What do you think?
Rate this book
Gunn Zoo Mystery #2
The Koala of Death
When zoo keeper Theodora “Teddy” Bentley fishes the body of Koala Kate out of Gunn Landing Harbor, she discovers that her fellow zoo keeper didn’t drown; she was strangled. The clues to Koala Kate’s killer implicate other animal keepers at the Gunn Zoo, including Outback Bill, marsupial keeper and Kate’s Aussie ex-boyfriend; and Robin Chase, the big cat keeper who’s got it in for Teddy. Also displaying suspicious behavior are several “liveaboarders” at the harbor; Speaks-To-Souls, a shady “animal psychic”; and even Caro, Teddy’s much-married, ex-beauty queen mother. But murderers aren’t all Teddy has to worry about. Her embezzling father is still on the run from the Feds, and the motor on the Merilee, her beloved houseboat is failing. To pay for the repairs, Teddy agrees to appear on a weekly live television broadcast featuring misbehaving animals that range from Wanchu, a cuddly koala, to Abim, a panicky wallaby – and all hell breaks loose in the TV studio. To add to Teddy’s woes, the killer zeroes in on her with near-fatal results. The Koala of Death brings a return to Gunn Zoo and the social-climbing humans and eccentric animals that made the prize-winning The Anteater of Death so popular. Readers will enjoy this behind-the-scenes peek at zoo life, and learn that poor little rich girls like Teddy lead much more complicated lives that they’d ever imagine – especially when they’re tracking killers.
250 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2010
About the author
Betty Webb
22 books193 followersAs a journalist and literary critic for more than 20 years, Betty -- a resident of Scottsdale, Arizona, where her detective Lena Jones also lives -- has interviewed U. S. presidents, Nobel prize-winners, astronauts who’ve walked on the moon, polygamy runaways, the homeless, and the hopeless.
Now retired from journalism to write full time, she also contributes the Small Press column for Mystery Scene magazine and teaches creative writing at Phoenix College.
In her writing, Betty makes liberal use of her own varied background. She earned her way through art school by working as a folk singer but eventually gave up singing to concentrate on her art career. At various times she has picked cotton, raised chickens which laid blue eggs (Speckled Hamburgs), worked in a zoo, been a go-go dancer and horse breeder, taught Sunday School, founded a literary magazine, helped rebuild a long-abandoned 120-year-old farm house, and back-packed the Highlands of Scotland alone.
In 1982, Betty moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where her Lena Jones novels are set, but her roots are in Hamilton, Alabama, where most of her extended family still lives. In 2000 she published The Webb Family of Alabama: Survivors of Change, which focused on the descendants of her half-Seneca, half-English great-great-grandfather, William Douglas Webb, who ran away to sea at the age of 16, then after 14 wild years, settled down to farm peacefully in Hamilton. Recent DNA testing, however, has revealed that her seafaring ancestor harbored a big secret: he might not have been a Webb after all, but the descendant of a New Jersey colonist family named Price. Betty is now working to unravel this real-life mystery: did William Douglas Price change his name to Webb. Was he on the run from the law? (As a mystery writer, she kinda hopes he was)
On her mother’s side, Betty can trace her roots back to the Barons of Riddell in medieval Scotland. The Riddells, friends and financial supporters of the poet Robert Burns, did not always enjoy the best of reputations. The opera, Lucia di Lammermore, about a young bride who decapitates her husband on their wedding night, was based upon a real life incident in the Riddell family. But the Riddells maintain that Lucy (her real name) merely scratched her bridegroom, and that he simply overreacted when he screamed out, "Murder!" Anyway, that’s the Riddells' story and they're sticking to it.
"The impact of my unusual family upon my life has been profound," Betty says. "That's why I thought it would be intriguing to create a detective who had no idea of where she came from or who her parents were. Creating the orphaned Lena Jones has helped me appreciate my own ancestral heritage - both the good and the bad." About the recent DNA testing results, she adds, "All this time the Webbs were keeping an even bigger secret than the Riddells -- and they didn’t even know they were! How could I not have become a mystery novelist."
