Customer Reviews

The Mournful Teddy

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

After dedicating the past twenty-five years to the SFPD and protecting the good and honest citizens of San Francisco, forty-eight-year-old Bradley Lyon is dismayed to be turned out onto the street after being hit by a stray bullet that left him titled as a cripple. With newly acquired cane in hand, Brad begins the seven steps of mourning, and, after wallowing in his pity for as long as necessary, decides that it's time for a change of scenery. So, with his beloved wife Ashleigh "Ash," an artisan teddy bear creator in tow, Brad packs up his belongings, and heads back to Ashleigh's hometown of Remmelkemp Mill, which runs along the Shenandoah Valley. After just a few months in the quaint little town, where residents have a penchant for nosing their way into just about anyone's business, the two become settled in the day-to-day grind, and begin putting the finishing touches on some of Ashleigh's greatest creations, hoping that at least one of them will take home a prize at the Shenandoah Valley Teddy Bear Extravaganza. The Extravaganza will bring about bear lover's and collectors from near and far who will do everything from purchase the furry creations, sell their own work, or just plain ogle the assortment of teddies. Then, to wind down the event, a collectible known as the Mourning Bear, created to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic and the thousands of people who died aboard the ship, will be auctioned off. Worth over $150,000, big-time collectors from near and far are flocking to the Extravaganza in an attempt to purchase the one-of-a-kind teddy. However, after a brutal morning, where Brad stumbled upon an unnamed local floating in the Shenandoah, the only thing on his mind at the moment is trying to figure out who the mysterious stranger is, and just why the local sheriff is determined to write off the man's death as a suicide, as opposed to the homicide that it truly is. Not being ready to retire his uniform, Brad decides to investigate the man's murder himself, attempting to find justice for his new community, and bring a murderer to light. But as Brad digs deeper into the strange case, he begins to realize that there are some bizarre coincidences, such as the victim's connection to the Mourning Bear, which has, conveniently, disappeared out of sight. And, upon closer inspection, Brad comes to realize that certain members of the police force aren't the only crooked characters within the small tight-knit community, there are many other people of prestige who are out to do nothing but help themselves. Now, with the help of his good friend, Sergei, a retired Russian spy, as well as the owner of local hotspot Pinckney's Brick Pit; along with a wannabe-Sheriff, and single mother, named Deputy Barron, as well as his determined, bear-loving wife, Brad vows that he will bring justice to the Remmelkemp Mill area, along with its citizens, and find out exactly what shady business is taking place within the community. However, as he gets closer to the killer, he begins to wonder whether taking such dangerous chances will leave him, or Ashleigh, in a watery grave of their own.

With John J. Lamb's THE MOURNFUL TEDDY, he has succeeded in doing two very important things - creating an interesting character in Brad Lyons, and making it clear that he, himself, is a man of many talents - homicide detective, hostage negotiator, and, now, author. As a teddy bear lover, and fan of all stuffed things, I was thrilled to find this delightful new series sitting upon the shelf at the local Barnes & Noble. Brad is a humorous character, whose dry wit, sarcasm, and penchant for throwing in bits of pop culture information into his everyday conversations is not only enjoyable, but gives a sense of reality to the reader. His relationship with his wife, Ashleigh, is fun to read about, as the two often appear as nothing more than lovesick teenagers, who enjoy one another's company - often a rare thing in marriages that have passed the two decade mark. The mystery itself is in-depth, and quite fast-paced. However, the fact that the entire novel - which is close to 300 pages - takes place in a mere 24-48 hours is slightly unbelievable, and makes the reader question how a crime so sordid could actually be solved in such a short period of time; while the assortment of characters is often overwhelming, and a little confusing to discern from one another, as they don't all display memorable traits and quirks that would help the reader identify one from the other. I was also slightly surprised to see that the mystery seemed to overshadow the bear collecting side of the tale, and often overlooked the fact that, for pages at a time, there was not one mention of teddy bears. However, aside from that, I truly enjoyed John J. Lamb's debut effort, and look forward to reading more about the world of bears - from collecting, to creating, and even buying and selling. And, hopefully, discovering even more about various other artisan bear creators, such as Susan Arnot - who was featured within the pages of this debut. THE MOURNFUL TEDDY will knock the stuffing out of you!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Bradley recently retired as a homicide inspector, and moved from California back home to Virginia. He and his wife, Ashleigh, love teddy bears, and they even make them. I agree with the good, positive things Bradley says on page 45 (of the paperback version) about teddy bears. What he says is summed up in the last sentence on the page "I'm convinced there is something almost supernatural about the bears' soothing effects on people".

