The Panda of Death by Betty Webb

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Zookeeper Theodora “Teddy” Bentley has settled into her life with her new husband, Sheriff Joe Rejas, his two young children, and Joe’s mother, Colleen.  Then a number of events disturb the calm waters of happy matrimony:  first, a man is found dead near Teddy’s boat in the marina.  He turns out to be the scriptwriter for a local children’s TV show connected to the zoo where Teddy works.

The second disturbance is more personal, when a young man claiming to be Joe’s son turns up at the house.

Naturally, Joe doesn’t want Teddy to do any snooping into the suspicous, but that becomes harder when Joe’s newly discovered son is accused of the murder.

I have enjoyed all the previous entries in this series, and this one is no exception.  I’m drawn to the series because of all the information about the various animals and zoo-keeping; it’s like getting a behind the scenes peek at what goes on.  Webb tends to spotlight less showy animals rather than elephants or tigers, giving the reader a greater appreciation for some fascinating animals.  (After the first book, my interest in anteaters was piqued, and now I make it a point to visit them at the zoo.) The reader learns about some of the animals—Poonya the red panda is the featured animal this time—and has a mystery to solve to boot.  Webb is a long time zoo volunteer so her books have the ring of truth. 

And let me say that I adore Poonya!

Teddy is a fun character and Webb makes it easy for readers to root for her.  With a glamorous mother who despairs of at her daughter’s choice of career (and wardrobe and living on a boat and everything else), an imperious aunt, Teddy always has to stand her ground or be turned into a debutante. Later in the series, we’re introduced to Joe’s mother Colleen who is an Irish delight; she figures in this story and is the catalyst for discovering Joe’s teenaged son.

While there are character developments during the series, you don’t necessarily have to read these in order to enjoy.

The books in order are:

The Anteater of Death

The Koala of Death

The Llama of Death

The Puffin of Death

The Otter of Death

The Panda of Death

These are all the books to date, but though Webb has seemingly turned her attention to a new series, fans can still hope to see more of Teddy and friends in the future.

The Puffin of Death: A Gunn Zoo Mystery by Betty Webb

Reviewed by Jeanne

Zookeeper Teddy Bentley is dispatched to a zoo in Iceland to pick up some new animals for the Gunn Zoo’s new “Northern Climes” exhibit:  a polar bear cub, two arctic foxes, and a pair of puffins.  She’ll be staying with her Icelandic counterpart, a young woman named Bryndis, who will show her the finer points of caring for the animals while paperwork goes through.

Also visiting Iceland are a group of American birdwatchers from Texas who are being treated to this trip by Simon Parr, a member who just made a bit of history by being the winner of the largest Powerball jackpot, some $600 million dollars.  Teddy noticed him because of his belligerent attitude at a bar and his Elvis sideburns.  The latter makes it easier to identify the body, especially after a protective mother puffin has had at it when he landed face first in her burrow. When the Icelandic police pick up Bryndis’ boyfriend on suspicion of murder, the young woman begs Teddy to solve this murder as well.  It seems her reputation has preceded her. Before long, Teddy is mingling with the other tourists, trying to figure out if someone had a motive for murder.  

It turns out that motives abound.  It would be harder to find someone who didn’t have a grievance. 

As with most cozies, coming up with a reason why the amateur sleuth should become involved can be a bit dicey.  I thought this one did quite well in that department; besides being asked to intervene by her new friend, Teddy has a bit of an advantage over Inspector Thorvaald Haraldsson because she is an American, just like most of the suspects. Naturally, the Inspector is not swayed by her arguments, however, and insists that she stay out of the investigation.

I always find the Gunn Zoo Mysteries to be entertaining. I like learning about various animals, and enjoy how Betty Webb likes to surprise us, choosing animals we don’t usually think of as being dangerous or deadly and proving us wrong.  However, this one is my favorite to date.  While I like the usual cast of characters, it was refreshing to have Teddy out on her own, without having to put out various family fires (so to speak). I like that she’s in a stable and happy relationship with Joe, without the too often typical relationship drama --manufactured or otherwise. They also respect each other, which is wonderful.

But it’s Webb’s use of the Iceland as a location that elevated this book for me.  I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of Icelandic society, customs, food, and terrain.  Since the population is small, everyone is related one way or another; there’s even an app for that, to determine how closely two people are related before they start dating.  Teddy learns about the casual flirting that goes on a great deal, the vibrant music scene, Iceland as a preferred location for shooting all sorts of movies and TV shows, and more than she wants to know about volcanos.  The people live large there, it seems, but despite some fondness for a good brawl, murder is almost unheard of among the natives.  The only two murders in the country in the entire previous year were both committed by non-Icelanders.

Even though I’m not much on cold weather, Webb has convinced me that Iceland would be a fun place to visit, if just to watch the locals dress up as Vikings and ninjas for the cameras.

You don’t need to have read any of the other books in the series to enjoy this one.

Llama of Death by Betty Webb

Reviewed by Jeanne

The Llama of Death by Betty Webb is the third in the “Gunn Zoo Mystery” series.  Theodora “Teddy” Bentley has been roped into managing the llama rides at the Renaissance Faire which means that participants must dress up in period costume and try to remain in character.  Teddy is trying to manage Alejandro, a formerly abused llama who dislikes adult humans but adores children.  Fortunately, Alejandro tolerates Teddy most of the time and only spits on her occasionally.

Things begin to get a bit tense when Teddy’s flamboyant mother, Caro, is informed that she’s been demoted from playing Anne Boleyn to generic lady in waiting by Victor Emerson, the owner of the local wedding chapel who is portraying Henry the Eighth.  Caro is furious, and makes no secret of her displeasure.  That night Teddy discovers Victor’s lifeless body in the llama pen along with a very upset Alejandro.  Teddy’s initial relief at the discovery that Victor died from a crossbow bolt and not from a llama stomping evaporates when Caro is arrested on suspicion of murder.  Just when it seems things can’t get any worse, her father shows up to try to help get Caro out of jail.  Since Dad is a wanted fugitive from justice after embezzling millions, the next Bentley family reunion might take place in prison. Things only get murkier when it’s discovered that Victor wasn’t who or what he professed to be: notably, he was not licensed to perform marriages, leaving a whole lot of people with a whole lot of motive.

As with earlier books in the series, Webb manages to pack in a lot of information about animals in the book in a painless and entertaining way.  It’s like getting a sneak peek behind the scenes of a real zoo, where you see not just the nice animals but the sheer amount of work that goes into keeping animals reasonably content and healthy.  Webb also makes sure that readers understand just because an animal is cute doesn’t mean it can’t be deadly if handled the wrong way. The characters are entertaining and run the gamut from sensible Teddy to her flamboyant parents. Usually Webb’s characters also have more to them than meets the eye as well. While the animals have personalities, none talk (with the possible exception of an escaped snake who tweets her activities) and are realistically portrayed.
The “Gunn Zoo Mystery” books are fun and painlessly informative books which should please cozy mystery fans and animals lovers. The two earlier entries are The Anteater of Death and The Koala of Death.  Webb also writes a grittier mystery series with private investigator Lena Jones, all of which are set in the Southwest and involving more controversial themes such as polygamy.

Koala of Death by Betty Webb

Reviewed by Jeanne

The second book in the delightful Gunn Zoo series opens with Theodora “Teddy” Bentley finding a body floating in the harbor near her boat, the Merilee.  The situation only gets worse when she realizes that she knows the dead woman:  it’s one of her fellow zoo keepers, Kate Nido, who does as TV segment as Koala Kate.  Kate had been attending a party on another boat the night before, so Teddy’s first assumption is that Kate had a bit too much to drink and fell overboard.  The coroner soon decrees that theory wrong:  Kate was strangled and died before she went into the water. As it turns out, Kate had a nose for gossip and could wield a mean keyboard with a blog filled with innuendo.  Now the list of suspects starts to add up, and there are a number of Teddy’s friends and coworkers on the list: Outback Bill, an Aussie zookeeper who was Kate’s boyfriend before someone dumped someone; Robin Chase, the big cat keeper who doesn’t like Teddy; Sam and Doris Grimaldi, the party’s hosts and zoo supporters who may have something to hide; Speaks With Spirits, a so-called “pet psychic;” and just maybe Cleo, Teddy’s mother. 

Teddy, in addition to trying to solve the mystery, is called on to take over Koala Kate’s weekly liveTV segment featuring animals from the zoo and a TV anchorwoman with an apparent inability to follow instructions such as “Don’t touch the animals.”  Teddy’s boyfriend, Sheriff Joe Rejas, takes a very dim view of Teddy’s investigations, putting a little strain on the relationship.

