The Llama of Death

Betty Webb

Jan 2013 · Gunn Zoo Series Book 3 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

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?

Ratings and reviews

amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, women-sleuths, murder-investigation 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!

This is a great book but at the start I got frustrated and would just like to point out that you cannot ride a llama... It's legs would break... I understand this is a small child but it could still injure the llamas back or legs! Still a really great book! :D

About the author

As a journalist, Betty Webb interviewed U.S. presidents, astronauts, and Nobel Prize winners, as well as the homeless, dying, and polygamy runaways. The dark Lena Jones mysteries are based on stories she covered as a reporter. Betty's humorous Gunn Zoo series debuted with the critically acclaimed The Anteater of Death, followed by The Koala of Death. A book reviewer at Mystery Scene Magazine, Betty is a member of National Federation of Press Women, Mystery Writers of America, and the National Organization of Zoo Keepers.