by Stuart Gibbs
First published 2019
Teddy Fitzroy thinks his detective days at FunJungle zoo are behind him. The massive theme park runs smoothly, save for minor penguin exhibit troubles involving wayward herring. Then a local lion gets blamed for killing a celebrity dog. The dead dog's owner, a provocative radio personality, launches a public campaign to brand the lion dangerous so hunters can legally kill it. Evidence suggests someone set up the lion to take the fall for murder. A rogue animal rights activist recruits Teddy and his girlfriend Summer to clear the lion's name and find the real killer. The case grows more complex when someone poisons FunJungle's popular giraffes. The park's owner pressures Teddy to solve this new crime too. Teddy discovers he's caught in his strangest and most perilous investigation yet, where proving one animal's innocence and saving others from harm puts him directly in a killer's crosshairs.
Genres: animals, adventure, mystery, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, investigative-journalism
Setting: FunJungle
352 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers