Sam believes she may be on to a trail of clues when she’s approached by one of the zoo’s wealthy private donors in what seems to be an attempt to draw her into the illegal sale of rare and endangered plants. With the help of Dan Saunders, the zoo’s Head of Security, Sam devises a plan to get to the bottom of what looks to be a murder, a suspicious disappearance, and her own near-death.
The mystery deepens when one of the zoo’s security guards goes missing. Will another dead body turn up? As things heat up between Sam and Dan, they realize they could lose everything if they can’t solve these mysteries before another murder takes place.
EXCERPT
I parked my
cart at the edge of the marsh and tromped up the boardwalk. “Hey, Jo, what’s up?”
She leaned
over the wooden railing and pointed to the concrete catch basin that traps
refuse and keeps detritus from contaminating the lake when the waters overflow.
“Have a
look,” she said.
I bent over
the railing and blinked wildly. A large sheet of black plastic tied with
strands of rope stuck halfway into the catch basin. A few inches of water lay
in the bottom of the trough. Protruding from the far edge of the plastic I
could see a pair of mottled, purplish-gray human feet. An Eastern Box Turtle
nibbled away on the big toe of the left foot. Jodie pried the turtle off with
the handle of her rake and moved it away, but the stubborn creature crawled
right back and snagged another toe.
“What the—”
I nearly bit off my tongue for the second time that evening.
“Yeah,” Jodie said, with a grim shake of her
head, “see why I told you we had an emergency here?”
Harol, I'm always excited to see what you will come up with next, and I'm never disappointed! I've never read a mystery that centered around a zoo, and this one had me captivated from the very beginning. Love this title, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Cheryl for all your help and support! You've inspired me to get to work on finishing the next zoo book, which I've tentatively titled, "Zoo Brew-ha-ha." Will keep you posted. :-)
DeleteWhat a wonderful idea, setting a mystery around a zoo. Think of all the possibilities for accidents and disposal of the bodies. I must have a look at this one. Congratulations on your release, Harol.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Zoo's are a great setting for almost any story, but a little more challenging when it comes to murder mysteries as you might imagine!
DeleteI like the concept of a murder mystery involving a zoo.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best with Adieu at the Zoo. Also, a clever title, Harol Marshal. BTW, is the name Harol, a family name? I have never seen it before.
Thanks for the good wishes, Sarah. My father named me after his brother and dropped the 'd' at the end of Harold. I only wish I had a dollar for every time I've explained my name with, "it's Carol with an H or Harold without the D. I'd be rich! :-) One wise guy I met recently kept calling me Carol with an H. (not that funny IMHO)
DeleteHarol,
ReplyDeleteMurder mysteries are fun to read. I'd never be able to write one, though, because I'd give away too many clues too early in the story. lolol
Congratulations!!!
Thanks, Kaye. As for writing a mystery--you never know until you try!
DeleteLove this book and I think they did a great job with the cover.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Agnes. I'm sure there are plot ideas in that book that came from you, the Master Plotter. :-)
Delete