A body is found in the river; the mourning bear is missing. Bradley is determined to solve the mystery of the body, and to find out if it is related to the missing mourning bear. Even though he is now a civilian, his many years of homicide inspecting gives him the experience and knowledge to be able to solve this mystery.

I admire the love and wonderful relationship that Bradley and his wife have; and Deputy Tina rocks.

I can't wait to read the next teddy bear mystery in this series.

Bradley Lyon spent twenty-five years with the San Francisco Police Department until a murder suspect shot a bullet into his fibula and tibia in Ghirardelli Square, which led to three things. His disability retirement; he and his wife of over a quarter of a century Ashleigh returning to her hometown in Remmelkemp Mill, Virginia; and his aversion to hot chocolate.

Ash collects and creates teddy bears. She enjoys attending the conventions and has an entry, Miss Susannah S. Seraphim in the nearby Shenandoah Valley Teddy bear Extravaganza. The highlight of the gala is the auctioning of the renowned Mourning Bear made in 1912 to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic with a short run of 655; thus its value is tagged at $150,000 or more. However, the pleasant trip is interrupted when their canine Kitch finds the corpse of a murder victim in the nearby river. Without seeing the body, Sheriff Holcombe rules death by accidental drowning or suicide, infuriating the cop resting inside Bradley's brain s he knows a strangled victim when he sees one. Unable to stay out in spite of warnings to mind his business or else, Bradley begins making inquiries that tie the victim to the Mourning Bear.

This is a fun cozy as Bradley cannot help but investigate the homicide that the Sheriff and other powerful local figures want ignored though the former SFPD detective cannot understand why as his first reaction incompetence proves false. The entertaining story line contains the obvious retired cop's inquires, but also a fascinating look at teddy bears, so much so the stuffed animals make a strong support cast. John L. Lamp provides readers with a delightful whodunit that more than just Bear Collectors will enjoy.

Harriet Klausner

It's such a pleasure to start a brand new series with a great Cozy. What's not to like here? Brad Lyon is an ex-homicide detective retired from the San Francisco PD because of a gun shot injury that left him slightly crippled. He and his wife recently moved back to her hometown of Remmelkemp, Virginia, a town with a some interesting characters. Ashleigh Lyon has a small but promising business designing, sewing and selling teddy bears and Brad is only to happy to help his adored wife as her chief PR guy and right hand man. Brad is beginning to adjust to small town life, the peace and quiet, the slower pace and southern accents of Remmelkimp. Out walking their dog one morning, he discovers a body in the river near their home just as he and Ashleigh are getting ready to leave for the Shenandoah Valley Teddy Bear Extravaganza where Ashleigh hopes to sell some of her teddies. He naturally contacts the local law officers and while discussing the case with them, Brad realizes that they seem very eager to dismiss the death as a suicide when it is obvious that it's murder. Old habits die hard, and investigating homicides is one habit that Brand has not given up. Brad and Ashleigh are soon drawn into the murder mystery which also rapidly becomes a Teddy Bear mystery as well. The disappearance of the famous and valuable bear known as the Mourning Bear is thrown into the mix. And mix it is: the corrupt sheriff and his steroid crazed deputy son, Brad's good friend, Sergei, a retired Russian spy, as well as the owner of local hangout Pinckney's Brick Pit, single mother and honest cop, Deputy Barron, who is running for Sheriff, his bear-loving helpful wife and Brad himself, who is determined to bring justice to the Remmelkemp Mill area, and find out exactly what crooked business is taking place in the town. However, as Brad gets closer to solving the case, he wonders whether he and Ashleigh will end up in the river as well.

