California zookeeper Theodora Bentley was summoned by the head of the Gunn Zoo Trust who told her Theodora was going to Iceland to get a bear cub and other animals for the Zoo. Shortly after arriving in Iceland she found the body of birder Simon Parr of Arizona.

According to police, he was trying to get pictures of the hoopoe when someone shot and killed him from behind. Simon had just won the largest Powerball in history and was making plans on how to spend the money.

Iceland police chief inspector Thorvaald Haraldsson, head of the Violent Crimes Squad conducted the investigation, and soon made it clear he did not want Theodora trying to solve the murder, considering her to be an interfering busy body. Later, Theo was attending a party with her host and the host’s ex-boyfriend when the boyfriend was arrested for the murder. Her friend convinced Theo to find out who really killed Simon Parr.

When another body connected with the group was found floating in the bay, the second body in four days, a former model and another Simon ex-mistress, Theo questioned why the model’s husband took so long to raise the alarm. As the investigation continued to move too slowly for Theo, then a rock fall barely missed her head, she decided to ignore the police chief’s warning to mind her own business and began conducting her own investigation.

The Puffin of Death was written by Betty Webb, the popular author of nine Lena Jones novels, and four Gunn Zoo books.

Webb never fails to entertain and inform, in this case she supplies a beginner’s guide to the Icelandic language, the birds that are common to the area, and detailed description of the beautiful and rugged landscape. A handy cast of characters list includes a note on how men and women of the country are given their last name.

The story is a page-turner that can easily keep one up late into the night to find out what happens next. The characters are well-formed, and even minor characters are believable and true to life.

The Puffin of Death is a fun, knowledgeable story that could easily earn its place on the bookshelf for another read later on.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Puffin of Death: A Gunn Zoo Mystery (Gunn Zoo Series Book 4), it is available at Amazon.com.

A special thank you goes to Poisoned Pen Press for providing a complimentary copy of this novel for our review.