Unmasked is the first in Carol Potenza’s new De-Exinct Zoo Mystery Series. Veterinarian Milly Smith trained in Siberia and now works in Pleistocene BioPark, a zoo dedicated by resurrected extinct megafauna (giant short-faced bears, dire wolves, smilodons, mammoths, woolly rhinos) brought back by de-extinction geneticists. Milly’s first de-extinct animal is a Maskwa, a bear she raised from a cub and cares for deeply. Routine surgery on Maskwa’s dental abscess goes awry, and Milly is injured and the dental surgeon killed. Milly must save her bear from being euthanized as she tracks the killer who used the bear as a murder weapon.
Potenza is a biochemist, and her knowledge shines through in the mystery. Unmasked is akin to Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park series in its blend of science and fiction. Potenza incorporates enough technical details to provide verisimilitude while not overpowering the reader with obscure details. It is a quick read, full of twists and turns and a touch of unrequited love.
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Unmasked: A De-Exinct Zoo Mystery (Tiny Mammoth Press, May 1, 2023) is available through Amazon.
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You can read my reviews of other books by Carol Potenza here:
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