Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Night Kill by Ann Littlewood. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
Night Kill by Ann Littlewood
An Iris Oakley Mystery
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-504-6 (1590585046)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-504-7 (9781590585047)
Publication Date: September 2008
List Price: $24.95
Review: Ann Littlewood introduces zookeeper Iris Oakley in Night Kill, a well-crafted mystery in which the small community zoo across the river from Portland (Oregon) in Vancouver (Washington) has already claimed one victim and she may be next.
The victim is Iris' husband, Rick, who also worked at the zoo. Just a week earlier they had split over his drinking. He had moved out of their home and was staying with a friend when the two meet up at a party held by one of the zoo's staff, Rick drinking nothing stronger than root beer. Rick is adamant about remaining sober and the they agree to a reconciliation, one day at a time. Iris returns home alone only to return to work the next day to discover that Rick had been found in the lion's cage, mauled and drunk. Iris is outraged, both at Rick's duplicity and that he was stupid enough to wander into a dangerous area while drinking. The authorities rule his death an accident, but Iris can't understand what could have possibly happened after their reconciliation meeting that would have caused him to start drinking again and then inexplicably return to the zoo in the middle of the night. As she starts asking questions, accidents -- potentially deadly accidents -- begin to occur that put her life in danger. It isn't until by chance she comes across a piece of evidence that suggests Rick's death wasn't an accident, but murder.
Night Kill is a terrific whodunit in that the identity of the killer remains a surprise to the reader until the very end. False leads and red herrings abound -- even Iris is presented as a credible suspect by Rick's friend Denny -- but the clues to the killer's identity are readily available to those readers looking for them. The book is well written and has an intricately constructed plot involving relatively few characters. The setting is atmospherically wonderful; zoos have all sorts of hidden passages and alcoves and back rooms off-limits to visitors. It's all very mysterious, as it were. If there is a weakness it's in the characters themselves who aren't as fully realized as they might have been. Iris, as the widow, suspect, and potential victim, is the most well-rounded but even she comes across flat at times. The supporting characters are largely interchangeable; that may add to the ability of the author to keep the killer hidden in plain sight as long as possible, but ultimately makes for a less interesting book overall. Though presumably the first of a series, and an interesting series it would likely be, the conclusion of Night Kill casts that conjecture somewhat in doubt.
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of Night Kill for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
If you are interested in purchasing Night Kill from Amazon.com, please click the button to the right.
Synopsis (from the publisher): Iris Oakley, a young zookeeper at the Finley Memorial Zoo in Vancouver, Washington, hopes to reconcile with her newly sober husband, Rick. But when he’s found dead—and dead drunk—in the lion exhibit, a paralyzing mix of grief and anger at his betrayal keeps Iris from questioning the assumptions around his death.
But Iris’ friends motivate her to prove that her husband could not have died the way it appears. Soon, however, these same friends impede her progress as she follows ambiguous clues and sorts through unlikely motives.
Meanwhile, Iris must also adjust to losing her beloved job as feline keeper and instead learn to be a bird keeper. The zoo’s veterinarian respects her skills, but the foreman 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,” she begins to understand what really happened to Rick. But Iris must survive to prove it.
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