The Album of Dr. Moreau

 The Album of Dr. Moreau by Daryl Gregory (2021) 176 pages

Kara previously reviewed this book here. I listened to the audiobook on Hoopla narrated by Luis Moreno. It is quite short, which was great for my short commutes. The weird concept of Dr. Moreau hybrids and boy band culture is what hooked me. The murder mystery plot followed the regular procedure. All the witnesses are gradually interviewed: the ocelot boy, the bonobo boy, the elephant boy, the pangolin boy, the bat boy, the victim's wife, the stage manager, and the leaders of the fan club. The detectives examine the area surrounding the hotel penthouse. The assisting detective, Banks, makes lots of corny jokes. The lead detective, Luce Delgado, used to perform a magic act with her dad here is Las Vegas. Now she is a mother to a pre-teen, who is the biggest fan of the WildBoyz. Luce has special skills and knowledge that make her the perfect detective for this case. On top of the murder mystery there is the mystery of the boys' background. Who created them? How? I'm not sure I totally buy the twist at the end. Luce gives us a simple and a complicated explanation for the murder. That is fine. But the bigger mystery of these genetic experiments remain largely a mystery.