The Platypus Police Squad is on the case again in this third mystery set in animal-inhabited Kalamazoo City. When a mayoral candidate, Frank Pandini, is attacked by boomerang, hardboiled platypus detective Rick Zengo is hired as the panda's bodyguard. Most of the fun lies in the old-fashioned crime-fighting tropes and silly gags. Black-and-white cartoons add to the charm. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Gr 3-5-Krosoczka brings his trademark whimsy to this animal-studded police procedural. The Platypus Police Squad faces yet another adventure when Detective Rick Zengo is tasked with protecting the life of mayoral candidate Frank Pandini Jr., who was recently attacked-and finding out who's to blame. With detective lingo, standard genre tropes, stock characters, and chapter headings with times and locations à la Law & Order, this light take on the hardboiled mystery is perfect for future fans of the genre. (c) Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Veteran platy-cop Corey O'Malley and hotshot rookie Rick Zengo temporarily split assignments when smooth-talking tycoon and mayoral candidate Frank Panini Jr. is repeatedly assaulted by masked squirrels. Could Panini's smooth campaign promise to eliminate nuts from Kalamazoo City's school and restaurant menus be a shell game? Joined by competent new colleague Jo Cooper, the billed boomerang wielders ultimately crack the case or so they think. Signaling future episodes, Krosoczka dishes up a nutty twist in the final scene of this heavily illustrated caper.--Peters, John Copyright 2010 Booklist

You don't need a gun in Kalamazoo City. When a candidate for mayor is attacked by a masked intruder, the weapon is a boomerang. And when the Kalamazoo police squad takes on a gang of criminals, they're all throwing boomerangs. That gives the story a genteel, civilized feel, but sometimes the device gets a little silly. Near the climax, Detective Zengowho's guarding the candidateis grabbed by a thug and feels "the cold steel of a boomerang, placed at his temple." Of course, in a novel in which the assailant is a squirrel and the candidate is a panda, a boomerang doesn't seem that odd. Most of the time, the story isn't nearly silly enough. For a long stretch in the middle of the book, the detectives do nothing but tour a factory. It's remarkably dull even though they're variously disguised in wigs, cowboy boots, and a purple velvet sweatsuit. The small touches do work, like a business called Frank's Franks and a five-star nightclub that serves root beer floats. It's all a little quaint, like the old sitcoms where married couples slept in separate beds.In the end, readers may wish the book were a little more exciting and a little less genteel. (Mystery. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.