"If you go into the woods Saturday, all of Shawano County will hear your cries, because that will be the day the great Patches Sinclair dies." The annual Teddy Bears Picnic is the highlight of the year for the children of Shawano County, more so than Easter egg hunts or visits from Santa Claus. Besides being a celebration for the end of summer and an opportunity to break the record of the number of teddy bears at one gathering, the children get to party with Patches Sinclair, a beloved seven-foot teddy bear. However, bear hunting season seems to have arrived early in northeast Wisconsin as Thad Sheppard, the man inside the bear, is found dead in the woods with a knife in his back, no head on his shoulders and a love note composed in hell. Zachary Gagewood must determine who hated Thad enough to want him dead-two vengeful ex-wives, clown and magician competitors jealous of the bear's acclaim, loan sharks, even a young man who claims Thad is his father. However, when Zachary's beloved, Newell Krueger, decides to play the role of Patches so the picnic can continue, he fears his boyfriend could end up being the next bear to be hunted down in the woods.
A first biography of one of Britain's leading lyric songwriters. The Man Who Wrote The Teddy Bears' Picnic tells the story of Irish-born Jimmy Kennedy, one of the last - and arguably the finest - of the professional Tin Pan Alley songwriters of the pre-Beatles 'golden age' of popular song. A fascinating insight into the life of a man who rose from small town beginnings to become for fifty years the lyrical and musical power behind some of the twentieth centurys top popular song entertainers from the days of Variety right up to The Beatles era. Jimmy had something like 30 No. 1 hits to his credit worldwide but is little known outside of music business circles. The book, written by his younger son, ex journalist J.J.Kennedy, sets out to remedy this omission and celebrates his contribution to the genre. Though his romantic ballads like Red Sails in the Sunset continue to be played all round the world, Jimmy is possibly best rembered today for the Cokey Cokey, which he adapted from a Canadian folk song in 1943, and The Teddy Bears' Picnic, which gave magical childrens' words to an old American tune. Well written and easy to read, the book serves as an excellent historical record of pop and is full of facts, observations and authoritative comment on the cut and thrust village that was Tin Pan Alley. It captures the bustle of the place and its almost industrial approach to song creation. It paints a colourful picture of some of the leading characters of the period and exposes the double dealing, greed and downright exploitation prevalent in that world. But the book also creates a romantic mysticism around the characters who dashed around in Denmark street, peddling their talent so often in vain. It transports you to smoky little rooms with music coming from every corridor and it tells the story in black and white, like an old Hollywood movie. Swimming among all these sharks is the unlikely figure of Jimmy Kennedy dapper and charming, modest and artistically fine-tuned, yet steely, resilient and highly commercial. A man who could spot the financial worth of his work, write to order sometimes in lightning-quick time and stand his ground when he knew he had a hit. He was in fact, a one man hit machine. But it wasnt always one man, and the book illuminates the winning partnerships with Michael Carr, Will Grosz et al. One of the key strengths of the book is its nostalgia appeal and has some wonderful anecdotes including recollections from Terry Wogan, Val Doonican and others and non-musical people such as Denis and Margaret Thatcher. All in all, a very intelligent book and one which will become a work of reference for anyone studying the popular music art form of the twentieth century.
Retired San Francisco cop Brad Lyon is settling into a quieter life with his wife Ashleigh in Virginia’s mountain country, where they collect and create teddy bears. But even here, stuff happens... The day is here—and Brad Lyon is helping his wife put the finishing touches on her best bears, just in time for the Shenandoah Valley Teddy Bear Extravaganza. The event will draw fur-ball fanatics from near and far—to buy, sell, or simply ogle the bears. But the main event will be the showing of the Mourning Bear, made to commemorate the sinking of the Titanic—and worth a hefty $150,000. Then a local also meets a watery grave—and Brad Lyon spots the body floating in the Shenandoah. Old habits die hard, so Brad starts investigating like a homicide cop and finds that the deceased might have had a connection to the Mourning Bear. But the local law would prefer that Brad keep his mouth sewn shut...
When his wife's twentieth wedding anniversary gift, a valuable, antique teddy bear, is stolen, retired San Francisco cop Brad Lyon discovers that this crime may be linked to the arrival of Japanese gangsters and the murder of the local museum director. Original.
In this cozy mystery, there's no place more heartwarming than a small-town teddy bear shop—especially when a coldblooded killer is on the loose. Autumn in Silver Hollow, Michigan, means crisp air, colorful leaves, and the annual teddy bear festival, Oktobear Fest.As the manager of Silver Bear Shop and Factory, Sasha Silverman will host the opening Cranbeary Tea Party. She barely has a moment to agonize over the return of her former high school rival, Holly Parker, whose new toy and bookstore in town could spell big trouble for the Silver Bear Shop—not to mention her cousin's adorable bookstore. But when Sasha discovers the dead body of Holly's shop assistant, the unpleasant woman suddenly looks like a real backstabber. So does Sasha's ex-husband, rumored to have rekindled the fiery extramarital affair he once had with the victim. Sasha can't let a homicide investigation takes over Oktobear Fest—but catching the real killer will be far from child's play.
Ava Fisher is a flamboyant flake. Kenny Summers is a recent high school graduate. Luvon Ramsey is a junk dealer. Marie Elrod is a handicapped sixteen year old. Their mutual error is saying Hello to a very charming psychopath. Each ends up strangled and holding onto a Teddy Bear with a knife in its back. The serial killer is hidden in plain sight and has his focus on Olivia Haines, an English teacher at Fairfield High School in West Los Angeles. She considers herself a stranger to these murders until one day someone leaves her an unusual calling carda strangled cat dangling in her classroom. She is suddenly aware she is being scheduled as murder victim number five. Olivia is rapidly convinced she is in a life and death struggle between the killer and herself and one of them will not survive. Using every teaching skill she possesses, she wages an all out battle for survival against a very lethal psychopath. If you like Agatha Christies Miss Marple, youll certainly relish Olivia Haines in Teddy Bear Murders.
Sometimes the best of intentions lead to the worst tragedies.When a charity function goes horribly awry, cupcake shop owner, Missy Gladstone, finds herself elbows-deep in a murder investigation. With the dashing Detective Beckett at her side, Missy is determined to get to the bottom of a dangerous situation...before it's too late!
WOW - so you might buy this ebook. Well I think that it is one of the most exciting, funny and fantastical adventure books that you could ever, ever read! Check it out and let me know! Tom Jolleys.
