A desperate call for help is more than enough to get Patricia and friends in motion, especially when the call is from Patricia's socialite friend and zoo owner, the rather gin-soaked Lady Mary Bostihill-Swank.
Her husband, George, an acclaimed thriller writer, has gone missing from her home but there is no ransom note and no sign of foul play. With no crime to investigate, the police are doing nothing and that's not good enough for Patricia.
Amid a backdrop of strange occurrences, which include jewellery stolen from inside Lady Mary's mansion, a note that suggests George might have been kidnapped by Bolivian freedom fighters, and a lady tiger somehow pregnant from immaculate conception, the team must wade through a confusion of clues to find the truth.
Will they be too late? Is George dead or alive? Will Lady Mary run out of gin?
With Patricia's ability to attract trouble working overtime, every hour counts, but as she begins to close the net, the dangerous creatures that surround them reveal a far more deadly crime is taking place ...