Parrots and Payback: Mystery (Madigan Amos Zoo Mysteries: Prequel)

Where there’s smoke?

Madigan Amos, Madi to her friends, is one of the staff at the Avery Zoo. She loves animals and has an affinity with them. She quietly lobbies to improve the enclosures and sometimes even uses her own money to accomplish her goals.

Stephen McClean, a thriller writer, is doing a book signing at Avery Zoo. He’s called in the big gun, Erin Avery, the Chair of the Board of Directors. A staff member of the zoo is blackmailing him. It seems that there are some photos that he doesn’t want published on the news. The pictures will be given to reporters during the zoo news opportunity if he does not break off his engagement with Diane, his fiancee.

Auryn Avery, the son of Erin Avery, drafts Madi Amos to help his dad and the writer. How can she find the blackmailer? What’s a resourceful girl going to do with a zoo full of animals, female staff acting like groupies over the writer presence, and a hoard of reporters?

I received this story as a free ARC and am leaving an honest review.

A great short story. I was impressed by this story about an author that wants to help launch his new book at the local zoo. Unfortunately the author has no real reason to try to help launch the book. The author is trying to locate a lady that is blackmailing him with pictures of a former tryst. The zoo workers help to resolve the problem. I recommend this book.

Parrots and Payback (a prequel) – A cute, little prequel about another day at the zoo with some of our favorite characters. A quick read where readers familiar with Mad’s zoo will know what’s going on. I personally would read this after The Peacock’s Poison, but that’s how I did it. LOL. 5*

Penguins and Mortal Peril #1 – A good thriller. A well written, intriguing suspense with a well thought out, twisting plot and believable characters. There’s interesting information about the zoo and its animals. Madi is an intelligent, caring person, especially with the animals, and takes loving care of the zoo. There’s also humor; beware of furry pyschos. The animals are a good part of the story and some even have their own personalities. I finished the book in one sitting, immersed in the mystery. If you liked Blooming, you’ll like this book, too. 5*

The Silence of the Snakes #2 – Spellbinding! Ruby just gets better with each book she writes. A well written, intriguing suspense with believable characters and a plot that doesn’t let the reader put down the book until the last page. This is a substantial story, not a weak cozy, that would make Christie proud to write. Don’t let this series pass you by, they’re must reads. 5*

Murder is a Monkey’s Game #3 – Another well written, intriguing suspense this time set in France. There’s an interesting plot that holds the reader’s attention, although a bit slower when compared to the previous two books. The characters are still interesting and the relationships between the characters are realistic and entertaining. While not necessary since each book is a standalone, I would recommend reading the books in order. Madi’s story is continuously evolving and her growth as a character, too. I contacted the author to review her work many books ago. 5*

Lions and the Living Dead #4 – Her best book yet! This is a substantial and intriguing suspense with a well written, fast paced plot and believable characters. The main characters continue to evolve and the new characters are developed enough to have weight. The descriptions and storylines are vivid and full. The dialog realistic. The story flows from page to page making it difficult to put the book down. I stayed up late to finish it. 5*

The Peacock’s Poison #5 – Another well written, well thought out story with our Madi and her crew. A longer book than usual, but just as substantial, that keeps the reader immersed in the pages until the end. Someone did their homework and makes it look bad for Madi. Poor dummy, bad move. Each book in the series gets better and the books always have you thinking. I watched this author mature as an author and her work doesn’t disappoint. I have to recommend this series as must reads. Start with Penguins #1 to meet Madi and finish with Lions. If these are the only two books of the series you read, you picked well. But don’t miss out on Silence and Monkey’s Game. Sequentially is how they should be read, but it’s not necessary, they’re all standalones. 5*

A Memory for Murder #6 – Oh my gosh! This book has it all: intrigue; romance; subterfuge; romance; stings; murders; and the list goes on. Every book in this series gets better and better, and this is the “betterest”. The amazing plot swings the reader in every direction; yah, some things are figured out, but there are some characters that are questionable. The characters, old and new, are interesting, have grown or have enough background where needed. Their dialog is realistic and there’s no stupidity in second guessing or questioning everything – just straight thoughts and actions. I couldn’t put this book down until I had finished it. The is the most substantial book by Ms. Loren and I’m looking forward to #7. I’m happy I volunteered to review her work. She has immense growth as an author since the first book I read by her, Snowed In With Death. 5*

Whales and a Watery Grave #7 – What what a way to die! Sorry, but the murder of this victim is extremely different from the usual murders found in other mystery books, which complicates the investigation. Ms. Loren does another fabulous job with this book, its characters and the murder itself. Well written, intriguing and suspenseful, the story line holds the reader glued to the pages, which zip by quickly. There’s continued growth with our favorite characters and the new characters are developed enough to either like or dislike them. The animal characters always add something to the stories. A simple, relaxing holiday in Mallorca isn’t in the cards for Madi and Auryn with the complex, intriguing murder, there’s suspects everywhere. 5*

Foxes and Fatal Attraction #9 – I just love the expressions of the fox and the hound, such a funny cover; it makes you wonder what has the clever fox happy and the hound worried. Well the story does give you that info. Another intriguing, substantial murder mystery with all of our favorite characters and the return of an old favorite or two, of which one brings even more secrets and subterfuge to Madi’s present and future. The animals still play a large part in the story and add to the humor, which blends in well with the drama and intrigue. Another wonderful addition to a great series. 5*

Parrot and the Clue
(Disclaimer: received a copy of the book. Read it and decided to provide my honest review.) Parrots and Payback, A Madigan Amos Mystery – The Prequel by Ruby Loren is a quick jaunt of a read that will have you laughing out loud. She paints a comical satirical picture of pomposity, revenge and the lengths that two characters will go to meet their end goals. Along the way, readers are gifted with a gorgeous canvas of scenery as part of the world-building experience. I was not disappointed by the author’s continuous and successful character-building curiosity demonstrated in Parrots and Payback with uncluttered, innocuous, unwavering, and dubious characteristics to name a few while reading the prequel. The depth, breadth, and width that is written to provide the characters with their unique attributes provide the basis in making them appear three dimensional, but it is the thread of humanness cutting across the traits, and in this case pluckiness of the main character, that becomes laugh out loud transformational. I will read this again as part of reading Book One, it is just that uplifting, funny and eye-rolling. My RECOMMENDATION: Read the book! It’s a quick 45-minutes of joy and laughter. – Tex.

Great short. Eminently believable. Wonderful introduction to Madi, Auryn, Tiff, and Monday’s Menagerie (at least the concept).

I was provided this book as an ARC by the author; however, the review is my honest opinion.