(from http://www.bettywebb-mystery.com/bio....)
Series:
* Lena Jones Mystery
* Gunn Zoo Mystery
Now retired from journalism to write full time, she also contributes the Small Press column for Mystery Scene magazine and teaches creative writing at Phoenix College.
In her writing, Betty makes liberal use of her own varied background. She earned her way through art school by working as a folk singer but eventually gave up singing to concentrate on her art career. At various times she has picked cotton, raised chickens which laid blue eggs (Speckled Hamburgs), worked in a zoo, been a go-go dancer and horse breeder, taught Sunday School, founded a literary magazine, helped rebuild a long-abandoned 120-year-old farm house, and back-packed the Highlands of Scotland alone.
In 1982, Betty moved to Scottsdale, Arizona, where her Lena Jones novels are set, but her roots are in Hamilton, Alabama, where most of her extended family still lives. In 2000 she published The Webb Family of Alabama: Survivors of Change, which focused on the descendants of her half-Seneca, half-English great-great-grandfather, William Douglas Webb, who ran away to sea at the age of 16, then after 14 wild years, settled down to farm peacefully in Hamilton. Recent DNA testing, however, has revealed that her seafaring ancestor harbored a big secret: he might not have been a Webb after all, but the descendant of a New Jersey colonist family named Price. Betty is now working to unravel this real-life mystery: did William Douglas Price change his name to Webb. Was he on the run from the law? (As a mystery writer, she kinda hopes he was)
On her mother’s side, Betty can trace her roots back to the Barons of Riddell in medieval Scotland. The Riddells, friends and financial supporters of the poet Robert Burns, did not always enjoy the best of reputations. The opera, Lucia di Lammermore, about a young bride who decapitates her husband on their wedding night, was based upon a real life incident in the Riddell family. But the Riddells maintain that Lucy (her real name) merely scratched her bridegroom, and that he simply overreacted when he screamed out, "Murder!" Anyway, that’s the Riddells' story and they're sticking to it.
"The impact of my unusual family upon my life has been profound," Betty says. "That's why I thought it would be intriguing to create a detective who had no idea of where she came from or who her parents were. Creating the orphaned Lena Jones has helped me appreciate my own ancestral heritage - both the good and the bad." About the recent DNA testing results, she adds, "All this time the Webbs were keeping an even bigger secret than the Riddells -- and they didn’t even know they were! How could I not have become a mystery novelist."
(from http://www.bettywebb-mystery.com/bio....)
Series:
* Lena Jones Mystery
* Gunn Zoo Mystery
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
January 21, 2019
This is the perfect book to pick up when you find yourself unable to read with concentration for any reason. Webb has such an easy, involving style, personable characters, and smart insights about animal habits that it is hard not to be curious where she is going with the central mystery. In the end she relied on more than a few stereotypes to describe TV anchors, rich technologists, and wealthy beauty queens, but the path was enjoyable and what we want from mystery series: character development and movement.
Red-haired and freckled, the aptly nicknamed Teddy is an unlikely combination of enthusiastic zookeeper and reluctant heiress. Her beauty queen mother is intent upon marrying her off to a Silicon Valley man but Teddy herself tends towards the half-European half-Latin sheriff who cares for two kids from his first marriage. A new zookeeper is found dead under suspicious circumstances, and though her former boyfriend is taken into custody, the killings do not stop.
What I liked best about this was the sunny California feel of living just inland from the seaside quay where Teddy keeps moored her live-aboard boat. The low-key zoo is placed in scented environs near a eucalyptus forest and features photogenic blue-tongued anteaters and cuddly koalas. Webb’s writing is humorous and assured even while unraveling a complicated mystery involving lots of peripheral characters and possible murderers.
I have a niece who will be zoo-keeping at San Diego Zoo this coming spring, a zoo mentioned several times in the course of this mystery, so I admit to some focused attention on the animals mentioned and animal care. While the fiction may not all be accurate, it is a refreshing, inventive angle from which to approach a mystery, and gives the author a chance to indulge some serious research.
