A circus stakeout puts Toby Peters at the bottom of the food chain.

The gorilla doesn't like clowns. Normally that wouldn't bother Toby Peters, since detective work tends to keep him far away from animal cages, but tonight he's dressed as a clown and locked in with the ape. The animal's handler told him not to worry -- gorillas don't eat people. They just like to tear their arms and legs off. What the ape doesn't understand is that Peters is here for his protection. Earlier that week, someone electrocuted an elephant, and the gorilla, as one of the star attractions in this second-rate circus, is next on the hit list. Someone is killing animals to kill the circus, and if that doesn't work they may move on to human prey. Toby Peters has a shot at unraveling this big top mystery, as long as he survives his night in the gorilla's cage.