Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

It's always fun to discover a favorite new author, and this summer I've discovered Stuart Gibbs! (He's not a new author, having been writing screenplays and novels for several years now, but he's new to me.)

My first encounter with his writing was Space Case, a gripping murder mystery set in the near future on the moon.  I followed that up with Spy School, another fast-paced page-turner. 
And now I've just finished Belly Up, which is actually Stuart Gibbs' first novel.

The setting of Belly Up is FunJungle, an enormous combination of a zoo and a theme park.  Owned by multi-millionaire businessman J.J. McCracken, FunJungle boasts animals from all over the world, cared for by the top scientists and animal keepers.  Designed to give both the animals and the park guests an authentic safari experience, FunJungle is unlike any other zoo in the world.

But sadly, the park's mascot - Henry the Hippo - has died.  On its own, this is terrible news for the park - it would be like Disneyland losing Mickey Mouse!  But when Teddy Fitzroy - the son of one of the park scientists - eavesdrops on the hippo's autopsy, he discovers that Henry was murdered.  Who would murder the beloved mascot of FunJungle?

As Teddy soon learns, it turns out Henry wasn't so beloved by many people.  Hippos in general are hornery creatures, but Henry was especially rambunctious.  He had a history of attacking people, and and at FunJungle, he was know for showering guests with his poop as much as anything else!  It's up to Teddy and the daughter of J.J. McCracken to find out who is behind Henry's untimely death.

With loads of great information about animal behavior and zoo management (Stuart Gibbs once worked at the Philadelphia Zoo), Belly Up is another top-notch mystery novel from one my new favorite authors!