Looking for something light-hearted, easy to get through and entertaining during shoulder surgery recovery period. The Fourth Bear was my random pick and it filled the bill. I read 330 pages before the end of the year. Then finished on New Year’s day – not counting those pages toward either yearly goal. In a nutshell, this book is like a Monty Python movie mixed with an episode of Law&Order. Jack Spratt heads the Nursery Crime Division of the police force in Reading, England. He takes on villians like the Scissorsman and a serial killing Ginger Bread Man. It was wacky, but intelligent. I would not passionately recommend the novel, although it is a harmless romp through creativity. The ending wraps up everything all nice and neat – Hollywood style – which I never like, but totally expected as the writer really had no choice based on the book’s tonality and subject matter.