I was drawn to this book's beautiful cover and the Alaska setting. The main character, Stacie Calder, is a tour boat guide in Juneau, Alaska and on one of her tours, she and her passengers witness a murder. The book is told in the first person by Stacie and something about the narration falls flat and doesn't create any excitement in the story. There also wasn't enough depth to the characters to allow me to connect with either Stacie or her love interest, Alaska State Trooper Liam Amarug.

On a positive note, I loved the setting and the descriptions of the wildlife. Having the book take place in Alaska and the main character working as a tour boat guide is a unique and interesting choice for a cozy mystery. The series has potential if the characters were made more three-dimensional and there was more action instead of narrative, but this series debut was disappointing.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Crooked Lane Books. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

Stacie is a wildlife tour guide with a boat cruise group in Alaska. She has a dog Sasha that goes everywhere with her. A guy on one of the tours turns up dead. Stacie for whatever reason decides she will investigate and state trooper Liam kind of encourages her.
The premise is great. The descriptions of Alaska encourage my desire to visit. So why only 3 stars? That might actually be a little generous.
The story is told in first person by Stacie. And she tells us every detail. The food she eats and why her choices are healthy. There are extended descriptions of each day on the boat. She has an extensive collection of sweatshirts. She leaves Sasha in her vehicle a few times but makes a point each time of stating that it’s safe because it’s cool in Alaska in May.these things are good to a point but it lead me to skim parts of the book to try to get to pertinent points.
Another issue for me is that right in this first book I what I assume will be a series, Stacie and Liam have sex. It’s closed door but referred to as sexy fun. I like a bit of romance in cozy mysteries but this felt too fast and not romance just convenient hook-up.
The mystery/investigation makes little progress unit almost the end. Then it swiftly gets dangerous and wraps up. There is little to nothing that points to the culprit until where things heat up at the end.
The story was all right but I’m not sure I would be drawn back if another book comes out.

This first book in the Alaska Untamed cozy series seemed to suit me right down to the ground. I've enjoyed several tour boat excursions myself, and I certainly love learning about wildlife while getting the chance to see it and photograph it. However, Lark O. Jensen's Bear Witness is more suited to those cozy readers who like a large dollop of romance in their mug of mystery.

Stacie, always accompanied by her faithful blue-eyed husky, Sasha, ostensibly gets involved in the investigation because she's worried about the job she loves so much, but she's really in it because she's strongly attracted to handsome Alaska State Trooper Liam Amaruq. Since I don't much care for romance in my mystery, I soon tired of her longing glances and quivering hormones. In addition, the wildlife in Bear Witness is really mere window dressing, a hook to get wildlife lovers like me to read the book.

As you can tell, this book simply was not my cup of tea, but I know that I just described a cozy mystery that many other readers will love. To them, I say bon appétit!

It's the setting that makes this cozy mystery interesting. Jensen has done a decent job describing the scenes from the tour boat as well as the workings of the tour boat itself. I appreciated the information about seals, wolves, and other wildlife. It is clear Jensen did much research to make the nature talks Stacie gives reliable. At times, however, there is too much description as we are given detailed accounts of actions and events that do not move the plot forward nor are really very interesting. We certainly don't need to know what color clothing each tour employee is wearing. There was repetition too as Stacie voices or thinks the same concepts several times.

I did not think the characters were developed very deeply. I did not find Stacie an engaging amateur sleuth. She asked people lots of questions rather than thinking through to the solution. I was surprised a trooper would let Stacie busy herself in investigating the murder. I didn't think trooper Liam was very professional in that respect, nor in his becoming sexually involved with Stacie, a person clearly involved in the murder investigation. The plot was straight forward. The villain was no surprise.

This is the first novel I have read by this prolific author. I was disappointed in the less than engaging plot, the lack of depth of character development, the detailed descriptions of unimportant things and the repetition. I expected more from a seasoned author.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

An intriguing start to a new cozy series. Stacie is a tour guide in Alaska, a job which suits her as well as her loyal pup Sasha. All is fine until the day she spots a body and then the cozy kicks in. She works with Liam, an Alaskan State Trooper. to question others who work on the tour boat and so on. Great potential, not so much on the execution. This would have benefited from another edit but points for the setting. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This was such a difficult review to write! The premise and setting had so much appeal and promise. Unfortunately the execution fell so far short of it’s potential! The writing left a lot to be desired and was so repetitive and filled with unnecessary mundane detail. I didn’t need repeated descriptions of the uniforms worn by the crew, Stacie going to get coffee or how much she liked her job, her dog and wildlife. Alaska is a beautiful state but there was not enough description to create any imagery for the reader. I know authors work so hard to create their books and I feel bad that I just could not give a better review.

What attracted me to this book was the cover and the description. Stacie is a wildlife advocate who does boat tours out of Juneau, Alaska. She seeks to educate and entertain people about the beauty of Alaska’s wilderness wildlife. I liked her character and her faithful companion, blue eyed husky Sasha.
The mystery part was ok, although it wasn’t all that deep. Liam, a cute law enforcement officer, was hanging around Stacie quite a bit.
The strongest points this book has going for it are the location and the animals’ information.

This seemed like a fun and different job for a cozy mystery main character, and the author definitely captured the cozy mystery aspect well. Everything was nicely described and since I probably won't ever make it to Alaska, it was fairly easy to picture this scenery instead. I have to agree with the reviewer who thought there wasn't a whole lot to Stacie besides wildlife and her job. I just didn't feel quite like I knew her that well by the end of the book. I also agree it was a little soon to start a physical relationship especially in the middle of a murder investigation. Afterward, be my guest, lol.

The killer seemed as elusive as the guy they'd been trying to track down before finding him dead, and at times the story seemed a little like it was dragging along when I was just eager to find out whodunit. By the time the showdown came, I was pretty sure I knew who the culprit was, and I was right.

I loved that a Husky dog was in the story, but that's basically all she was, a companion. I'd hoped she'd have a little more personality, although I realize they're super smart and have to be on their best behavior if these dogs want to go on tour boats. Since this was the intro to all the characters and surroundings though, I'm definitely willing to read the next in the hopes it'll be even better.. It'd be great if Stacie's pal Maria could join them on a cruise.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book provided by Crooked Lane via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

I will leave a review of the book on Amazon and B&N on May 10th.

Overall, I found this a decent book to read but not a great one. There was way too much repetition in the book, and I found it hard to connect with most of the characters in the book. I really had hoped for a much better storyline. I suggest that others read the book for themself, because not everyone enjoys the same book for a multiple of reasons.

I wish to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books Publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I got this book after seeing someone else got it as an ARC on my Goodreads feed and thought the plot sounded intriguing. Well, it may have been but it is so buried under the ridiculous wording and descriptions in this book I never got far enough to really even care. Stacie is an extremely one-dimensional character - she loves her job and her dog. She has few friends. She goes on and on and on about wildlife, though we don't really get many fun facts, just the description she is giving said facts in her tour spiel. I thought the author missed an opportunity there.

There is literally a part in this book where she goes to the galley to get coffee and the gal running the galley looks suggestively at the restroom, which Stacie takes her coffee into (EW!) and then describes how this person who runs the galley also uses that bathroom and her possible thoughts about it. Seriously, 1 - WHY? 2 - who cares? Three - who really thinks like that and even if people do, why describe it in a book?

This series could have been promising but just fell flat on its face. Hard pass.

1.5 Stars Rounded Up.

For an author who has published over 50 books, I expected more...a lot more.

This was supposed to be a cozy mystery but what we get is a book that relies on repetition (perhaps to plump the word count?) and a book that forces you to suspend your disbelief and not in a good way. We get elaborate 'talks' about the Alaskan wildlife. I have to admit the wildlife was the same for every cruise, which makes for an exciting cruise but a boring book. We also get in an in-depth look at Stacie and the crew's wardrobe, Stacie's apartment decor, Stacie's dog Sacha; and for the life of me, I can not see how it is possible to have a dog on a sightseeing cruise like this, though I can see why the author did it-as most of her previous books have something to do with dogs!

What self-respecting policeman or police department would allow a civilian into the case is beyond me, but maybe things are different in Alaska?

I could see the murderer coming a mile away but I have to admit I did not see one part of the finale coming-although I might have done the same thing if I spent time with the top tour guide and expert on wildlife.

*ARC Supplied by the publisher and NetGalley.

This book was quite boring, I'm afraid. But then this was a cozy mystery anyway. The writing was good with good editing but this 500 page of a book could have been shorter. So many repitions. Especially about how the main protagonist loves giving tours and the Alaskan wildlife. It was repeated once too many. It was too predictable. I just wanted the book to be done and finished with.

