. In small town Silver Hollow crime is rare, and murder is rarer. When Will Taylor, Sasha’s sales rep is murdered in her factory, she is not willing to sit on the sidelines while the police take their time figuring out who and why someone stuffed Will, literally and left him on the factory floor.

It’s bad enough Will was killed inside their bear factory, but the police suspect her Uncle Ross. Her uncle may be grumpy, and ill-tempered but he would never kill anyone, no matter how many time she threatened too. The investigation drags on, and Sasha becomes increasingly worried that the police will pin the crime on her uncle, and destroy the business her parents built from scratch. Adding to the mix is the sudden appearance of her ex, things go from bad to worse.

--
Sasha has problems. Business is not as good as it should be and sales are dipping a bit, but not enough to warrant laying off people as their sales rep suggests. On top of that, she finds out that Will Taylor is trying to undermine the family business and sell it off to their biggest rival. When Will is found dead inside the factory things get even worse for Sasha and the store. People stop coming into the shop; orders dry up, she doesn’t know what to do to reverse the downward spiral. Topping it all off she finds out her father is very ill and her ex-husband has moved back to town. It’s enough to make a woman pull her hair out.

This book is a lovely cozy with multiple suspects and motives. The suspects are well written and lively, with just enough of a hint of underlying motives to keep the reader guessing. The main characters are fun to travel through the town and the story with, each has very distinct personalities and oddities. The plot stays true to the storyline and is fast paced.

This is a character based mystery and readers who enjoy getting to know a cast of characters will find themselves delighted. There is no adult language or sexual content, and this makes for an enjoyable read that is also entertaining. The killer may not come as a big surprise, but there are some twists that will leave the reader wondering until the very last page. This book is highly recommended. : A Teddy Bear Mystery

I received a free copy of this book through netgalley and voluntarily reviewed it.

One thing that I love about cozy mysteries is how they all seem to have a theme, hobby or job they focus on. And one way to get me curious about a new cozie series is when that book has a theme I hadn't read about yet. So this book immediately grabbed my attention with the focus on Teddy Bears and the mention of a teddy bear shop in the blurb.

While Bearly Departed was an enjoyable read, it sadly wasn't as good as I hoped. But let me start by listing what I did enjoy. I really liked the teddy bear focus, I thought it was cool to read about a teddy bear shop and some of the issues and topics surrounding that. I liked how they hosted special events, did tours and used social media and I enjoyed reading about the business. I would have liked to read more about the Teddy bear shop, but it was closed for a big part of he book. I also liked the overall story well enough. While there were things that bothered me, there were also parts I did enjoy. And I was in the mood for a cozy mystery, so I did feel like this book fit my mood very well.

The mystery was okay. I was curious who the murderer was, but while I didn't really try and figure the mystery out I wasn't surprised at all when we found out who the murderer was. I kept hoping there would be a twist, because it wouldn't actually be that person, but yes it was. There was a bit of a side plot line/ red herring, I didn't really care of rand it just felt like it added a bit too much to the story that didn't really fit in nicely. Or maybe that's just me. There is two events later in the book that just felt a bit overdone and unnecessary in my opinion.

I would've liked a stronger focus on the mystery or have the main character be more actively trying to solve it. Sasha did try and solve the mystery, but at the same time she more came across as someone who was just a bit noisy and thought about the murder and then solved it because she paid attention to a clue the detective didn't see. On the one hand it feel more natural how she just talked a bit with people and figured things out but on the other hand it felt a bit tedious and I just wanted her to snoop and investigate a bit more.

For the most part I enjoyed the story, but didn't really care or felt invested in what happened. The main character was okay enough, but I never really liked her, related to her or cared much. Which made it hard to feel invested in the story. I liked her passion for the store and how she was so driven to have it done well. But there were also parts where I really didn't like her, like when she was spreading a rumor she had sort of overheard without checking if it was true. She was a bit too gossipy at times for my taste and her impulsive nature didn't quite work for me, I mostly found it annoying, although at least it was done realistically and that impulsiveness was shown quite regularly.

Another thing that bothered me is how at times it felt like there were these extra details we didn't really have to know sprinkled in the story. Small details that probably should be quirky or interesting, but for me it just brought down the pace. I can't remember how often I read that the dog Rosie was doing her business. It might seem weird to mention that, but those small details broke up the pace of the story a bit for me. Guess the writing style just didn't work for me.

When I started reading I also had the hardest time remember who was who, there is almost a bit of an info dump during the first walk Sasha takes through town, introducing you to all the side characters, who is who, where they work and who is related. It was just too much for me. Only when the story progressed and we got to see more of the side characters it got easier to remember everyone, but even then it was difficult, especially with the characters we meet less often. Although that's also partly probably because I wasn't as invested in the story. Oh and the side plot line about Flynn didn't work for me either, I had no clue what the relevance was of him showing up. I thought he was a creep. And I am still not sure what the main character her opinion about him really was. It was difficult to really get a feel for what she thought at times.

