The Mournful Teddy

The Mournful Teddy (Berkley Prime Crime Mysteries) by John J. Lamb ~~ 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.