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The Anteater of Death

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

If Lucy, the pregnant giant anteater from Belize, didn't kill the man found dead in her enclosure, who did? California zookeeper Teddy Bentley must find the real murderer before her furry friend is shipped off to another zoo in disgrace. Then another human bites the dust, the monkeys riot, and the wolves go nuts. Things get worse when the snooty folks at Gunn Landing Harbor attempt to evict Teddy from the Merilee, her beloved houseboat. And that's just the beginning.

Teddy's father, on the lam from the feds for embezzling millions, gets targeted by a local gangster. Her socialite mother, Caro, a former beauty queen who loathes Teddy's dangerous job, starts introducing her to "eligible bachelors." But Teddy has already given her heart to Sheriff Joe Rejas, a migrant worker's son. Caro is not pleased.

Zoo life, animal lore, and the leaky ups and downs of California central-coast houseboat living create a thrilling backdrop for murder.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      September 22, 2008
      Webb, author of Desert Cut
      and four other Lena Jones mysteries, launches a new series featuring a warm and unconventional heroine, zookeeper Theodora “Teddy” Bentley. Teddy is dismayed to learn that a pregnant anteater in her care, Lucy, appears to have mauled to death a prominent patron of California's Gunn Landing Zoo, Grayson Harrill. When it turns out that someone shot Harrill first, Teddy turns sleuth to discover who framed her beloved Lucy. The colorful supporting cast includes Teddy's beauty queen mother, who makes her daughter call her Caro; Harrill's wife and descendant of the zoo's founder; and the zoo's controversial director. Webb deftly weaves zoological lore into the fast-moving plot. She errs only in going too far in giving the anteater's point-of-view (“Get out. If you don't get out, I'll uncurl my claws and give you a rake down your belly
      ”). The book's human perspective conveys everything we need to know about Lucy, her habitat and her behavior.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      A wealthy zoo patron is found mauled and dead inside the enclosure of an anteater named Lucy. When Lucy is accused of the crime, her zookeeper, Teddy, believes she is innocent and begins her own investigation. Teddy is instantly likable, in part due to Hillary Huber's sardonic, scratchy voice, which complements this unconventional heroine. Huber excels when voicing Lucy's thoughts, and she makes all the animal characters sound believable, yet not human. Huber's quirky voice adds a heavy dose of sarcasm to Webb's snappy dialogue. While this sarcastic tone is great for the eccentric minor characters, it wears a bit thin as the principal narrative voice. J.T. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine
    • Library Journal

      May 15, 2009
      In this first book in Webb's new "Gunn Zoo" soft-boiled mystery series, California zookeeper and former rich girl Theodora "Teddy" Bentley resorts to amateur sleuthing when a human corpse is found in the zoo's anteater enclosure and the chief of policeher former fiancfingers a fellow zookeeper as the primary suspect. Teddy is a lighter-hearted heroine than Webb's (www.bettywebb-mystery.com) other series protagonist, ex-cop-turned-PI Lena Jones (e.g., "Desert Run, Desert Cut"). Audie Award nominee Hillary Huber (www.hillaryhuber.com) endows Teddy with the unpretentious, wisecracking spark of an independent woman. Webb, who has zoo experience, adds authenticity with zoo lingo and animal facts. For fans of easygoing mysteries. [Audio clip available through www.blackstoneaudio.com; the review of the Poisoned Pen hc recommended this title "to mystery buffs who enjoy light animal mysteries," "LJ" 10/1/08.Ed.]Judith Robinson, LIS, Univ. at Buffalo

      Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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