This book started off really strong for me... and then it just kind of circled.
I felt like a lot of the book was just getting on and off the same boat tour with the same conversations on a loop, over and over again... I think the MC said she wanted to protect her bosses and her job she loved so much about 3 times per chapter.
I didn't think there were many clues dropped to analyze for yourself, and the killer was revealed without any real lead up, and with a pretty implausible motive.
I didn't think any of the characters ever showed very much personality. It would have been nice to see more casual interactions between them that didn't center entirely on the tour or the murder. I also would like to see our MC, Stacie, have some kind of interest beyond animals. I mean, I get it; I'm in aerospace engineering. I like space exploration... I own about 500 things with the NASA meatball on them... but I also like sewing, ska music, crafting a great cup of coffee...
some people do have very restricted interests, and that's fine. However, on the reader's end, it can get a little repetitive. If the MC was going to have such a narrow focus, it might have been cool to actually learn a little more about Alaskan wildlife. I did highlight a few fun animal facts in it, but they were kind of front loaded and lacked much additional commentary.

So another issue I had... the dang cop.
I've expounded upon my irritation at this trope a lot of time. I don't get why so many cozies have to develop a steamy romance with the enforcers of state violence. One line in particular frankly pissed me off, in which the MC was taken aback and upset that her coworkers weren't immediately doing whatever the officer told them to do on their own freakin' boat. Not to mention, I can't even keep track of how many instances of illegal conduct there was from the police throughout this.
I thought it was especially odd to make the only Native character in this book a cop- and to have no context whatsoever about how brutally Indigenous people are failed as well as targeted by the police. It was also an ick moment when the MC joked about liking him because his last name meant "wolf." I just don't get the impression the author consulted with anyone who actually is Native before publishing this.
Perhaps if she had, Liam would have had a personality beyond "am cop."

I really enjoyed the MC's dog, Sasha. Adding a husky to the story is never the wrong choice.
I also thought this was a brilliant and fresh idea for a cozy series, which makes me frustrated with the execution of it. It just seems like it was rushed through. I know not every cozy can take the time to fully flesh out social justice matters and still have a plot, but this series reallyyyy needs at least a sprinkle of it. I also think adding a wider cast of characters, tasks, and events would be helpful. Maybe they give a private tour for a wealthy family, or take along a crew filming a controversial documentary. I'm willing to give the rest of a the series another go, I just hope they have a little more meat to 'em than this one did.

This is the first in the series. I liked it immediately starting with Stacie’s education pedigree. The University of Arizona is just down the street from me. I also have visited Juneau, Alaska and taken a few tours.

I liked the premise and was surprised at the reveal even though I had an inkling of who it was. This was a great start to new series. Hopefully, Stacie and the other characters will develop from two sided to 360-degree characters as the series progress.

I found a lot of repetition as the crime scene and investigation scene was confined to the tour boat. Maybe in future stories this can be expanded or at least less repletion of material. I did not like the third person accounts of dialog.

I was given an advanced readers copy and thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. These are my own opinions.

I would like to thank Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Lark O. Jensen.
Stacie is a naturalist who loves the great outdoors. She loves working for a boat door company where she loves sharing all the wildlife she sees as they tour the Alaskan wilderness. She is always accompanied by her husky called Sasha.
However, one afternoon one of the passengers’ geos missing. The following afternoon a man’s body is spotted in the water. How did he get there, did he jump or was he pushed? An investigation starts and Stacie finds herself on the suspects list, so to clear herself and to find out why someone in the company would wish this ex-employee dead. The more she asks questions, the more she is drawn to the investigating officer. Can they work together to find the murderer and maybe find love themselves?
This was a good story but it did get a bit repetitive with the majority of the investigation happening on the boat during tours. There were many pages when it was all the same and I found that quite annoying.
I liked Stacie as a character and Sasha was a good addition. I also enjoyed reading about the wildlife one can see in Alaska.

Bear Witness was a mystery fiction book about a woman who was a tour guide on a boat in Alaska. She was well qualified for this job as she had studied Wildlife Conservation and Management at the University of Arizona. There was way too much repetition in this story. I didn't need to continually read that her dog was incredible, her job, as well as the owners of the company were wonderful and what wildlife everyone would see during the cruise. If those ideas were told maybe a few times throughout the book, it would have been enough. I did read the entire book and this is my honest opinion. Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC which will be released on May 10, 2022.

