The Anteater of Death: a Gunn Zoo Mystery by Betty Webb

In ten words or less: Who killed the zoo volunteer? Not the giant anteater!

Review: Did Lucy, the giant pregnant anteater from Belize, kill the man who was found in her pen? When a bullet was discovered to be the cause of death, Lucy is off the hook, but a spiteful zoo director keeps her confined and off-exhibit.

Teddy Bentley, daughter of a socialite beauty queen and a fugitive embezzler, is the zookeeper who feeds and cleans up after Lucy, and can tell that the prospective mother is stressed out by her house arrest. She wants the head zookeeper Zorah to intercede on Lucy's behalf, but when Zorah is arrested for the murder, Teddy posts her bail.

Sheriff Joe Rejas, Teddy's high school sweetheart, wants her to question the society movers and shakers who were present at the fundraiser where the victim was killed. Teddy resists at first, but is drawn into the investigation.
Why bother? The zoo is a fun setting for a mystery, and Teddy shares the spotlight with giraffes, monkeys, and spectacled bears. Readers of Donna Andrews will enjoy this series.