Night Kill: A Zoo Mystery (Zoo Mysteries, 1) - Softcover

Littlewood, Ann

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1590587480 ISBN 13: 9781590587485

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press, 2012

Synopsis

Night Kill is a mystery set in fictional Finley Memorial Zoo in Vancouver, Washington, seen from an insider perspective on the challenging and dangerous world of zoo keeping. Iris Oakley, a young zookeeper, hopes to reconcile with her husband after he promises to quit drinking. But he’s soon found dead drunk and just plain dead in the lion exhibit. A paralyzing mix of grief and anger at his betrayal keep Iris from questioning the assumptions around his death.

 

Her co-workers are soon convinced that she is unhinged by losing Rick, but friends inadvertently motivate Iris to prove that her husband could not have died the way it appears. These same friends impede her progress as she follows ambiguous clues and sorts through unlikely motives. Meantime, Iris must adjust to losing her beloved job as feline keeper and instead learn to be a bird keeper. The veterinarian respects her skills, but the foreman, her boss, would far rather she get a job elsewhere, and the senior bird keeper seems to agree. After Iris survives a series of near-fatal accidents,” the behavior of a lioness and the death of a penguin at last make clear what happened the night Rick died and who fed him to the lions. Then Iris has to survive to prove it.

About this title

About the Author:

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 healthcare 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.

From AudioFile:

Zookeeper Iris Oakley is thrilled when her estranged husband quits drinking and vows to rededicate himself to their marriage. Cassandra Campbell provides the perfect voice for the passionate young woman, deftly capturing her emotions after her husband dies. Is she paranoid, or is someone really out to kill her? Campbell lightens or thickens her voice slightly for other characters but filters them all through Iris's own plaintive psyche, delicately adding nuances of uncertainty where appropriate. The entire production is washed with a layer of whining that, while occasionally annoying to the listener, comes across as realistic for a woman going through the loss of her husband, career uncertainty, and attacks on her life, all in the same week. R.L.L. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1590587480
• ISBN 13: 9781590587485
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240