Bear a Wee Grudge

December 01, 2021

Bear a Wee Grudge

Bear a Wee Grudge (A Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery)
by Meg Macy

About Bear A Wee Grudge

Bear a Wee Grudge (A Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
5th in Series
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kensington (November 30, 2021)
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 149672917X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496729170
Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08Y69JKKM

Teddy bear shop manager Sasha Silverman must step fast to find a murderer before an upcoming Scottish festival . . .

It’s springtime in Silver Hollow, Michigan, and Sasha is looking forward to the village’s inaugural Highland Fling weekend. Plans are underway for a Kilted 5K, athletic competitions, dancing, live music, and even a Hurl-the-Haggis contest. Meanwhile, Sasha’s staff is busy crafting custom teddy bears in kilts for the Silver Bear Shop’s vendor booth. But trouble’s brewing behind the scenes, as the obnoxious Teddy Hartman, former owner of a rival teddy bear company, sows seeds of discord about town, targeting Sasha’s family and their business.

Things go from plaid to worse when—just a week before the festival kicks-off—the disgruntled gossip is found murdered with an ax buried in his back. Sasha’s dad is arrested, since he’s a champion ax-thrower. But she doesn’t give a dram what it looks like—Sasha knows that despite the old business rivalry with Hartman, her father is innocent. So with a spot of help from her friends, Sasha must bag the real killer before her first Fling also becomes her last.

TEDDY BEARS ARE FOR KIDS!

Hi, I’m Sasha Silverman. I manage my family’s business in Silver Hollow, not far from Ann Arbor (Go Blue!) My dad established the Silver Bear Shop & Factory not long after he resigned as a prosecuting attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan (long story, that). Then he got the bright idea to hire me in managing the shop—selling behind the counter along with part-time staff, planning holiday special events, and conducting tours for guests. I’d just divorced my husband (also a lawyer, but let’s not go there), so I welcomed the chance to come home and regain my bearings.

Things went well—until dead bodies began dropping. And why was I usually the one who stumbled across them? Although my sister was with me a few times, along with my mom (and my ex, although he’ll deny it). That meant people started calling me a “dead body magnet” and then “Nancy Drew” or “Jessica Fletcher” when I ended up helping to track down the killers. That was bad enough, but I also had to deal with other problems. Business rivalries from the past, production glitches at our factory, and plenty more. But I’d like to get one thing off my chest, if you don’t mind.

If you do, better stop reading! Just kidding, of course. This is something near and dear to my heart, though. I may come across like the Trix rabbit in those TV commercials, but “teddy bears are for kids!” I mean, they’re beloved toys—from way back in the early 1900s, when the first bear was sold in a New York City shop, and named after President Theodore Roosevelt. I’m old enough to remember Teddy Ruxpin, which had audio cassettes built into the back, so he could tell stories to kids. They’re valuable collector’s items now. Wish I’d kept mine after it broke. Oh well.

Kids need cuddly and cute stuffed animals for comfort. Especially during a thunderstorm, if their parents are arguing, or if a friend hurts their feelings. A teddy bear can share in a game or a tea party, and maybe ride along in a bike basket around the block or the park. I still have the bear my dad handed down, that his dad made long ago, and hope to pass it down one day.

But some people have fashioned teddy bears with nasty teeth and blood-spattered fur, as nightmare-inducing “horror bears.” Or stored drugs inside them, or video cameras. Creeps have also used teddy bears to lure innocent children away from their families for far worse crimes. The thought makes my blood boil! I hope such criminals who prey on kids (and bears) get put away for years behind bars.

Okay, I’m done with that rant. I love seeing kids come into the Silver Bear Shop to pick out a new outfit for their bears, or choose a new friend! Somehow I was volunteered to assist the village’s Highland Fling committee in planning a large region-wide festival. On top of having to churn out kilted bears (they’re adorable, of course!) at the factory, along with the usual spring time wedding bride and groom pairs of bears (they are popular for anniversary or wedding gifts.)

And I’ve got to get back to helping plan the schedule of games like the caber toss, hammer throw, and even a Hurl-the-Haggis event. There’ll be dancing and music (with bagpipes), plus I’ve got to make a chart so that the Silver Bear Shop’s vendor tent is staffed over the three-day festival. Oh, and solve another murder, because the incompetent homicide detective is fixated on the wrong suspect. Sigh.

I bet Teddy Ruxpin could do a better job.

About Meg Macy

Award-winning mystery author Meg Macy lives in Southeast Michigan, close enough to Ann Arbor, Chelsea, and Dexter — the setting of her “Shamelessly Adorable Teddy Bear” cozy mysteries for Kensington. She is also one-half of the writing team of D.E. Ireland for the Eliza Doolittle & Henry Higgins mysteries; two books, Wouldn’t It Be Deadly and Get Me to the Grave On Time were Agatha Award finalists for Best Historical. Meg’s first published book, Double Crossing, won the 2012 Best First Novel Spur Award from Western Writers of America. Meg loves reading historical and cozy mysteries, gardening, crafts, and watercolor painting.

Author Links

Website — https://www.megmacy.com

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Twitter — https://twitter.com/megmims

Goodreads — https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15751255.Meg_Macy

Instagram — https://www.instagram.com/meg_macy_author/

BookBub — https://www.bookbub.com/authors/meg-macy

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