Webb was once a journalist for a Phoenix-based newspaper and began writing fiction at the turn of the 21st century with a Desert Series featuring Scottsdale-based investigator, Lena Jones. Webb’s work on that series is said to have been based on real cases, and always addressed some pressing societal issue like sex trafficking, despoliation of the environment, welfare fraud, native rights. It is said there is a strong frontier feel to the series.
Frankly, Webb seems a natural when it comes to fiction. She understands how to tell a story and chooses her topics well. She gives readers plenty of credit for following her into the intricacies of a mystery or knowing where to put the emphasis on an important topic. Webb also teaches creative writing at Phoenix College. My guess is the class would be worthwhile, and a blast.
Red-haired and freckled, the aptly nicknamed Teddy is an unlikely combination of enthusiastic zookeeper and reluctant heiress. Her beauty queen mother is intent upon marrying her off to a Silicon Valley man but Teddy herself tends towards the half-European half-Latin sheriff who cares for two kids from his first marriage. A new zookeeper is found dead under suspicious circumstances, and though her former boyfriend is taken into custody, the killings do not stop.
What I liked best about this was the sunny California feel of living just inland from the seaside quay where Teddy keeps moored her live-aboard boat. The low-key zoo is placed in scented environs near a eucalyptus forest and features photogenic blue-tongued anteaters and cuddly koalas. Webb’s writing is humorous and assured even while unraveling a complicated mystery involving lots of peripheral characters and possible murderers.
I have a niece who will be zoo-keeping at San Diego Zoo this coming spring, a zoo mentioned several times in the course of this mystery, so I admit to some focused attention on the animals mentioned and animal care. While the fiction may not all be accurate, it is a refreshing, inventive angle from which to approach a mystery, and gives the author a chance to indulge some serious research.
Webb was once a journalist for a Phoenix-based newspaper and began writing fiction at the turn of the 21st century with a Desert Series featuring Scottsdale-based investigator, Lena Jones. Webb’s work on that series is said to have been based on real cases, and always addressed some pressing societal issue like sex trafficking, despoliation of the environment, welfare fraud, native rights. It is said there is a strong frontier feel to the series.
Frankly, Webb seems a natural when it comes to fiction. She understands how to tell a story and chooses her topics well. She gives readers plenty of credit for following her into the intricacies of a mystery or knowing where to put the emphasis on an important topic. Webb also teaches creative writing at Phoenix College. My guess is the class would be worthwhile, and a blast.
April 29, 2018
The second version of the Gunn Zoo series is a terrific addition to the series. In this book Teddy finds the body of a co-worker, Koala Kate is the water near her boat. The zookeepers are named for the animal they are responsible for the animal's care. We meet several of the various co-workers and their charges among the big cat worker. Teddy has been selected to be the Zoo representative on a local TV show featuring the animals of the zoo. This section will amuse you. The other themes continue
the actions of Teddy Father and Mother continue. Teddy is looking into the investigation of Koala's Kate death. The ending will surprise you. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book and series.
the actions of Teddy Father and Mother continue. Teddy is looking into the investigation of Koala's Kate death. The ending will surprise you. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book and series.
November 30, 2010
Are you looking for a fun, interesting murder mystery? Well, I have one for you in "The Koala of Death" by Betty Webb. Teddy Bentley lives on the "Merilee" and works at the Gunn Zoo. After finding the body of Koala Kate in the water next to her boat, Teddy is thrown into the mystery of who killed her and why. Along the way, Teddy learns to do a television show, finds another body, does some investigating on her own (much to her boyfriend's chagrin), discovers a family secret, and is almost killed. Come meet Teddy, her boyfriend Joe (the Sheriff), Aussie Outback Bill, Teddy's rich mother Caro, Speaks to Souls, and the animals from the zoo. They will all keep you entertained as you solve the mystery.
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and kept my interest all the way through. I will be looking to read more books by Betty Webb, including the first Zoo Mystery, "The Anteater of Death."
I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and kept my interest all the way through. I will be looking to read more books by Betty Webb, including the first Zoo Mystery, "The Anteater of Death."
