by Julia Stuart
First published 2010
Balthazar Jones lives inside the Tower of London as a Beefeater with his wife Hebe and their 120-year-old tortoise. Eight years of residence among the ancient walls has made him familiar with the Tower's quirky inhabitants: Ruby Dore tends bar while hiding her pregnancy, Valerie Jennings pursues ticket inspector Arthur Catnip, Reverend Septimus Drew writes secret erotica, and the Ravenmaster plots revenge for his dead bird. When the Queen assigns Balthazar to create a royal menagerie within the Tower walls, chaos erupts. Penguins break free from their enclosures. Thieves make off with giraffes. The Komodo dragon terrorizes visitors. As Balthazar struggles to control the animal mayhem, his personal life crumbles. Hebe packs her bags and leaves him. Even his ancient tortoise disappears from the Tower grounds. Surrounded by exotic creatures and eccentric neighbors, Balthazar must restore order to both the zoo and his marriage.
Genres: fiction, animals, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Tower of London
Period: 21st-century
304 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday