The Koala of Death

May 15, 2010
The body of one zookeeper provides a workout for the brain of another.

Zookeeper Teddy Bentley comes from a wealthy family but chooses to live on an old converted trawler in Gunn Landing Harbor. After the strangled corpse of Koala Kate appears alongside her home, Teddy reluctantly agrees to assume Kate's job as TV personality and blogger. Several other zookeepers who actually want the gig are even less happy than Teddy. But Teddy's boyfriend Sheriff Joe Rejas hopes it will keep her too busy to stick her nose into the investigation. Teddy's wealthy, much-married mother Caro is determined to find her daughter a husband up to Caro's standards (i.e., not Joe). Ignoring both Joe and her mother's wishes and the burden of her extra work, Teddy continues to care for the animals she loves, especially Wanchu the Koala. The suspects in Kate's murder include Aster Edwina, the patroness of the Gunn Zoo; an animal psychic who helped Caro's nasty Chihuahua reform his ways; Outback Bill, who was recently dumped by Kate and is actually arrested for the murder; and other human denizens of the zoo. Shrugging off pressure from her loved ones, Teddy won't give up, even though her own life is in danger and the motive for murder comes out of left field.

Teddy's second case (The Anteater of Death, 2008) showcases an engaging array of quirky characters, human and animal.

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June 1, 2010
When Koala Kate's body is fished out of Gunn Landing Harbor, zookeeper Theodora "Teddy" Bentley inherits her job of doing PR for the Gunn Zoo, including segments on misbehaving animals on the local TV channel. Teddy gets caught up in the case for a number of reasons, and it does not help that her boyfriend, the local sheriff, does not want her nosing around. Of course, she places herself squarely in the danger zone. VERDICT The author of the edgy Lena Jones mysteries softens her touch in this second zoo mystery (after "The Anteater of Death") featuring an amateur sleuth with a wealthy background and a great deal of zoological knowledge and brain power. From mucking out the cages to carrying a lemur with a loose sphincter onto a TV set, Teddy's adventures will appeal to fans of animal-themed cozies. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 4/1/10.]

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 31, 2010
At the start of Webb's playful second Gunn Zoo mystery (after 2008's The Anteater of Death), a dead body bumps against the hull of Theodora "Teddy" Bentley's boat moored in Gunn Landing Harbor, Calif. To Teddy's dismay, it's Kate Nido, her koala-keeper zoo colleague, who's been strangled. When a zoo employee is arrested for the crime and another marina resident is murdered, Teddy investigates on her own at considerable personal risk. Meanwhile, her socialite mom continues matching her up with men more "suitable" than her boyfriend, Sheriff Joe Rejas, and Teddy is chosen to take over the PR and television appearances Kate had handled for the zoo. While some may find the resolution contrived, Webb warmly evokes the unconventional worlds of zoo and marina. Readers don't even have to be animal lovers to enjoy watching, say, a pushy television host get her comeuppance from a mischievous lemur.

June 1, 2010
Zookeeper Theodora Teddy Bentley is looking for the sea otter that has been frequenting the marina where her houseboat is docked when she finds the body of a colleague, Koala Kate, zookeeper and television personality, floating in the water. Kate was strangled before being dumped in the water and the suspects are many: Outback Bill, her former boyfriend; Robin Chase, the big-cat keeper who has a grudge against Teddy; several other liveaborders at the harbor; an animal psychic; and even Teddys ex-beauty-queen mother. When Teddy is ordered by her boss at the zoo to take over Kates TV show, she finds herself thrown into the murder investigation and must solve the crime to avoid becoming the next victim. Teddys second adventure will appeal to animal lovers who enjoy a bit of social satire with their mystery. Pair this series with Ann Littlewoods Iris Oakley novels, also starring a zookeeper.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)