May 9, 2018
In The Koala of Death by Betty Webb, Teddy Bentley wakes up one morning when she thinks she hears her sea otter friend bump up against the boat she lives on, the Marilee. But instead of seeing fur, she sees a dress and realizes this is the body of a woman. Though diving into the ocean to try to save the woman, the zookeeper nicknamed Koala Kate for her specialty in Down Under animals is dead.
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation
August 2, 2024
Such an underrated enjoyable series.
December 30, 2016
Book on CD read by Hillary Huber
Book two in the series featuring zookeeper Teddy Bentley has our heroine discovering the body of co-worker and TV darling “Koala Kate” in the harbor. She obviously fell overboard after the previous night’s party, and in a drunken stupor drowned. Or did she?
I like this cozy series for the information about the animals and the relationships between Teddy and her mother, Caro, and boyfriend, Sheriff Joe Rejas. Webb gives us plenty of suspects and twists in the plot that keep the reader guessing right up to the end. However … it seems that Sheriff Joe is terribly inept because he is always arresting the wrong person. Still, it’s a fast, entertaining read, and I don’t read cozies for their literary merit.
Hillary Huber’s performance on the audio was less irritating to me this time. Either I’m used to her voice, or she dropped some of the affectations that bothered me in the first installment. Her pacing is good and it definitely held my interest. If I continue the series, however, I’ll probably read the text rather than listen.
Book two in the series featuring zookeeper Teddy Bentley has our heroine discovering the body of co-worker and TV darling “Koala Kate” in the harbor. She obviously fell overboard after the previous night’s party, and in a drunken stupor drowned. Or did she?
I like this cozy series for the information about the animals and the relationships between Teddy and her mother, Caro, and boyfriend, Sheriff Joe Rejas. Webb gives us plenty of suspects and twists in the plot that keep the reader guessing right up to the end. However … it seems that Sheriff Joe is terribly inept because he is always arresting the wrong person. Still, it’s a fast, entertaining read, and I don’t read cozies for their literary merit.
Hillary Huber’s performance on the audio was less irritating to me this time. Either I’m used to her voice, or she dropped some of the affectations that bothered me in the first installment. Her pacing is good and it definitely held my interest. If I continue the series, however, I’ll probably read the text rather than listen.
September 8, 2024
I loved this. So nice to find a cozy with a different theme besides bookstores and tea shops, although I enjoy those, too. I'm putting the rest of the series on hold and will do a binge read of them once I get my current reading pile under control.
October 26, 2016
I brought this after reading the first book when it was offered as a freebie.
The book isn't prefect, but it is still an enjoyable read. Webb is at her best when writing about the animals, and this book includes several funny scenes at a news studio where Teddy is giving an animal talk. I also liked some of the character development.
To be fair, though, I found the ending to be somewhat weak. I couldn't understand why Teddy simply didn't tell the deputy in the first place.
But still, it was a very enjoyable read, and I will read more Webb in the future
The book isn't prefect, but it is still an enjoyable read. Webb is at her best when writing about the animals, and this book includes several funny scenes at a news studio where Teddy is giving an animal talk. I also liked some of the character development.
To be fair, though, I found the ending to be somewhat weak. I couldn't understand why Teddy simply didn't tell the deputy in the first place.
But still, it was a very enjoyable read, and I will read more Webb in the future
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2019
In the first book it revolved around an anteater in this book it's centered around a koala, I sense an animal theme in this series... This time Teddy has to figure out who is related to who and she has her plate full with her new task of tv appearance and newsletter writing. I kind of like this series and it's setting.
March 5, 2018
The narrator, Hilary Huber, was OK, although she did mispronounce some words, and had several minor characters speak in Southern accents, even though there was no mention of Southern heritage.
July 16, 2011
Teddy returns as keeper of the Gunn Zoo in coastal California. She is a liveaboarder in the harbor, living in a converted trawler. The night after a party on a neighboring boat, a party that included many of her co-workers, her morning routine is disrupted by the discovery of a body overboard. It turns out to be another keeper, Kate Nido. Kate's job included publicity and public relations for the zoo.
