The Llama of Death

Gunn Zoo Mystery #3

by Betty Webb

Zookeeper Theodora 'Teddy' Bentley takes Alejandro, the Gunn Zoo llama, to a Monterey Bay area Renaissance Faire. Soon after, Teddy stumbles upon the still-warm body of the Reverend Victor Emerson, owner of the local wedding chapel. He is dressed in his royal robes as Henry VIII. At first it appears as if Alejandro stomped the man to death, but a closer look reveals a crossbow dart in the man's back.

Teddy's investigation proves the "reverend" is really an escaped convict, and every marriage he's performed in the past twenty years is null and void. He twice married Teddy's ex-beauty queen mother Caro to wealthy men, and when both marriages failed, Caro received large financial settlements. Now she may have to give all that money back.

But Caro wasn't the only person with a grievance against Victor. The child of the man Victor once murdered may have wanted to kill him, too. Then Teddy's embezzling father flies in from exile in Costa Rica to help spring Caro from jail, putting his own freedom in jeopardy. Can Teddy solve this case before someone else she knows is implicated?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Cozy, Animals, Crime

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

As 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

Reviews

[Rose]

Every so often, I pick up a Gimmick!Cozy Mystery and give it a go, and every time, I am reminded once more of why Gimmick!Cozies are simply not for me.

The "Gimmick!Cozy" Mystery genre is a name I apply to those cozies that have, well, a gimmick. The amateur sleuth who's a bookseller. The amateur sleuth who loves fishing. The amateur sleuth who heads a knitting club. Agatha Christie novels are cozies, but they don't have a series star who runs a bake shop and finds murder victims in the kitchen and are surrounded by hilarious bakery hijinks and who include recipes in the back of the novel.

I love llamas, so I thought a book with the title "The Llama of Death" -- which is set at a Renaissance Faire, no less (I've gone to quite a few Ren Faires) -- was basically written for me. Alas, I gave up sixty pages in. The book stars Theodora "Teddy" Bentley as a zookeeper roped into llama-duty at the local Ren Faire, and her various wacky hijinks involving the zoo animals failed to suck me in. And there was the other problem that I often have with Gimmick!Cozies: I didn't care about any of the characters. Teddy herself has some three-dimensional hints, but the rest of the Wacky Cast felt more like (as one reviewer put it) cartoon characters than real people. (Though that statement is unfair to some cartoon characters!)

I'm not giving this book a rating because it's not a *bad* book by any stretch of the imagination. It just ain't for me, and that's okay. If Gimmick!Cozies are your thing, I actually think you'd enjoy this book -- the side characters aren't deep, but they are pleasant, and Teddy herself seems plucky enough. It just wasn't doing it for me.

[LibraryCin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Teddy is a zookeeper, but at this moment, she helping at a weekend fundraiser for the local no-kill animal shelter, a Renaissance Faire, where she is with the llama who is providing rides to the kids. The llama, Alejandro, likes kids, but not-so-much adults. The first night, there is a ruckus in the llama pen when the man who runs the local wedding chapel is founded murdered. Teddy’s mom ends up being suspected.

This was a good, solid, enjoyable mystery. I’ve found all the ones in this series to be this way. I do love the additional animal tidbits that are added in. I actually liked that many of the characters didn’t want to talk to Teddy as she tried to find out more to clear her mother’s name (a little more realistic than many cozies where people just go ahead and blab to the amateur sleuth).

