Review & Giveaway: Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear

Be sure to read to the bottom to see how you can enter to win a copy of this fun book.

The second in the BARGAIN HUNTER MYSTERIES, Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear is a welcome addition to Sharon Dunn’s books.

Ginger and the other members of the BHN (Bargain Hunter’s Network) are headed to Calamity, NV for what’s been dubbed the world’s largest garage sale. Ginger’s husband Earl is coming along to participate in an inventor’s convention to get his dream off the ground.

Within minutes of finally arriving at the hotel, Ginger finds their plans unraveling all around her. Then her husband has become someone she doesn’t recognize, and they both become embroiled in a murder investigation. Chaos reigns supreme with lots of humor and heart inserted.

The book is filled with quirks from the hotel that has a retro children’s toys theme to the characters themselves. Ginger and her cohorts are as lively as ever and surrounded by a full cast of characters. There’s Xabier who’s been doomed to play a walking teddy bear by his father who owns the Wind-Up Hotel. There’s the former child star who now lives at the hotel. Add in two detectives, one with a metabolism that doesn’t stop and the other with a diet fetish, and a host of other characters, and the book would entertain just in the character department.

But while these characters are filled with quirks, they also have a lot of heart and challenges. Ginger doesn’t want to believe the worst of her husband, but why would he lie to the police? Earl doesn’t understand why Ginger isn’t supporting him as he chases his dream. Kindra is surprised to find herself in a possible relationship and wonder if she can cast aside her list of requirements before falling into a relationship. Suzanne missed her children even though she couldn’t wait to get away from them. And Arleta is trying to live even as she fears she’s growing too old.

I could find something to relate with each of these characters about. Their struggles and questions mirrored some I’ve had and I loved the way the author handled the development of those. I’ve felt misunderstood and unsupported by family and friends at times. Wondered if all those requirements I created were really important.

I enjoyed the plot -- even though it moves at the pace of a cozy mystery -- mainly because the characters made me care about what would happen to them.

Bottom-line: this is an enjoyable mystery that borders on cozy-mystery pacing.

Sharon Dunn is the author of Death of a Garage Sale Newbie, book one in the Bargain Hunters Mysteries, and the Ruby Taylor mystery novels including Sassy Cinderella, which was voted Book of the Year by American Christian Fiction Writers. She earned a BA in television production and a master’s in history Sharon lives in Bozeman, Montana, with her husband of twenty years, three children, two cats, and lots of dust bunnies.


To enter to win a copy of this delightful book, be sure to leave a comment with a bargain-hunting tip. Mine: I try to buy most of my children's clothes on end-of-season clearance. This way I can buy name brands often for the price of clothes at Wal-Mart. I also buy Christmas presents year round when I see something on sale. To keep track of what I've purchased I keep a note-book in my gift closet, and enter all new purchases plus the person it's for in the book. It makes Christmas shopping a snap.