#BearWitness
#CrookedLaneBooks
#NetGalley

I would love to go on an Alaskan cruise. I would definitely want to take a side trip to see the wild life. I enjoyed reading this story and getting to know the characters. I really love Sasha. Who wouldn’t want a best friend like her? The story flowed and the characters meshed well with each other. I was drawn in and felt like I was right there with them. It will be interesting to see what happens next. I hope there will be another book so I can see just what happens with a couple of these folks. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

I began this book with great anticipation when the author revealed that her protagonist, Stacie Calder, Alaskan tour guide, had a degree in wildlife conservation management from the University of Arizona (full disclosure--I have two graduate degrees from the University of Arizona, have taught at the University of Arizona, and am currently employed in academic administration at the University of Arizona). I also loved the husky depicted on the cover and was looking forward to a vicarious vacation in Alaska. Unfortunately, this is one of the worst books I've read in years. This book really needed an editor for so many reasons: style, plot, character development. The writing is juvenile, indeed, downright odd: Liam had "...deep brown eyes that appeared to want to dive right into my skull and check out my brain." Huh? That makes Liam sound like a psychopath, not a handsome romantic lead. While the author repeatedly (ad nauseam) tells us that Stacie has to investigate the murder because it involves her bosses and her livelihood, she doesn't come across as particularly likable when "I answered the questions he asked me honestly but briefly without saying what I felt or disclosing anything I'd learned about Trust." Well, that means she lied to the Liam, so no, that's not honestly answering his questions, and no, that doesn't make me like her or think she's clever. It makes me think she's an annoying twit. She alludes in several chapters to prizes that she gives, presumably to the passengers on the tour boat, but we never see her distribute them nor are we told how and these prizes are awarded. An entire paragraph is wasted on Chapter 10 describing how Stacie was amused by how different the employees all look while wearing the same uniform, which comes in only 2 colors. That level of detail (only 2 colors) is not needed, and that internal musing makes Stacie sound shallow, and these are just two examples of where an editor was greatly needed. But worst of all is how Stacie's participation in the investigation of Truitt's murder is handled: the state police tell her to investigate this murder (that would never happen), tell her certain privileged details (that would never happen), invite her to be present at interrogations (that would never happen), discuss privileged case information in a crowded bar (that would never happen), and investigator Liam sleeps with Stacie, who is technically a suspect and part of an ongoing investigation even if she is not a main suspect (that would really never happen). The level of annoyance at these large plot failures is exacerbated by many plot failures and poor writing, e.g., the author's use of the full name of the tour company, ClemTours, every time she needed to mention where Stacie works, one of the tour boats, one of her employers--I would wager that name appears 150 times throughout the book. I desperately wanted to stop reading by Chapter 4 and only continued because I was reading an advanced reader's copy from Net Galley and was responsible to them for a review. Had it been a library book, I'd have given it the heave ho. The romance with Liam is described in juvenile terms, and I admit I was surprised Ms. Jensen had the two sleep together (dry and clinical, so people who like steamy romances will not be satisfied and those who are ultra conservative will find the rapidity with which they have sex so soon after meeting to be disgusting--was this the author's attempt to show that her main character is a 'modern career gal' and that her book was 'of the moment?') I don't really care if characters in the books I read have a sex life, and I admit I prefer few details about said encounters. But I do hate it when the professionalism of the investigator is thrown out the window by his sleeping with a suspect-that's just wrong, wrong, wrong. Do these people not watch any of the thousands of murder shows on TV? Everyone knows that means the investigation is tainted and the case could get thrown out of court. All in all, a terrible book. I think I've only advised people to avoid a book a handful of times since I started reviewing books for Net Galley, but sadly, this is one of them. Steer clear, matey--this tour is terrible.

This book was given one start because Net Galley does not allow no-star reviews.

Bear Witness by Lark O. Jensen is the first book in An Alaska Untamed Mystery series. I mostly enjoyed this book but is too slow moving for my taste. The main characters were well-developed and very likable, especially the main characters tour guide Stacie Calder and Alaska State Trooper Liam Amaruq. Stacie's husky Sasha was a welcome addition. This was almost like a locked room mystery as the murder takes place during an Alaska tour on a tour boat so someone on the boat had to be responsible for the murder. But who?

I liked the idea of this story but felt that the writing was a little repetitive and lacking in sophistication. The setting and description of the wildlife sounded amazing but other details were very over emphasized; two chapters in and I was already fed up of hearing about the family that owned the cruise boats. I know it was a cosy mystery but this was a little too homely for me I'm afraid.