Teddy's Sherrif boyfriend and her rich, socialite mother spend their time encouraging/entreating Teddy to move out of the harbor and NOT get involved in snooping around...to no avail. Teddy is given much of Kate's public relations job and Teddy discovers many intruiging facts which end in an exciting confrontation with a heartless murderer.
This book had lots of animal interaction and facts intertwined effectivley with the action. There were some very funny scenes of animals on television doing what comes natually (which usually incluces poo). Well written and very witty, this was an enjoyable book.
Teddy's Sherrif boyfriend and her rich, socialite mother spend their time encouraging/entreating Teddy to move out of the harbor and NOT get involved in snooping around...to no avail. Teddy is given much of Kate's public relations job and Teddy discovers many intruiging facts which end in an exciting confrontation with a heartless murderer.
This book had lots of animal interaction and facts intertwined effectivley with the action. There were some very funny scenes of animals on television doing what comes natually (which usually incluces poo). Well written and very witty, this was an enjoyable book.
December 9, 2018
Another really good read. Lots of fun, but grammatical and spelling errors slow down the reading.
Book 2 of the Gunn Zoo Mystery
Teddy is awoken to the sound of something bumping her houseboat. When she goes out she finds a fellow zookeeper floating dead in the water. When another keeper is accused she feels that she needs to help him and get to the truth...for several reasons. She is being forced to be the tv presence of the zoo, the PR person and the blog writer, and all she wants to do is be a keeper, taking care of her animals. When the murderer starts aiming at her, she really feels the need to find the truth. She wants to return to her home and not live in her mother's place.
This book was requested on the trip and we finished it and my family was laughing at some of the things that happened and were "said." My husband even asked, "How did I find these books?"
Book 2 of the Gunn Zoo Mystery
Teddy is awoken to the sound of something bumping her houseboat. When she goes out she finds a fellow zookeeper floating dead in the water. When another keeper is accused she feels that she needs to help him and get to the truth...for several reasons. She is being forced to be the tv presence of the zoo, the PR person and the blog writer, and all she wants to do is be a keeper, taking care of her animals. When the murderer starts aiming at her, she really feels the need to find the truth. She wants to return to her home and not live in her mother's place.
This book was requested on the trip and we finished it and my family was laughing at some of the things that happened and were "said." My husband even asked, "How did I find these books?"
June 9, 2015
While I enjoyed this read, and The Anteater of Death before it, I do take the author to task for Outback Bill's language. He appears to be modelled on Mick J. Crocodile Dundee but even our Mick didn't use the word 'sheila', or throw in every old slang word he could think of. And then to offer translations, presumably for her American readers. You mustn't underestimate the intelligence of your readers to figure out what is meant by the context. It's still English after all.
I didn't consider this as good as 'Anteater' and it could have done with a bit more editing. The chronology of events behind Teddy's reasoning towards the end didn't add up. Perhaps it was rushed out.
I didn't consider this as good as 'Anteater' and it could have done with a bit more editing. The chronology of events behind Teddy's reasoning towards the end didn't add up. Perhaps it was rushed out.
November 25, 2010
All right, I liked this book, I did. But....what is it with the recent trend of repeating things over and over in a story? Yes, I know the zoo keeper is from Australia, your mom wants you to date somebody other than the sheriff, the Zoo director doesn't like her job and the Rhino keeper has a heart of gold, no need to keep telling me that every time you bring that character into the story.
I thought the book was well written, a great cozy mystery. I am not interested in reading any of the others in this series because of the repetition.
I thought the book was well written, a great cozy mystery. I am not interested in reading any of the others in this series because of the repetition.
December 9, 2016
In the 2nd book in the series, zookeeper Theodora (Teddy) finds the body of a fellow zookeeper floating in the water beside her houseboat. “Koala Kate” has been murdered. Teddy is asked to take over many of Kate’s responsibilities, including tv spots and PR stuff - not Teddy’s forte. Teddy’s boyfriend, Joe, is the local sheriff, trying to figure out who killed Kate.