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters are evolving and the series is getting better. It is filled with humor and interesting facts about animals. The mysteries are never easy to figure out and I find it enjoyable to follow what happens in the community. The gallery of people is wonderful and I can't help myself from laughing at some of the things that happens.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book by Betty Webb I've read. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I started this one.
This book is part of the Gunn Zoo series. These do not have to be read in order.
Teddy, a zoo worker, is forced to work at a renaissance faire by her boss. Teddy supervises rides on the kid loving llama, Alejandro.
Disaster strikes when the wedding chapel minister is found murdered in Alejandro's area.
Teddy's fiance, Joe, the Sheriff, is out on a training mission and can not be reached. The acting sheriff decides Teddy's mother committed the murder. Now Teddy must find the real murderer all on her own. This proves to be no easy task since the minister seems to have had a shady past and has made quite a few enemies.
This is a really light cozy mystery. I am a huge animal lover so I really enjoyed the animals involvement in the story. There were a few chuckles along the way as well.
My biggest problem with this one was that there were too many characters and suspects. We were dealing with several married couples, zoo employees, and faire performers, plus several other characters. It was just too "busy " at times and for such a short book, there was a lot going on.
Other than that, it was an enjoyable read. Cozy mystery lovers will appreciate the lack of violence, very mild language and no graphic sexual content. Overall this one gets a C+
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like this series of books, but found several mistakes in this book. It always annoys me when an author can't keep their own characters straight. At the end of the story in the previous book, Buster the rhino keeper wins a trip to Africa and takes Robin, another keeper with him. In the reference to that event, this book says that Robin went with Jack, the bear keeper. Also in the previous book, Teddy adopts a cat (Toby) that was owned by another liveaboarder who was murdered. Toby becomes her dog's new best friend, but is merely tolerated by her other cat. In this book, it mentions DJ Bonz (dog) and Miss Priss (cat) quite a bit, but there is no mention whatsoever of Toby. These are small things, but I do find it irritating when authors, and maybe their editors, don't care enough to keep their characters and stories straight. Most of the characters are quite annoying, especially Teddy's own mother. I can't understand why Teddy let's everyone push her around and make her do all kinds of things she doesn't want to do. I would never put up with all the stuff she does, beginning with Caro's find-Teddy-a-rich-husband parties. I really enjoy the animals and animal information, however. The animals are the only reason I have kept reading the series. I think Betty Webb's Lena Jones series is much better.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Theodora (Teddy) Bentley, Monterey Bay’s favorite zookeeper once again finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery. While working the Renaissance Fair the body of Reverend Emerson is found, seemingly, stomped to death. At first it appears Alejandro the Llama may be the culprit, but that is soon ruled out. Who could have wanted the reverend dead? Well, as it turns out, he was a man with many secrets and quite a few people might have wished him gone … including Caro, Teddy’s mother.

I fell into this series quite by accident, and admittedly the plots do not vary much from book to book, however, I can always be guaranteed a fast, amusing read when I pick up one. And sometimes, that’s all I want in a book. Besides, who can resist a story that is populated with all kinds of interesting tidbits about zoo animals?

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been 3.5 stars except for a few annoying typos (publishers - spell check is NOT an editor!) Once I come across a 2nd typo, I keep looking for them and that diminishes my enjoyment of a book. Also, she used the word "antivenom" instead of "antivenin". But the story was interesting and I liked the characters and I am looking forward to the next installment in the Gunn Zoo mysteries.

[T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alejandro was my favorite character. Teddy doesn't like people, she prefers animals. Her interaction with others is awkward, and hostile. I didn't like Caro, her personality was too annoying for me to ever care that she was being falsely accused of murder. This book really never had me, it always felt off.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This cozy mystery series has an interesting slant: the murders take place in or around a fictional zoo in Southern California. I wouldn't go out of my way to read another one but they're ok. I think this is the second or third one I've read over the years.

[Courtney Nesom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love her books. The way she writes about what it’s like to be a zookeeper just shows how much research she did. She talks about everything from the low pay to breeding to protected contact to making diets to even throwing in actual animal facts which, as a keeper, I really appreciate it.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at: http://www.longandshortreviews.com/bo...

She thought working the local Renaissance Faire was the worst thing that could possibly happen to a girl. But when a dead body turns up in her llama’s pen, she knows that the worst has only just begun. From the moment Teddy takes it upon herself to investigate, the entire world as she knows it begins to come undone. Is no one who they say they are? How can she ever trust anyone after this?

Teddy Bentley, zookeeper extraordinaire, is great. She’s quirky, frustrated, and an all-around likable girl. Her frustrations with her parents, missing her fiancé, and the craziness that comes with being a zookeeper make her into a very relatable character. I will admit though, she had quite a few of what I’ve always thought of as ‘Scooby-Doo’ moments – those moments when she knows that she should just leave well enough alone but can’t bring herself to walk away. This is both good and bad. Good, because it means that she’s going to get to the bottom of the mystery, no matter what. But it can be bad, too, because she occasionally comes off as a meddling busy body. In the end, it all balances out and I still liked her by the time she figured it all out.

Besides having something akin to the best title ever, The Llama of Death was one of the cutest and most enjoyable cozy mysteries I’ve read to date. Chock full of amusing and interesting characters, The Llama of Death brings a lot to the plate, rounding it out with a great small town mystery. Alejandro the llama, Teddy’s charge and one-time murder suspect, really steals the show with his quirky personality and lovableness. As both a lover of animals and mysteries, I couldn’t have scored better if I had tried.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

I may be getting a bit burnt out on this cozy mystery series because it’s getting sloppy. There were blatant continuity errors between books 2&3, like the author (and editors) somehow forgot the main character adopted a 2nd cat at the end of book 2? Where’s the cat?? And while the renaissance festival setting was a fun, the actual premise of the main storyline was weird. Why would all of these rich, affluent, or super religious people be getting married by the equivalent of a Vegas drive-thru chapel minister anyway? Are there no actual churches around?? AND WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE STORYLINE FOR THE ESCAPED, EXTREMELY DEADLY SNAKE THAT NO ONE CARED WAS ON THE LOOSE EXCEPT TO START A TWITTER PROFILE FOR IT?!? lol anyway, the next book is set in Iceland, so I’ll probably still read it, but my hopes are not high.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was definitely not one of my favorite books. Though I did enjoy some of the behind the scenes discussion at the Renaissance Festival. I found most of the characters annoying and much of the description pedantic and trite. If, in fact, something can be both at the same time. I grew very tired of Teddy's sarcasm and found her mother's character to be most irritating. I do have to agree with one of the other reviewers in stating that Alejandro was my favorite character, as I do love llamas. I did enjoy learning about the various animals at the zoo but was happy to see that he end of this story.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was over the top with too many characters, a ridiculous situation, and the main character trying to be amusing. It was more like reading about cartoon characters than real ones.

It's like one of those people you meet where she/he just try way too hard and put you off.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I read this book my first thoughts were that the book was enjoyable and somewhat dark, a tale about the strange connections between people and the way that they deal with murder as well as the loss of trust in others.  But upon thinking about the work in greater detail, and especially with the context of the third book my library had in the series, this book is not nearly as enjoyable as it was before.  For one, this book is written by someone who has little understanding of religious people and our motivations and seems to simply enjoy making fun of Christians for laughs.  This was easy to ignore when reading the book, but given the author's general political worldview and how it infests this series, it became a lot less enjoyable in the context of her work as a whole.  The heroine is one of those dumb women who puts themselves in danger and there is a lot of pretending about identity that is unsettling in the context of a small town where everyone is assumed to be more or less trustworthy.  This novel increasingly shows that it can be enjoyed only by those who share the same worldview as the author, and that's not the case with me.

As is the general conceit of the series of novels, an animal is associated with a death.  This time the PTSD-suffering llama who has been with Teddy Bently as she volunteers for a Renaissance fair happens to be spooked by the murder of a wedding chapel owner who is found to be an escaped murderer from prison who had used an assumed name, thus invalidating the weddings that he had overseen.  As the people of his country (many of whom apparently don't go to church and have trustworthy ministers) deal with the loss of their marriages, Teddy finds herself dealing with the stress of her mother being the prime suspect for the murder thanks to the bungling of the acting sheriff, since Teddy's hunky fiance Joe, the actual sheriff, is doing some sort of secret training with the FBI and Department of Homeland Security in Virginia and is unable keep in touch with the crime spree going on in the county.  Of course, Teddy's mother, who prefers to go by Caro, finds herself some friends and engaging in some leftist protests, which the author is strangely tolerant towards given her immense hostility towards white racism.  The tangled web of relations and fake identities leads to a dramatic showdown where our heroine emerges triumphant, as usual.

This is competently written fiction.  It is by no means great fiction, but the author at least is a worthwhile writer in her genre.  This isn't the sort of book that is likely to win any awards, unless for political reasons, but at the same time you can do a lot worse than read this sort of book.  The only thing that makes this book, and the series as a whole, somewhat difficult to take is the way that the protagonist serves as the mouthpiece for the author's rather unpleasant social views.  It is unsurprising, given these views, that these books are set in coastal California where they come off as normal instead of as extreme as they are.  The author seems to have spent too much time dealing with corruption to the extent that she wallows in it.  It seems unlikely that I will be returning to this series or this author, given the way that these books serve as mouthpieces for the author's leftist political and social views that I have no tolerance for.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor Teddy Bentley. Not only does she have to spend her weekend at the local Renaissance Fair, providing a little promotion for the Gunn Zoo by offering Llama rides to youngsters, but she also has to wear a medieval styled outfit that she finds a bit more revealing than she's comfortable with. Oh, and the llama, Alejandro, doesn't like her – but then, he doesn't like ANY adults. And if that isn't trouble enough, it appears that Alejandro may have just killed the local resident portraying Henry VIII.

Fortunately, the Acting Sheriff (#5 in line for the job) is quickly convinced that the llama isn't the guilty party – no llama is capable of accurately firing a crossbow! However, it soon becomes apparent that it is a wonder that he managed to make it as high as fifth, his investigating skills are suspect, and Teddy once again has to stick her nose into crime solving.

I've grown to love the Gunn Zoo mysteries. The author spent enough time volunteering at her local zoological institution to get a feel for how things really occur in front of the house with the visitors, and in the backstage areas where the animals are cared for and the politics of an institution become evident. Each book in the series builds upon the earlier ones – providing a clearer and clearer image of the Gunn Zoo itself. (Not that it is necessary to read them in order.) As with most cozies, the reader gains an affection towards the characters in question, appreciating their strengths and even grinning at their shortcomings (with exceptions of the obvious idiots, who are clearly painted as such and provide little to no reason to root for them)!!

I've now read the 1st 3 in the series, and I understand I have 2 more to go – plus another in the works!! Thanks to the author for providing an entertaining way to keep me occupied during my drive through Texas (as I was enjoying the audio version of this book).

RATING: Five stars

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theodora "Teddy" Bentley, zookeeper at the Gunn Zoo, takes the zoos llama, Alejandro, to a Renaissance fair in the Monterey Bay area. That is where Teddy discovers the still-warm body of the Reverend Victor Emerson, owner of the local wedding chapel, dressed in his costume as Henry the Eighth. At first it appears that Alejandro stomped the man to death, but a closer look shows a crossbow dart in the man's back.
Teddy's investigation reveals that Reverend Victor wasn't really a reverend at all but an escaped convict, which means that every marriage he performed in the past twenty years is null and void.
Teddy's mother, Caro, a spoiled ex–beauty queen, becomes the chief murder suspect and is immediately jailed when she causes a riot in the courtroom. The "reverend" had twice married Caro to wealthy men, and when both marriages failed, Caro received large financial settlements that she may now have to give back—certainly a motive for murder. But Caro wasn't the only person gunning for Victor. The child of the man that Victor the convict once murdered may have wanted to kill him too. Then even Teddy herself is handcuffed and jailed. Even worse, Teddy's embezzling father flies in from exile in Costa Rica to help spring Caro from jail, putting his own freedom in jeopardy.
As Teddy continues her investigation, she finds herself up to her ears in Renaissance fair actors and stuntmen, assorted animals, squabbling boat live-aboarders, and gang members.
A great new author for me. Will read other books. 5 stars.

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teddy's latest zoo duties include escorting Alejandro the Llama to the Renaissance Faire, where he gives rides to children and she speaks awkward 16th century English. But then someone is murdered at the Faire, and her mother is framed for the crime. Seeing as how fiance Joe is out of town, Teddy takes it upon herself to be nosy and clear Caro's name.

Teddy is no better at investigating than she has been in either of the prior books; in fact, I do believe she is a bit worse this time. She prides herself on her Google searches, but honestly, she could have wrapped this up in about half the time had she actually used the internet more successfully on the first attempt. Other plot holes exist, including Teddy's adopted cat from the previous book which has suddenly disappeared, Caro's dog has a constantly changing name, and Teddy's snooping involves a bit of law-breaking which I feel may jeopardize the bad guy's conviction?

That being said, the humor is still charming. The characters are still amusing. The animals are still fun and interesting. And a llama named Alejandro helps save the day. What more could I ask?

[Linden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really had to suspend disbelief for this one—zookeeper/amateur sleuth Teddy seeking a murderer, searches Google and finds incriminating backgrounds on practically everyone she knows, including, of course, a mob /gambling connection to New Jersey. Apparently, whoever hired all these people weren’t able to find out any of what Teddy locates with a straightforward Google search. So many stereotyped characters—dumb arrogant stand-in sheriff, self-righteous fundamentalist, cranky rich old biddy, redneck hick with front tooth missing, smarmy professor, stoned ex-hippie preacher—and Teddy herself, asking people such pointed questions about the murder that she comes across as kind of obnoxious, populate the book. The information about the zoo animals is interesting, which made me continue reading—two and a half stars.

[books_with_sass · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute little cozy mystery book. It was quick to get through and the ending surprised me. Apparently this is part of a series, which I was not aware of, but I didn't need to read the previous books to understand what was going on. If you're looking for a quick read with a little suspense and mystery, I'd recommend it.

My only problem with it was that there were a few grammatical errors and there would sometimes be two people talking with quotation marks in one paragraph which can be confusing because generally you change paragraphs for different speakers. The copy editor or whoever should have done a better job. If this was a self-published book I could overlook a couple problems, but this was done by a publisher with professional editors. That being said, it didn't distract from the story at all, and I would still recommend that you read it.

[KayDee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like this series and the characters. However, and this is a big however for me, I can't stand when facts from one book are wrong in the next. In this one, there is absolutely no mention of a cat that was adopted by Teddy in the last book and the couple that went to Africa, after one of them won a big raffle, are the wrong people! I mean, come on, get some continuity in your books! Having said that, I'll continue to read this series because I really like it and just hope that the cat and the correct couple make an appearance in future books. In this book, a llama supposedly stomps someone to death only to have it found that the person was in fact killed by a crossbow. There's a Renaissance Fair going on at the time so crossbows are available and Teddy decides to investigate when her mother is arrested for the murder. Fun times at the zoo!

[FangirlNation · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Llama of Death by Betty Webb, Teddy Bentley gets dragooned into participating in the local Renaissance Faire, where she gives llama rides to children. The man playing King Henry VIII goes out of his way to insult Caro, Teddy’s mother, leading to her uttering pre- Elizabethan threats at the Reverend Victor Emerson, who isn’t a true religious man, just someone who runs the local wedding chapel. Later that night, Teddy hears noises coming from the llama pen and discovers the body of Emerson, killed with a crossbow bolt in his neck.

Read the rest of this review and other fun, geeky articles at Fangirl Nation

[Carol K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another good book in a fun series. The characters and the setting are wonderful. I love the way the author uses the personality of the animals. I don't mean she makes them act like humans. Just that anybody with a pet knows they have personalities. I absolutely love Alejandro, the llama.
I was surprised, however, that Teddy's sweet new cat from the last book, Toby, was never even mentioned. Very weird. And very sad because her little dog just loved him so much. He finally had a friend. (The other cat is not a cuddler.) So although I enjoyed the book, I kept thinking "Where's Toby?"

[Angela Kimball · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really care for any of the characters, save, SOMETIMES, the main character. But by the middle of the book I was hooked and did need to know whodunnit. I really enjoyed all of the interactions with animals! I did feel like I didn't get ALL of the little secret bits. She extrapolates on the crimes and secrets of other characters, but doesn't tie them all up in a neat bow at the end, which I crave in a whodunnit like this. I suppose there's a good chance this is world building, as this is the only one in the series that I've read. I may indeed read another to get a better idea of the wacky world of Gunn Zoo!

[Christine D. Steppe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needs an editor

Haven't finished book yet, but there are some glaring issues with characters. Person murdered was first called Victor Emerson in first part of book. In chapter 6 he's called Victor Emerson, then Victor Petersen.
Transition from book 2, where Buster won the African Safari raffle suddenly becomes Jack, another zookeeper.
I realize mistakes can happen, but someone editing book should catch these problems. Attention to detail, please.
Otherwise I have enjoyed the stories/mysteries and information about the animals.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid addition to the Gunn Zoo cozy mystery series. I thoroughly enjoy these little mysteries, with the fun animal facts mixed in with the mystery. Bonus points to the author for a mystery that I couldn't figure out on my own (I like to be surprised!) and for a redheaded main character. I recommend.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A zoo, a community Ren Faire, a snake on the loose, a loving llama, a blackmailer, and a wily murderer are all parts of this entertaining cozy. The publisher's blurb gives hints and there is no need for spoilers, but that can't begin to prepare you for all the laughs and suspense. A marvelous read for a too hot afternoon.
Hillary Huber is fantastic, especially when speaking for the llama!

[Marseydoats · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoever wrote the library synopsis for this book never read it --- none of the mentioned characters even exist in this story.
I liked this, but it had no continuity with the last book. Teddy had adopted another cat in #2, and there is no mention of him in this one. And the zookeeper who won the trip to Africa is not the one who went.

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book filled with animal tips especially coming back to the theme of please don't buy an exotic pet. I liked the story but it was almost in the area of cozy mystery - more fluff than substance.

[Connor Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book, different enough for.the first two to not be boring. Although the third in the series, it's designed to be able to be read without the others, with the annoying consequence that it sometimes ignores things that have happened in the previous books.