To summarize: this was a cute cozy mystery with the focus on the teddy bear shop and factory. I liked the focus on the teddy bear shop and it was cool to read about, I just would've liked to read even more about that as it was closed for a big part of the book. The mystery was decent and I was curious who the murderer was. I wasn't as invested in the story or the mystery as I had hoped and wasn't surprised when we found out who the murderer was. At times it felt like nothing much was happening and at other times it felt like there were too many, in my opinion, unnecessary parts cluttering up the pace. Like these small little details that kept being added and I just thought were unnecessary and didn't add anything. I didn't really care for the main character and had some trouble keeping the side characters separate. Overall it was a cute read with parts that I liked and it fit my reading mood, but it just missed the mark a bit for me.

I loved this book! I felt a personal connection to the family and all the drama...I loved that Maddie loved Snoopy (as I do), that the family has issues and the parents have favorites, and even the sisters have some secrets. It makes them real and relatable. I loved the idea of a teddy bear store/factory. The details the author put into her description of the store makes you able to picture it in your mind. Loved all the pop culture references...Michael Buble (love him!), Facebook, selfies. Very excited to read the next book and hear what happens with the family, the store, and the relationships among the group.

What a fantastic start to an intriguing new series! Sasha Silverman runs the day to day of the family's shop and factory, The Silver Bear Shop and Factory, along with her sister and uncle. The story is set in a small cozy town, where everyone knows everyone. Small living at its best which sets the stage for sudden conflict.
The story was very well written and easy to follow. The author did a very nice job setting the stage for introductions to the main characters, yet, some loose ends in developing relationships that I hope will be addressed in later installments. Even though the story was slightly predictable, it was still a very enjoyable read and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for all of the characters next.

This was an amazing first in series. I really liked the characters, and the teddy bears were just adorable. The ending surprised me, and it was also a little more bittersweet than I was expecting. I definitely can't wait for the next book.

This was a nice read. The mystery kept me interested. I was completely stumped on the killer and was surprised when it was revealed. I liked Sasha's character and her relationship with her sister. I also especially liked the teddy bear aspect of this book. That was a really neat idea and it was fun to read about. There were so many characters mentioned that at times, I had a little trouble keeping up with who was who, but other than that, I liked the story.

Teddy bears! Hold them, squeeze them, play with them, sleep with them, love them! Sasha Silverman's family owns and runs the Silver Bear Shop and Factory. Custom teddys are their pride and joy. If only the bears could talk, Sasha would have advance warning about the sinister secrets taking place in, and around, the factory. Instead, she and her family are suddenly forced to deal with the unpleasantness of murder and deceit or lose the business.

In this debut story of A Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery series, Author Meg Macy launches a cast of appealing main characters in a charming setting. Pet lovers will enjoy Sasha's dog, Rosie, and cat, Onyx. The pacing moves swiftly. The plot seemed a bit predictable, and once I finished, I felt like I'd seen something similar on a TV crime show before. I'm looking forward to reading the next book and seeing how the characters grow.

I reviewed an advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher.

The book started out okay but got a little slow as i went on reading...it took a little effort to actually finish it. Too many characters which had nothing to do at all with the story line and it started to get confusing.

What a fun book, if murder can be fun. 'Bearly Departed' has it all, an engaging cast of characters, an intriguing mystery and enough humor to make it a delight. Sasha Silverman is managing her family stuffed bear making business and her relationships with her Uncle, her sister, her ex-husband, her best friends, and her parents are both complicated and enjoyable. Especially with her mother. That is worth reading. I am happy to think (by the ending) that this is just the first in a wonderful series.

Bearly Departed by Meg Macy is a decent start to a new mystery series. The premise of it taking place in and around a teddy bear factory and shop is mainly what drew me to this mystery in the first place. While I love traditional cozies, I also love when there's something different thrown into the mix. The main character, Sasha Silverman is extremely likeable and well-developed. The reader also gets to know her sister, Maddie, and their Uncle Ross pretty well. However, I would've liked to have seen more interactions between Sasha and her supposed best friends, Mary Kate and Elle. I get that they all are busy and her friends both also have kids, but there could've been more leisurely interaction between them. For a good part of the book I honestly thought Sasha had no friends at all besides her sister. And, while I enjoyed the premise and the plot of the story, it felt like most of these people didn't know one another, even though it's supposed to be a village and most of the characters have lived there for years. For instance, the teddy bear shop has an annual sale on Labor Day, and had for several years, but another local shop owner had no clue about the sale when she bought a bear that day. I live in a town much bigger than what could be called a village and even that wouldn't be believable here. Trust me, unless it's a huge city, locals know things that happen every year like clockwork. So that character would've known about the Labor Day sale. That being said, I still enjoyed the book. I wasn't sure who the killer was, but after the reveal it made perfect sense. I hope the author improves on character interaction, especially for Sasha - give the girl some friends she goes out with at least a couple times in the book. I also hope to see more of a village vibe from the characters (i.e. they act like they actually know each other and what goes on in local businesses) in the future. I will read the next book in the series, but it's not a must-read mystery series for me... yet.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.