I really enjoyed this. I love all the extra animal info that is shared throughout the book! I think I was actually more interested in things other than solving the mystery in this book, but I still really enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed this. I love all the extra animal info that is shared throughout the book! I think I was actually more interested in things other than solving the mystery in this book, but I still really enjoyed it!
January 30, 2013
I really tried to get into this book but just couldn't. I did not care for the way she writes. She also had annoying habits like translating people and animals. Also I found an unusually high number of errors in this book.
December 6, 2021
I loved, loved, loved this book. This is the first book by this author I have read or listened to but it most defiantly won't be the last, in fact before it even finished I was looking to see if there were anymore in the series, I loved it that much. The whole unusual setting of being based around a zoo was just delightful. I fell in love with the Koala (is it wrong to stay I want one?) The animal antics was so much fun, especially the tv segments and mishaps, it's worth getting the book just to be entertained by them. The fun animal fact was interesting too.As well as the great animals, I also liked the humans and the varied personalities, they worked well together. Even the mother daughter relationship, although strange (and I would find annoying) some how works and you know they care for each other. There is a number of characters and a lot going on in this story and at first I did get a bit confused but soon had them all straightened out especially as the author also gives you the name of the character and the animals they take care of.The mystery was also good and kept me guessing. Just a fun mystery that you don't want to miss.
Teddy is woken up by hanging on her house boat but it is not the playful marine animal like normal, instead of is fellow zoo keeper Kate. Teddy is assigned her zoo duties that of taking care of the animals down under, especially the Koalas but it is the tv appearances with live animals that cause her the most distress. Then her ex boyfriend is arrested for the murder and Teddy believes they have the wrong man. While out fin fund raising for the endangered rhinos Teddy can't help but investigate Kate's background in the hopes of finding some clues that lead to the killer. Things get more complicated when a second body is found and then somebody starts to target Teddy herself. Can Teddy unmask the killer or will she end up on the endangered list herself?
I liked the narrator. She had to do a number of accents for all the different characters involved in the story but it help helped to bring the fun and action to life.
Teddy is woken up by hanging on her house boat but it is not the playful marine animal like normal, instead of is fellow zoo keeper Kate. Teddy is assigned her zoo duties that of taking care of the animals down under, especially the Koalas but it is the tv appearances with live animals that cause her the most distress. Then her ex boyfriend is arrested for the murder and Teddy believes they have the wrong man. While out fin fund raising for the endangered rhinos Teddy can't help but investigate Kate's background in the hopes of finding some clues that lead to the killer. Things get more complicated when a second body is found and then somebody starts to target Teddy herself. Can Teddy unmask the killer or will she end up on the endangered list herself?
I liked the narrator. She had to do a number of accents for all the different characters involved in the story but it help helped to bring the fun and action to life.
October 10, 2017
Another charming addition to the Gunn Zoo cozy mystery series! As I mentioned in my previous review, I found Llama of Death on the shelf at my library and decided I'd like to read it. (I love llamas.) A quick trip to www.fantasticfiction.com told me that I should read Anteater of Death and Koala of Death first, so here I am!
I still LOVE that the main character is a redhead like me. Teddy Bentley is spunky and spirited and caring and fun and hardworking.... just as a redhead should be! Ha ha ha She works in a large private Zoo just outside of San Sebastian, CA, where she primarily services the giant anteater.... "and other duties as necessary." She lives aboard a converted trawler in the harbor and has one dog and one cat (so far).
As the title promises, this volume features a small parade of Outback critters. I love the way the koalas are described in such detail! I wonder if the author convinced a zoo to let her hold a koala so that she could describe it so well. I've never held one, but I definitely wouldn't say no if it was offered! In this book, Teddy is working behind the scenes to help her Sheriff boyfriend Joe solve the murders of two other liveaboarder neighbors.