The author's own homicide detective experience makes for authentic details and lends great crdibility to the character of Brad. There is also a lot of information about teddy bears and the people who design and collect them. A great addition to the book is the lovely description of rural Virginia and all the Civil War historical reenactments in that beautiful state. All in all, this is the start of what I hope will be a great cozy series.

Although I felt some parts of the mystery were overstated and overexplained, I have to give this novel a full five stars for the teddy bear angle. Who could resist? The relationship between the protag and his wife was touching, and it might almost be worth reading the series for that alone--and the teddy bears. Kudos to an ex-cop for exposing his softer side!!

Ashleigh and Bradley Lyon have moved to Ashleigh's home town. Brad was injured on the job after 48 years in the San Francisco Police Department. Now retired, he helps Ashleigh make teddy bears in Remmelkemp Mills, VA. Excited about her first bear show where she's not only exhibiting her own line of bears but has one up for an award, Ashley is checking on last minute fixes for her bears. Bradley checks on the dog, finding him down by the river watching a body caught on a limb just out of reach.

Brad, being an ex-police officer, calls the appropriate authorities and soon there's an assortment of people asking questions, pulling the body from the river, and searching the area. However, when Bradley mentions to the Sheriff that the man was murdered, the Sheriff insults him and tells him to mind his own business. As any mystery reader knows the last thing someone should do is tell a curious mind that what they saw is not what they saw and to leave things alone. Brad can't help himself, he's got 48 years of experience that says he's right, so when the Deputy comes back off-duty to talk to him about the case, Brad offers advice.

This is a very low-key mystery. There's several different threads woven together some that touch on the death and some that don't but are important nonetheless. At first it looks like the murder is just an unrelated incident but when the Mournful Teddy of the title doesn't show up for the auction at the bear show where Ashleigh has a table, well things just might dovetail more than we thought -- or do they.

Skillfully pulling the various threads together, we learn about police procedures, chains of evidence, and the careful way that clues are assembled to find a killer. We also learn more about teddy bears and the Mournful Teddy which was made in a limited edition by Steiff to honor those lost on the Titanic. While not a roller coaster ride, this is a quiet story of people you can believe would get involved to see justice triumph. They're the kind of people you wouldn't mind having for neighbors.

This is the start of a series and already I want to know more about these people and their lives so I look forward to the next adventure and to learning more about bears. The book ends with a Teddy Bear Artisan Profile of Susan Arnot.

First Line: It was just before dawn on Saturday morning, the first day of October, and I again awoke to find myself in a strange bedroom... only this time my wife, Ashleigh, was gone.

I almost stopped reading this book after a few pages when I deduced the Bad Guys. However, it didn't take much persuasion for me to continue reading because of the voice of the main character. Brad Lyon is a former San Francisco police officer who was seriously wounded and forced to take early retirement. Retirement just happened to take him and his wife, Ashleigh, from "the world's largest unfenced lunatic asylum" (Brad's description of San Francisco) to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

Brad's wife makes teddy bears, and the two of them are ready to load up the truck and take all the bears to the Shenandoah Valley Teddy Bear Extravaganza where the Mourning Bear-- made to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic-- will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Before Brad can even get in the driver's seat, he finds the body of a man in the river, and once he and his wife make it to the Extravaganza, he learns that the Mourning Bear is missing. Add to all this the fact that there are strange goings-on in the small town of Remmelkemp Mill, Virginia, and Brad has his hands full.

I am so glad I kept reading The Mournful Teddy. I fell in love with Brad and his wisecracks and the fact that there are at least 900 reasons why he's madly in love with his wife of twenty-six years. I liked his wife Ashleigh because she's one talented lady who loves her husband just as much in return and also for the fact that she's a policeman's wife-- level-headed, full of common sense, and definitely not the type to sit around wringing her hands.

Although I'd deduced very early on whodunit, the "how" was definitely convoluted and fun to try to untangle. I wish there'd been a bit more about teddy bears and collecting, but you know what? If I have to make a choice between teddy bear lore and Brad and Ashleigh, I'm going to choose Brad and Ashleigh. They're marvelous characters, and I definitely plan to read more of this series.

[Source: Paperback Swap]