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.]

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