It took me forever to read this book only because I'm currently in a rather high-workload semester at school, so don't let my "Start" date and "Finish" date lead you to think that this was a terrible read. I always looked forward to finishing my assigned-for-school reading and getting back to Gunn Zoo happenings. I often laughed out load at the hijinks and animals. This series won't be winning any literary prizes, but it's certainly a good way to spend an afternoon. :)
I still LOVE that the main character is a redhead like me. Teddy Bentley is spunky and spirited and caring and fun and hardworking.... just as a redhead should be! Ha ha ha She works in a large private Zoo just outside of San Sebastian, CA, where she primarily services the giant anteater.... "and other duties as necessary." She lives aboard a converted trawler in the harbor and has one dog and one cat (so far).
As the title promises, this volume features a small parade of Outback critters. I love the way the koalas are described in such detail! I wonder if the author convinced a zoo to let her hold a koala so that she could describe it so well. I've never held one, but I definitely wouldn't say no if it was offered! In this book, Teddy is working behind the scenes to help her Sheriff boyfriend Joe solve the murders of two other liveaboarder neighbors.
It took me forever to read this book only because I'm currently in a rather high-workload semester at school, so don't let my "Start" date and "Finish" date lead you to think that this was a terrible read. I always looked forward to finishing my assigned-for-school reading and getting back to Gunn Zoo happenings. I often laughed out load at the hijinks and animals. This series won't be winning any literary prizes, but it's certainly a good way to spend an afternoon. :)
October 3, 2020
"Former heiress-turned-zookeeper Teddy Bentley knows what it's like to want a different kind of life. So she can understand why her coworker won't talk about her past, even though 'Koala Kate' is Gunn Zoo's biggest human celebrity. But when Teddy finds Kate's body floating near her houseboat, she can't see why anyone would want her dead. Certainly not Kate's rowdy ex-boyfriend Outback Bill, whom police have tapped a the prime suspect.
"As the zoo's reluctant new media star, Teddy finds Kate was caught in a cross fire of decidedly uncivilized rivalries and dangerous liaisons. Even worse, Kate has secrets that trace back to Teddy's uber-upscale hometown ... and any number of powerful people with too much to conceal. But with her boyfriend, Sheriff Joe Rejas, keeping her out of the investigation loop, Teddy has only one chance to cage a killer before she becomes his next victim."
~~back cover
I read the first book in this series, The Anteater of Death, and the problem is that as I started to read this book, I felt like I'd read it before. I hadn't, but the scene seemed so much the same that I decided to move on to more exciting mysteries.
"As the zoo's reluctant new media star, Teddy finds Kate was caught in a cross fire of decidedly uncivilized rivalries and dangerous liaisons. Even worse, Kate has secrets that trace back to Teddy's uber-upscale hometown ... and any number of powerful people with too much to conceal. But with her boyfriend, Sheriff Joe Rejas, keeping her out of the investigation loop, Teddy has only one chance to cage a killer before she becomes his next victim."
~~back cover
I read the first book in this series, The Anteater of Death, and the problem is that as I started to read this book, I felt like I'd read it before. I hadn't, but the scene seemed so much the same that I decided to move on to more exciting mysteries.
August 8, 2018
I enjoyed this second in a series about a fictional California zoo.
Koala Kate is murdered and Teddy is forced to take over the morning TV show, the newsletter and the blog. In the process we learn more about Kate and her relationships to the zoo staff, her ex boyfriends and her family.
It is interesting to learn about the various animals Teddy is asked to take care of in this series. Almost all are endangered in the wild.
We also learn about liveaboards in the harbor and their life style. As I am a packrat, I could never live as they do.
The killer is not well telegraphed in this mystery. So if that is your preference, I recommend this. If you like to try to figure out who the killer is, you may be a bit disappointed.
I borrowed a copy of this from the public library as we have selected this series for our monthly reading group to discuss.
Koala Kate is murdered and Teddy is forced to take over the morning TV show, the newsletter and the blog. In the process we learn more about Kate and her relationships to the zoo staff, her ex boyfriends and her family.
It is interesting to learn about the various animals Teddy is asked to take care of in this series. Almost all are endangered in the wild.
We also learn about liveaboards in the harbor and their life style. As I am a packrat, I could never live as they do.
