4 out of 5 stars.

While I felt that there was a bit of a slow start to the book, once I got into it, this was a fun and delightful read; a great start to a new series!

I like our main characters. For the most part, Sasha has a sensible head on her shoulders. Right at the end, she seemed to lose that sensibility and put herself in real danger, but that was the first time in the whole book she'd done that so I think I'm really going to end up liking her as a character.

Since I live in SE Michigan, I'm very familiar with the area that Ms. Macy used in the book. You could tell that she combined some towns to make the area, but if you weren't from this area, it'd seem like a really nice little town. Being from here didn't detract from the story line. I don't mean that. It was kind of neat to see the things that she included and what she mixed around for originality, that kind of thing. :)

The plot line moved along at a steady pace. As I said above, I had a bit of a slow start getting into it, but once I did, I enjoyed it. I wondered about the villain, but I didn't get the whole picture until the end when it was revealed.

I'd definitely recommend this new series and I look forward to the next one, even tho' we have to wait until next June for it!

*** Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. I was not compensated for my review. All opinions and conclusions are my own. *** ( )

When Will Taylor, the sales rep for The Silver Bear Shop and Factory, turns up dead on the factory floor, store manager Sasha Silverman finds herself digging for clues to prove her Uncle’s innocence after some rather heated threats makes him the prime suspect. If that weren’t enough, the murder has shut down her business on a holiday weekend, her parents seem to have gone AWOL, half her staff is quitting or suspected of criminal activity and she has to ask her cheating ex-husband for help.

This was a terrific first installment of a new series. Sasha did a fantastic job of taking us on a tour of her small Michigan town and introducing us to her neighbors. By the time the book was finished we were old friends, caught up on the old gossip and we know just who to keep an eye on in the coming books. I am sure I am not the only reader who wishes she could pop online and pick up a teddy bear. Meg Macy has written a small town atmosphere with a modern day vibe and while shop names may be cutesy there is very little cliche here.

The backbone of this story is the teddy bear factory and the family that runs it. The behind-the-scenes of a teddy bear factory fit in nicely with the unwinding clues, providing the perfect balance of story and mystery. It is quite an enjoyable read with lots of false trails and red herrings to keep the readers fully engaged.

5 stars

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ( )

Sasha Silverman helps manage her family's factory, Silver Bear Shop and Factory, in Silver Hollow, Michigan. Her parents have semi-retired from the business leaving Sasha, her sister Maddie and Uncle Ross to run the business. The family prides themselves on the great quality of Silver Bears. Imagine Sasha's surprise when the company sales manager, Will Taylor, returns from a meeting with her father stating that the family patriarch has agreed to cut staff and move most of the factory operations overseas to cut costs. Unable to reach her parents to confirm Taylor's statements, Sasha refuses to believe Taylor's claims. It soon becomes a moot point when Taylor's dead body is discovered inside the factory. Heated words exchanged between Taylor and Sasha's Uncle Ross make her uncle a suspect in the man's murder. In order to save her uncle and the family business, Sasha knows she needs to investigate and find out who killed their sales manager.

The minute I saw the cover for this book, I knew I had to read it! I have been a teddy bear collector for years. The theme of this cozy mystery had me hooked before I even read one word. Luckily, the story lived up to my expectations. This is a well-paced, fun to read cozy mystery! I liked the story and the characters just as much as I like the teddy bear theme. The cover art is incredi-cute as well.

Sasha Silverman makes a great main character. She is an inventive business woman who works hard to market the family's teddy bear line. And when pulled into a murder investigation, she puts her wits to work to discover the culprit. The side characters aren't as developed, but add nice flavor to the plot. The background details about toy manufacture and how stuffed animals are assembled is interesting and adds nice flavor to this cozy.

Bearly Departed is the first book in the new Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery series. A second book, Bear Witness to Murder, will be published in 2018. I am definitely going to be reading more of this series! I can't resist teddy bears -- and the mystery kept my attention from beginning to end!

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. **

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This is the first book in a new cozy series "Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mysteries". Sasha Silverman is the manager of her family's business, Silver Bear Shop and Factory, in Silver Hollow, Michigan. Her father has retired (although he still owns the company) and her parents have moved to Florida. With her sister Maddie who handles the office and Uncle Ross who runs the factory, she enjoys her job and creates many fun opportunities for the residents and visitors. The family prides themselves on the great quality of Silver Bears, each being handmade with hinged limbs so when the sales manager, Will Taylor tells them that they are moving the factory operations to China and laying off staff, there are many disgruntled people. When Will's body is found dead later that night in the factory, Uncle Ross is the main suspect for his vociferous claims of wanting to kill him. In order to save her uncle and the family business, Sasha begins her own investigation of who killed the sales manager.

I found the story dragged in some spots as there was an overwhelming amount of detail, and in some it breezed along. Sasha is successful in her attempts to ferret out the culprit, but she came across as annoying and just plain nosy at times. She is a smart business woman and worked hard to make her family business a success. She has a lot of friends and engenders loyalty from them. I know this is the first book and I hope the characters get fleshed out more in future stories as there were a lot of people introduced in this book. I will admit that it was the cover that attracted me to this story. I love teddy bears and this was a cute story. It was the epitome of a cozy with its small town, quaint characters and settings, amateur sleuth and a mystery to solve. It did not make me think too hard, I figured out the killer early, but still kept reading and enjoyed the story. If you like a cute cozy, you will enjoy this one. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via netgalley. ( )

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.

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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
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