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Anteater of Death: A Zoo Mystery

Betty Webb
Poisoned Pen Press (2008)
ISBN 9781590585603
Reviewed by Allison King for RebeccasReads (11/08)

What do you get when you mix an anteater, upper crust families and murder?  A mystery novel full of adventure and fun, while looking for a murderer! The book’s main character, Theodora ‘Teddy’ Bentley, works at the local zoo as a zookeeper in charge of a number of animals, including a pregnant anteater. A murder occurs in the anteater’s enclosure and everyone wants to blame the animal, but Teddy knows better and puts her self in charge of finding out exactly what happened. The local sheriff Joe, her ex fiancé, even asks for her help in finding some answers to the killing. Teddy runs in to some roadblocks along the way. Her mother doesn’t like her working at the zoo, which she finds distracts from Teddy finding a spouse. The upper-crust families want her to stop asking questions around the neighborhood. Family secrets arise left and right, as she gets closer to finding the truth. As Teddy and Joe rekindle their feelings, the stakes get even higher when there is another murder. With the threat of the anteater being taken away or worse, Teddy must find the real murderer. Even at the risk of her family and her own life!

“The Anteater of Death” is the first book in the new Gunn Zoo Mystery series by Betty Webb. I am already looking forward to the next one. I was enthralled in Teddy’s life. The story moves along fast and easy to read. The moments from Lucy the Anteater’s ‘thoughts’ brought an interesting angle to what animals think when humans are around them. The mix of Teddy wanting to lead her own life away from her rich family and her families ‘family issue’ problems, put an interesting underlying storyline to the mystery. Amateur sleuth and zookeeper combine to make this book an intriguing one that I would recommend to others.

I love the zoo. My first stop is always the gorilla and chimpanzee exhibit. I’ve often watched them and wondered what they were thinking, especially about how they feel about people watching and starring at them all day. I would be curious to know why the author chose an anteater out of all the animal choices.

This story of a murder mystery tosses in a bit of zoo life to become a book that will have both kids and adults grabbing “The Anteater of Death” off the shelves to read. Take the time to go to your local zoo, but be careful. You don’t want to end up in the next mystery at the zoo!!

    

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