Book description
Iris Oakley, pregnant and still recovering from her husband's murder,
wants only to carry on as a keeper at Finley Memorial Zoo in Vancouver,
Washington. But she is confronted with a terrifying situation: alone and
with no elephant expertise, she must rescue her boss, Kevin Wallace,
from being mauled to death by Damrey, a zoo elephant. No one understands
why reliable old Damrey attacked the foreman. Rattled coworkers nominate
Iris to find out what's going on. She finds a surprising number of
motives to kill the foreman, but the elephant doesn't have one. Despite
the distraction of trying to construct her new life as a single mother,
Iris discovers that the elephant keepers are locked in a bitter feud,
the new veterinarian is keeping secrets, and an old flame still hates
Wallace. Adding to the chaos, animal rights activists are picketing the
zoo. They want the elephants sent to a sanctuary, but is that a better
option for them than the improved exhibit that is on the drawing board?
Why isn't that exhibit under construction as planned? A new foreman
shows up with alarming ideas, the police keep dropping by, and animals
are disappearing into thin air… Zookeeper Iris Oakley, who lost her
husband in her first outing (2008's Night Kill), returns to Finley
Memorial Zoo near Vancouver, Wash., for a second harrowing adventure
that meshes the complexities of animal care and human failings. Early
one morning, Iris discovers her boss, Kevin Wallace, face down in the
elephant enclosure, apparently being mauled. What first appears to be a
dreadful accident is revealed by autopsy to be a murder and merely the
first incident to bedevil the little zoo. Although she's six months
pregnant, several colleagues suggest that Iris should look into other
disturbing events, including the theft of a zoo van and the body of a
tiger. Fascinating details of zoo life--the impending birth of clouded
leopards, collecting urine samples from elephants--lend color. Man again
proves to be the most dangerous animal, and Iris needs all her cunning
to discover the rogue behind the violence in a follow-up that should win
Littlewood more fans. Ann Littlewood was a zoo keeper in Portland,
Oregon for twelve years. She raised lions and cougars, an orangutan; and
native mammals, as well as parrots, penguins, and a multitude of owls.
The financial realities of raising primates (two boys of her own) led
Ann to exchange a hose and rubber boots for a briefcase and pantsuit in
the health care industry. Ann has maintained her membership in the
American Association of Zookeepers and has kept in touch with the zoo
world by visiting zoos and through friendships with zoo staffers.
