Book description
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. “Webb warmly evokes the unconventional
worlds of zoo and marina. Readers don't even have to be animal lovers to
enjoy watching, say, a pushy television host get her comeuppance from a
mischievous lemur.” Betty Webb is the author of the acclaimed Lena
Jones mystery series, which includes “Desert Cut” and “Desert Wives.” A
former Californian who once lived on a boat, like the zookeeper
protagonist of “The Anteater of Death,” Betty now lives in landlocked
Arizona, where she volunteers at the Phoenix Zoo. She also teaches
Creative Writing at Phoenix College and is a member of the National
Association of Press Women, Mystery Writers of America, and the Authors
Guild.
