Death of a Bear: A Provincetown Mystery

Sydney Riley #1

by Jeannette de Beauvoir

Volume 1 of the Provincetown Theme Week Collection Sydney Riley is the wedding coordinator for the Race Point Inn in Provincetown, Massachusetts, a resort town on Cape Cod that attracts a diverse flow of summer visitors, including same-sex couples wishing to tie the knot where marriage equality in the United States all began. But Sydney’s busy schedule is interrupted when, right at the beginning of “Bear Week” (one of many theme weeks celebrating various groups) she finds her boss, Barry, the inn owner—and “bear” himself—floating in the inn’s swimming pool…dead. < /p> Sydney thinks that everyone likes Barry, but soon she finds that there was a lot going on under the surface that she didn’t know about. Who’s been embezzling the inn’s funds? Was Barry really running a green-card scam out of the inn? Are any of the condo owners next door irate enough to come after Barry? What about that mysterious person in the Gropius house that Barry’s been seeing? And why does Sydney seem to be falling for—of all people—an ICE agent?

Join Sydney, her friend the Bulgarian artist Mirela, her coworkers Jason and Mike, Barry’s longtime partner Glenn, local police detective Julie, and a cast of a hundred bears as she tries to find out what really happened to Barry…hopefully before the killer collects any more bodies!

Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Fiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published May 3, 2017

About the author

Jeannette de Beauvoir is the bestselling author of the Sydney Riley (Provincetown) mystery series and the Martine LeDuc (Montréal) mystery series. She also writes some historical fiction out of a true love of the past and a desire to make her decades of student loan payments for history degrees make sense.

She always writes about strong and smart female protagonists, perhaps in the hope that one day she'll be more like them.

She lives in a small cottage at the tip of Cape Cod and begins her days with a walk on the beach. Well, most days. February is a little challenging.

Reviews

[Melanie]

The last of my books from the independent shops of Cape Cod. Some editing errors, which is unfortunate, but well written and if you’ve ever been to Provincetown the book captures the locale perfectly. Recommend.

[Sheila Garry]

So I met this waitress in Provincetown at Napis Restaurant where she was also hosting a trivia night. I encountered her a few times there. Lo and behold, she is also a writer and is this month’s pick for our book club! It’s a quick entertaining read about a murder in Provincetown. What made it so delightful was that I knew all the locations and even some of the people. A fun read.

[Bill Kelly]

During this pandemic Death of a Bear by Jeannette can be a terrific antidote. A completely welcome page turner what with all the time I have now. Of course it could have helped that in 2014 Jeannette was our Provincetown celebrant. The descriptions and characters here are drawn so vividly that it takes you right back to Ptown. A welcome place to be. While flipping pages I wondered what took me so long to find this book. Now I can’t wait to find out what happens next in Murder at Fantasia Fair (2017)!!

[Dennis Fischman]

Okay, I probably added an extra star because I'm familiar with P'town and actually spent most of a day there on my last visit to the Cape, but this is a fun mystery. I liked our heroine. Her romantic interest has possibilities, too. The police are not shown as dolts, the gay men (even the drag queen who officiates weddings) are taken seriously, and I gotta love a mystery that steers me toward good places to eat, in real life!

I will say that some of the heavy-handed hints about the kind of personality who would commit the murder nearly gave the plot away, to me, but then there were enough false leads and contradictory indications that I thought my suspect had been ruled out...until the end.

[ReadaBook]

Ptown!

A mystery set in Provincetown and includes so many truths about this little ol’ fisherman’s village - that really is no longer just a fishing village. Enjoyed seeing several real places mentioned. Enjoyed the descriptions of the locals, washashores, seasonal staff, etc. I could go on.
If you like Provincetown, if you are familiar with that gay lifestyle, if you like mysteries that really do use place as part of the narrative…..you’ll enjoy this book.
I’m looking forward to Book 2!

[Alicia]

I honestly would give the book a 2.75 if we were able to do that. I did like the book and the mystery. But I felt bad for the Agent in the story. The way Sydney berated him for his job not just once but multiple times didn’t add to the story to me. I understand that it is a VERY important issue and it is something we are dealing with now, but it just made me feel bad for him which brought my star rating down. I liked the mystery, it was fast pace and kept moving. I also liked that it didn’t point to a super obvious character. Overall, it was an enjoyable quick read.

[Lindy]

I can agree, & fail to be engaged

The writing, plot, character development were all above adequate (especially for Kindle). I was dissatisfied that the plot was less about being a thriller/who done it, with a missed opportunity at a touch of comedy in the characters. The heavy handed insertion of politics, immigration, and views on government left me uninterested in further plots.

[Lee]

Meh. Bears, bears, bears, every third word is "bear". But the characters are two-dimensional and without nuance - it's as if the author read about Bear Week in a newspaper. A murder mystery, so it drags you along to its conclusion, with the twists and turns that these books have. It is nice that it's in Provincetown - there are the particular details that those of us who visit frequently all know about. Truth be told, that's what kept me going until the end of the book.

[Brian]

Loved this book. A great summer read for anyone who loves a mystery and especially those of us who have a special love of Provincetown and its unique place in the hearts of anyone who has walked Commercial St or its beaches.

[Jim Olearchik]

I've been going to Ptown for 20 years. The fate of this year's visit is up in the air, due to Ms. 'Rona. So it was delightful to step into this book and feel like I was back on Commercial Street. The mystery was decent. Kind of wish the protagonist had been queer, but it was still enjoyable.

[Kate Collier]

Finally, the first episode of the Provincetown Mysteries, and it's a good one! I enjoy this series, especially the way de Beauvoir weaves in history and contemporary traditions. Keep these books coming :-)

[Toni]

1st In PTown series. I chose this read because of the Provincetown location, and it didn't disappoint. I enjoyed reading about places I've been when there; it was nice to be back.
Sydney, the main character, was likeable, and the mystery was good, although I did suspect who the murderer was.

[Mitchell B]

It's a bear mystery.

I love provincetown and just recently bought a home there. What an interesting story and reading about the locals and the businesses. Oh, it's a great murder mystery.

[Mary]

Quick read

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (5/1/2021)! 🎁

[Kali]

I really enjoyed this book. I’ve spent time in Provincetown so i had fun picturing the various settings and the crowds. Well written and good plotting. I want to. Read the other books in the series.

[Carolyn Rose]

3.5 stars. Interesting setting both physical and social. I wanted more from the final deductions and endings. To be fair, early on I was positive of the killer so perhaps I spoiled things for myself.

[Courtney]

Set in Provincetown Cape Cod. This is a quick little mystery. I want to start reading more books based on Cape Cod. I probably won’t continue with the series though.

[Kirsten Feldman]

3.5* Fun heroine, good snark, local lore, and a decent mystery—bring on more Sydney.

[Jessica]

A must read if you’ve ever visited or lived in Provincetown. Absolutely plan on reading her other Sydney Riley novels!

[Mmurtaba]

LOVED IT

I loved that a tour of Provincetown was included in a rich murder mystery. I look forward to reading another Sydney Riley mystery!!!

[Elizabeth Kennedy]

Can’t believe this one was on Mount TBR for so long! What fun! And to be surrounded by the familiar places and sighted of a place I love so much made it even better!!

[Martha]

A light, fun mystery set in Provincetown during Bear Week that involves a wedding planner, a guest house owner, and human trafficking. Oh, and a very handsome ICE agent. All is not as it seems, and friendships can unravel.