The killer is not well telegraphed in this mystery. So if that is your preference, I recommend this. If you like to try to figure out who the killer is, you may be a bit disappointed.
I borrowed a copy of this from the public library as we have selected this series for our monthly reading group to discuss.
February 15, 2020
Teddy Bentley becomes embroiled in another mystery when the body she pulls from the water outside her boat turns out to be Koala Kate, her colleague at the zoo. Despite the dangers, and the fact that it's really none of her business, she digs into Kate's relationships, work, and family history.
The plots in these books are as ridiculous as the characters, and yet they are so much fun. I want to roll my eyes every time Teddy does something stupid, but then she says something clever or interesting and I'm completely on her side. The animals add a bit of lovable personality to each book, not to mention Teddy's new television career.
I enjoy cozy mysteries in general, but these are addictively silly. Book 3 is soon to come.
The plots in these books are as ridiculous as the characters, and yet they are so much fun. I want to roll my eyes every time Teddy does something stupid, but then she says something clever or interesting and I'm completely on her side. The animals add a bit of lovable personality to each book, not to mention Teddy's new television career.
I enjoy cozy mysteries in general, but these are addictively silly. Book 3 is soon to come.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 14, 2020
I abandoned this book halfway through when the main character refused help offered by her boyfriend (the sheriff) on the basis that other residents of the docked houseboat community did not have those options. This was in spite of the fact that she felt her life might be in danger. I decided that if the author was going to make my main character to something that nonsensical and for such a ridiculous reason then I didn’t want to waste my time finishing the book.
Prior to abandoning, I found the book entertaining. As an audiobook, it was something nice to read while I did laundry or other chores.
Prior to abandoning, I found the book entertaining. As an audiobook, it was something nice to read while I did laundry or other chores.
November 23, 2020
Teddy Bentley is a zoo keeper at the Gunn Zoo. teddy lives on a boat and one morning she fishes the body of a fellow zookeeper out from the water beside her boat. Teddy ends up being temporarily assigned to the koalas and to do a local new segment featuring zoo animals. Teddy of course ends up being involved in investigating the case. The best part of these books is the parts in the zoo and with the animals. the TV segments in this book were hilarious. I like Teddy and her boyfriend, the local sheriff, so I'll continue the series.
December 5, 2017
I truly give it about 2.75 stars. There were lots of errors throughout the book. I may have a poor vocabulary, but it seemed to me that the author was trying to make Teddy sound more sophisticated than she was. Some random facts that aren’t right. I enjoyed the story itself. It kept me wanting to read.
April 3, 2020
I think I liked it better than the first book (The Anteater of Death). The plot is still somewhat ridiculous, and the characters make foolish choices, but I’m also kinda invested in those silly characters now. This is the first cozy mystery series I’ve read, and I’m listening to the audiobooks, which is a nice escape from the dumpster fire that is the current state of the world.
February 11, 2021
Another great book, really funny with some new interesting characters. Characters are a bit caricature-y but I think that's by design and adds to the charm. Only negative is that the plot felt like.it had the same overarching story as the first book, just with a different victim/murderer. Looking forward to the other books in the series though.
April 13, 2023
I love, love, love these books. The harbor and livaboarders, the zoo and crazy keepers, animals, the mystery! But I cannot stand the sheriff/boyfriend. He’s a terrible sheriff, and doesn’t seem like a good boyfriend either, I don’t get it. Luckily his appearances have so far been brief. But he’s a pretty incompetent police officer.
October 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. The characters are fun. Teddy sure gets into some crazy problems. I would love to go work at the zoo with them and all the beautiful animals. I want to cuddle a koala, too.
May 4, 2022
A very funny cozy mystery set in a zoo. As an Australian, I have a few niggles. Koalas aren’t nearly as cuddly as portrayed in the book, and the slang used by the Australian character is so archaic it was quite hilarious, and only added to the humour, in my point of view.
June 21, 2024
3.5 — I like these books. Perhaps they are cozies, but the depictions of animal lives is always engaging. Teddy is a good character, a charming person. Her stories are a palate cleanser after darker stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews