Anteater of Death is a highly entertaining mystery set in a small, California zoo. The story centers around Teddy, the keeper who cares for Lucy, the pregnant, giant anteater. When a dead body is found in Lucy's pen the slimy zoo manager wants to get rid of her. So Teddy has to solve the mystery to save Lucy, and soon many of the other animals at the zoo get involved.

This is an easy reading, fast paced book full of likeable characters and a few characters that are fun to hate. The animals add an extra dimension and Webb does a good job of giving them personality without getting too far-fetched. She also uses the animals to inject a lot of good humor into the story. Monkeys are always good for a laugh! There's lots going on between the zoo, Teddy's socialite mother, and her crook of a father, but it all works well in the end.

I listened to this book on audio. Hillary Huber does a nice job with the reading, even Lucy the anteater's parts! I will definitely keep an eye out for the next in the series. I can always use another funny, entertaining mystery. ( )

What do you get when you mix an anteater, upper crust families and murder? A mystery novel full of adventure and fun looking for a murderer! The books main character, Theodora ‘Teddy’ Bentley, works at the local zoo as a zookeeper in charge of a number of animals, including a pregnant anteater. A murder occurs in the anteater’s enclosure and everyone wants to blame the animal, but Teddy knows better and puts her self in charge of finding out exactly what happened. The local sheriff Joe, her ex fiancé, even asks for her help in finding some answers to the killing. Teddy runs in to some roadblocks along the way. Her mother doesn’t like her working at the zoo, which she finds distracts from Teddy finding a spouse. The upper-crust families want her to stop asking questions around the neighborhood. Family secrets arise left and right as she gets closer to finding the truth. As Teddy and Joe rekindle their feelings, the stakes get even higher when there is another murder. With the threat of the anteater being taken away or worse, Teddy must find the real murderer. Even at the risk of her family and her own life!

“The Anteater of Death” is the first book in the new Gunn Zoo Mystery series by Betty Webb. I am already looking forward to the next one. I was enthralled in Teddy’s life. The story moves along fast and easy to read. The moments from Lucy the anteater’s ‘thoughts’ brought an interesting angle of what animals think when humans are around them. The mix of Teddy wanting to lead her own life away from her rich family and her families ‘family issue’ problems, put an interesting underlying storyline to the mystery. Amateur sleuth and zoo keeper combine to make this book an intriguing book that I would recommend to others.

I love the zoo. My first stop is always the gorilla and chimpanzee exhibit. I’ve often watched them and wondered what they were thinking, especially about how they feel about people watching and starring at them all day. I would be curious to know why the author chose an anteater out of all the animal choices.

This story of a murder mystery tosses in a bit of zoo life to become a book that will have both kids and adults grabbing “The Anteater of Death” off the shelves to read. Take the time to go to your local zoo, but be careful. You don’t want to end up in the next mystery at the zoo!!

Book received and reviewed from RebeccaReads.com

It will become available to purchase November 15, 2008!! ( )