Sometimes second books in a series disappoint.  The novelty has worn off: the exotic setting isn’t so exotic, the characters a bit less sparkling.  I’m very happy to report this is not the case here.  I enjoyed this outing just as much as the first.  Again we are introduced to the habits of several different fascinating creatures in a non-tutorial manner.  Koalas take center stage, as you might guess, and little Wanchu almost steals the show.  One other point I have to mention:  Teddy still goes back and visits Lucy the anteater, animal star of the first book.  I know that’s a minor point, but it’s a pet peeve—no pun intended—of mine, when a character meets a new person or animal, seems extremely fond of same, and next book has totally forgotten about that new BFF or else mentions same just in passing.  Teddy is loyal. I like that in a person.  She has several other fine traits too,including her love for animals and her job.  Webb doesn’t glamorize the zookeeper’s life:  overworked, underpaid, dealing with animals who could injure or kill at any time, cleaning up waste, and  sheer hard labor. It isn’t all cuddling koalas, folks.

I also like the relationship between Teddy and Joe.  While there is a bit of strain over criminal investigation, there isn’t that sense of manufactured drama some writers employ over and over in an artificial effort to create tension. 

While I would classify these as “light mysteries” since there is not a great deal of Serious Social Commentary or Deep Psychological Analysis, I found them both entertaining and educational about animals. There are some really funny scenes in the book, but it isn’t silly or slapstick. The characters are well done; Webb avoids the easy stereotypes and manages to surprise us, just as people do in real life.  

You don’t need to have read Anteater of Death to enjoy this one.   Me, I’m already looking forward to the next in the series, The Llama of Death. 

Anteater of Death by Betty Webb

Reviewed by Jeanne

Zookeeper Theodora “Teddy” Bentley is devoted to her charges and loves her job.  When a body is discovered in the enclosure for Lucy, the pregnant giant anteater, it appears that Lucy and the zoo may be in jeopardy.  For one thing, even though the autopsy proves that Lucy clawed the man after he was dead, the anteater is now seen as a vicious animal who needs to be confined to a box or else sent away. For another, the deceased was on the zoo’s Board of Directors.  It doesn’t help that Joe Rojas, the investigating sheriff, was Teddy’s first love and that the dead man is a member of Teddy’s extended family.

This is the first in a new series for Webb, best known for her gritty mysteries starring private investigator Lena Jones (Desert Noir, Desert Shadows, etc.) The set up is especially intriguing for animal lovers, because Teddy’s job brings her into contact with all sort of exotic (and not so exotic) species with tidbits of information about each thrown in as Teddy makes her rounds.  Webb is careful to convey that the job isn’t glamorous: there’s a lot of hard work involving cleaning excrement, avoiding being nipped or clawed or bitten, and trying to educate a public that all too often believes the Disney version of wildlife. In one instance, a woman endangers her child by dangling him inside an animal’s enclosure.  Sound farfetched?  Not two days after I read the book, a co-worker encountered a group of people who were trying to get photos with bears.  Yes, real, not caged, free-roaming black bears—and a mother with cubs to boot.  They even tried to follow the bears into the woods.    I also liked the fact that many of the animals Teddy works with are not the apex exhibits (elephants, lions, tigers, gorillas) but animals that are less flashy but no less interesting such as the capybaras.

 Teddy’s family is also rather exotic: her mother was a member of a wealthy family, but Teddy’s rapscallion father managed to run through most of the money in various schemes that has him on the run from the law.  Teddy knows her share of wealthy and influential people, which causes some to assume that she is just playing at work.  In reality, she’s living on a houseboat because she can’t afford anything else in the upscale community, and is barely making ends meet on her zoo salary. She’s also recovering from a nasty divorce and determined not to leap back into the arms of Joe when both of them are so vulnerable.  However, the character relationships don’t turn into soap operas, and the murder remains a high priority.

Teddy herself is an appealing heroine, a girl who knows her way around society while preferring the company of Regular Joes and Janes.  She knows and appreciates the value of wealth—all the good things that money can buy—but she prefers to earn it herself. Her strong sense of integrity also endeared her to me as well as her love for animals.

There’s a good amount of humor in the book, though it’s not slapstick.  The pacing is good and the characters are well-developed for the most part, the exception being a sexist man on the make who uses his position of power to prey on women.  Teddy’s mother, for example, is forever trying to get Teddy to dress up and find a wealthy husband yet Caro turns out to have her own hidden passions. The mystery was well done with real clues among the red herrings.

In short, I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the next in the series, The Koala of Death!