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away in the Rocky Mountains. Frannie is also a veterinarian, and as such, has strong opinions about hunting and hunters. When Kit Harrison shows up on her doorstep carrying a rifle, Frannie's first instinct is to deny him the cabin he's rented from her. Kit, though, is not easily persuaded to leave. A FBI agent traveling under an alias, Kit has come to the Rockies in search of a renegade band of scientists whose work involves cloning human beings. Kit keeps his business a secret until the day when Frannie tells him she's seen a girl in the forest whose arms are actually wings. Kit blows his cover by confiding in Frannie, then the two of them work together to find the strange little girl. Max is the product of human experimentation, a little girl who's escaped the confines of the "School" along with her brother Matthew. Max and Matthew were born with wings, and while both were taught the principles of flight by a sympathetic teacher, neither of them has tested their knowledge until now. Having seen other children at the school "put to sleep" when their usefulness wanes, Max and Matt fly over the electric fence surrounding their laboratory-like home in hopes of escaping their fate. A man they know as Uncle Tom pursues them into the woods. Along with other guards from the school, Tom hunts down the children, ultimately capturing Matthew and wounding Max. Kit and Frannie take Max to the veterinarian hospital when they find her injured in the forest. By now, Kit is hot on the trail of the doctor who is masterminding the cloning experiments. Even as Kit gets closer to the truth, Tom gets closer to him and Frannie. Frannie discovers that some of her friends are involved in the evil experiments. When Max leads her two new friends to the "School", they see for themselves the ultimate horrible results of cloning. Kit and Frannie are able to rescue a few of the children, but the youngest and sickest die when the laboratory is destroyed in a bomb blast. Together with the children, Kit and Frannie embark on a race for their lives as the founders of the "School", along with their killer minions, pursue them through the mountain wilderness. Patterson departs from his usual reality-based thrillers to pen this extraordinary tale of human experimentation gone wrong. Some critics may complain that the story is outlandish and fanciful, but the recent seal of approval awarded to human cloning by the American Medical Association proves that there are doctors out there willing to face the risks associated with genetic code experimentation. While Patterson's writing is certainly futuristic, the realistic characters and brisk pace of the story will draw in most fans of the author. Blair Brown's excellent narration only helps to make this an interesting listening experience.
Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, July 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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