Teddy Bentley is a zookeeper who lives on a houseboat on California’s central coast, and when the story begins she’s supervising llama rides at a Renaissance Faire. Her mother, a former beauty queen who has made a career out of marrying rich men, is playing Anne Boleyn. It’s an interesting life — and it becomes a lot more interesting when Henry VIII turns up dead in the llama’s enclosure.
At first, the llama is the prime suspect, but the crossbow bolt through the victim’s head changes all that. Teddy is relieved, until it turns out that the new prime suspect is her mother.
Teddy is romantically involved with the chief of police, but he’s out of town, leaving her at the mercy of an incompetent substitute who has a long-standing grudge against Teddy’s mother.
Meanwhile, back at the castle (it happens to belong to Teddy’s boss), Teddy’s fugitive father is cozying up to said boss and threatening to stage a jailbreak for her mother. Can Teddy find the real killer before she, her parents, and her llama all end up taking the fall?
This is a fun, light-hearted mystery filled with interesting tidbits about animals, zoos, and houseboats. You’ll want to get to know Teddy and her family better, and the supporting cast are quirky without being over the top.