"Death of a Six-Foot Teddy Bear "
By Sharon Dunn

Ginger Salinski and the other Bargain Hunter Network ladies arrive in sweltering Calamity, Nev., to do some outlet shopping and to support Ginger's husband with his new "Pepper Light" gadget at the Inventors Expo.

But from the moment they arrive, it's one disaster after another.

A Squirrel Lovers Convention has been booked at the same time as the expo, and confusion reigns. The air conditioning, fire sprinklers and the elevators at the toy-themed Wind-Up Hotel malfunction; several guests report that their jewelry is missing; and in a reservation mix-up, Ginger learns that their rooms have been reassigned.

Worst of all, her husband, Earl, has lost his exhibitor space on the convention floor. Their entire life's savings are tied up in his invention, and Ginger is frantic to remedy the situation.

When her pleas for understanding go unheeded by the ultra-suave hotel owner, Dustin Clydell, she feels frustrated enough to "kill" him.

Later, when Earl discovers the hotelier's body in a giant Teddy Bear costume, people report what Ginger said, and the police cast a suspicious eye on the couple.

But the list of people who had a grudge against the money-hungry Clydell is long, and Ginger is determined to find clues to his murder that will clear her name. Soon she and her friends are hunting for a killer, a jewel thief, a pair of hit men, and a lost cat named Phoebe.

The wild adventure culminates in a crazy midnight chase across manicured greens in a pair of under-powered golf carts... where Earl's PepperLight invention is put to good use.

Dunn's cozy mystery is packed with charming, likable characters who have plenty of flaws as well as good intentions. Despite the homicide, the general tone is lighthearted, with brief moments of introspection.

Characters occasionally pray for help or share their convictions, but the story never gets preachy. And the budding romance for the youngest Bargain Hunter is squeaky clean.

The plot is sufficiently complicated to keep readers guessing till the final pages, with enough humor to make it a delightful read. The author's wholesome prose makes the book appropriate for pre-teens as well as adults.

To learn more about the author and her Bargain Hunters or Ruby Taylor mysteries, visit her Web site, www.sharondunnbooks.com.