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Murder Can Be A
Zoo by
Members of the animal kingdom are now taking on a greater role in an increasing number of modern mysteries. Scan the bookshelves and you’ll see books involving horses, dogs, cats, pet sitters, veterinarians, and birdwatchers, to name only a few. This zoological trend isn’t all that remarkable if you consider that in the past several decades animals have taken on more significance in our lives. Years ago a prevailing view was that animals were soulless, intellectually limited creatures that operated on instinct only. Yet with each passing decade we learn just how much we’ve underestimated our animal friends, learning that they are more intelligent and lead richer emotional lives than we gave them credit for. It would have been outright peculiar to have heard someone in the 1930s refer to Fido or Fluffy as a member of the family, yet now it’s common practice. There’s an entire cable television channel called Animal Planet, and a radio network, called Animal Radio. Our interest in animals has never been higher, reflecting not only our curiosity but our concern about their welfare. Modern zoo design has encompassed this new understanding and compassion. The old concrete jail cells of the past are almost nonexistent. Today’s zoo enclosures strive to provide a more natural and dynamic habitat for animals while providing an enriched experience for the zoo visitor. Co-author Marilyn Victor and my passion for animals—for their welfare and conservation—coupled with a love of the mystery novel, moved us to create Lavender “Snake” Jones, a zoologist sleuth. In Death Roll, Snake works at the Minnesota Valley Zoo with her Aussie husband, curator of reptiles, Jeff Jones. When the director of the zoo winds up as a late night snack for a fifteen foot saltwater crocodile, Snake sets out to prove the police have arrested the wrong man, using her knowledge of animal behavior to ferret out the identity of the real killer. Death Roll offers the reader a deep look at the behind-the-scenes workings at metropolitan zoo. A tricky balancing act for us was creating an intriguing whodunit while weaving in animal encounters that arose naturally from the storyline. The zoo wasn’t merely background atmosphere for us; it was a major element in the novel. A zoologist/zookeeper might seem an unusual choice for a sleuth, yet not when you consider that caring for animals requires keen powers of observation. Captive animals can’t tell their caretakers how they’re feeling or where it hurts. Their nature is to conceal their injuries so as not to stand out to predators. Animal professionals must be able to interpret subtle clues to determine the health of their charges, a skill also useful when dealing with the human animal and looking into the heart of a murderer.
Death Roll by
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