The Mournful Teddy (A Bear Collector's Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

John J. Lamb (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Bear Collector's Mystery | Publication Date: August 1, 2006

Retired San Francisco cop Brad Lyon is settling into a quieter life with his wife, Ashleigh, in Virginia's mountain country, where they collect and create teddy bears. But even here, stuff happens...

The day is here-and Brad Lyon is helping his wife put the finishing touches on her best bears, just in time for the Shenandoah Valley Teddy Bear Extravaganza. The event will draw fur-ball fanatics from near and far to buy, sell, or simply ogle the bears. But the main event will be the showing of the Mourning Bear, made to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic-and worth a hefty $150,000.

Then a local also meets a watery grave-and Brad Lyon spots the body floating in the Shenandoah. Old habits die hard, so Brad starts investigating like a homicide cop and finds the deceased might have had a connection to the Mourning Bear. But the local law would prefer that Brad keep his mouth sewn shut...

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Mournful Teddy is one teddy bear you won't take for granted. -- Ellen Byerrum, author of the Crime of Fashion Mysteries

A dazzling new talent...John Lamb is one of the strongest new voices in the genre. -- P.B. Ryan, author of the Gilded Age Mystery series

Entertaining ... a fun romp... -- The Richard Times-Dispatch

John J. Lamb brings a fresh, compelling voice to crime fiction. -- Denise Dietz, author of Chain a Lamb Chop to the Bed

Mystery fans, meet John Lamb...you're in for a real treat. -- Martha C. Lawrence, Edgar-award nominated author of Pisces Rising

Once you start, you can't bear to miss a teddy mystery. -- Rita Mae Brown, New York Times bestselling author of the Mrs. Murphy mysteries

About the Author

John J. Lamb is a retired homicide detective and hostage negotiator. He and his wife collect teddy bears.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; Reprint edition (August 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425211126
• ISBN-13: 978-0425211120
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #428,357 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Teddy Bear with Teeth, August 18, 2006

By 

Daniel F. Layman "head in the clouds" (Harrisonburg, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mournful Teddy (A Bear Collector's Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Let me disclose my prejudice right up front: I'm a guy. Just based on the cover of this book, I would not normally have given it a second look. It's nothing against teddy bears; they just don't interest me. But because I read Mr. Lamb's first novel (and found it to be worth reading) and because I was able to meet the man at a book signing last year (and found him to be very friendly and happy to chat with me at length about book-related things), I preordered this book and started reading it as soon as it came.

Don't let the cover fool you. There is nothing soft and cuddly about this mystery. Almost from the first chapter, there's a palpable sense of danger and impending disaster looming over a main character (that you really do care about) that compels you to keep turning the pages until you've finished the thing.

This novel is full of delightfully sleazy bad guys, plot twists and surprises, and an accurate, detailed depiction of police and detective work that stays interesting and never becomes pedantic. It's a very satisfying read. And yes, there are teddy bears. I'm sure teddy bear fans will be delighted; for those, like me, who are more or less indifferent to teddy bears, their presence in the novel certainly didn't detract from the experience. All in all, a great second offering from an obviously hard-working new novelist.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No Reason to Mourn. This is a Great Debut, November 13, 2006

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mournful Teddy (A Bear Collector's Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

Brad Lyon enjoyed his life as a SFPD cop until he was shot in the line of duty. But being forced to retire early has its perks. He and his wife Ashleigh have moved across the country to Virginia and they have begun to indulge in their hobby of teddy bear collecting and making. They are planning on exhibiting at the Shenandoah Valley Teddy Bear Extravaganza, and one of Ashleigh's designs has a chance of winning the design contest.

But the day of the event gets off to a poor start. Brad finds a man floating face down in the Shenandoah River. His trained eye immediately spots the signs that the man was strangled before being dumped in the river. However, the sheriff refuses to classify the death as anything other then an accident.

Meanwhile, the teddy bear show is going well. The highlight of the event is supposed to be a charity auction of a collectable Mournful Teddy. However, the bear never makes it to the event. Are the two connected? What will Brad find when he takes the investigation into his own hands?

The book starts very slowly with too much character information dumped into the first chapter. However, things quickly pick up with the discovery of the body. I was hooked from that moment forward. The story moves fast with lots of suspense. It's an interesting mix of police procedural and cozy, but it works well. The characters are well developed, and I especially loved Brad and Ashleigh. Their relationship is sweet. Brad also has a wonderful sense of sarcasm that adds lots of fun to the story.

The book sounded promising from the cover, and it exceeded my hopes. I am looking forward to the next book in what promises to be a fun series.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great debut to a new series, August 27, 2006

By 

Laura Hinds "Book Addict" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mournful Teddy (A Bear Collector's Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was recommended to me by Amazon and I thought it looked very unique and interesting! I was not disappointed. I loved the descriptions of the Shenandoah Valley, the relationship between Brad and Ash Lyon, and the plot was full of enough teases and twists to make it a book I couldn't put down until I finished it! I read the whole thing in one sitting, finally finishing at 1 am.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a "cozy" mystery, but with a sharper edge!