Now, Ashleigh is an auxiliary sheriff’s deputy and Brad is creating a line of teddy bears called “Claw and Order” designed after famous television cops.  Only thing is, as Brad creates, he always has his police scanner on, especially when Ashleigh is on duty. As he is working on his latest creation, he hears Ashleigh get sideswiped by a car leaving Rawlins’s farm and start in hot pursuit. As the chase gets more dangerous, Ashleigh calls it off so no one is hurt and returns to the Rawlins’ to see what caused someone to fly out of the driveway so quickly. 

At the farm she finds the owner, Everett, laying dead with an arrow in his chest. When Sheriff Tina Barron arrives, no one is sure if this is a hunting accident or if one of the people who have recently had beefs with Everett decided to end their arguments once and for all.  Game warden Randy Kent has been hunting on Everett’s land out of season and his neighbor Wade Tice had accused Everett of causing his well to go dry when Everett had to remediate his well. Ashleigh and Brad find markings in the woods indicating that the land has recently been surveyed, perhaps for a fence, or perhaps Everett was thinking of selling his farm. Son Kurt returns from his home in D.C., shocked by his father’s murder, but with no interest in saving the family farm. 

Things aren’t adding up for Brad and Ashleigh, yet nothing is obvious, so they keep looking and asking.  Ashleigh has also been asked to join the sheriff’s department full time; while she is flattered, Ashleigh realizes it would curtail the teddy bear museum/shop she and Brad have been planning on opening for a while and hope to start before the year is over.  

The Treacherous Teddy, the fifth teddy bear mystery, is a quick read with a fairly easy mystery to solve. It is this entry into the series that really lets Ashleigh shine as a fully developed character. She has been helpful to Brad in his previous investigations, but as their roles slowly reverse, she has become delightful and gets to show off how smart and capable she is.  Even though Ashleigh and Brad are very good investigators, neither has forgotten the dream of why they moved back to Virginia: to make and share their love of teddy bears. Remembering their common goal helps to continue the strength of their marriage and relationship. 

This is a fun series with a great leading pair, plenty of teddy bear lore and an appearance by a real live bear giving bear enthusiasts an extra added bonus.                                                     

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry