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Disbarred lawyer and ex-con Shep Harrington has no financial problems. As sole heir to country singer Reilly Heartwood's fortune, Harrington manages an estate worth tens of millions of dollars. Part of that estate is a former poor farm, now Shep's home. The farm's four previous tenants have moved into Reilly's mansion in the town of Lyle where they live with Frieda Hahn, Reilly's housekeeper, and Lora Jean Brady, a one time homeless teenager. Cecil, Harry, Carrie, and Jamie are, along with Frieda and Lora Jean, Shep's only family. Being family, these six people are the first to respond to Shep's S.O.S. when animal activist Sydney Vail dumps an unwanted guest on the poor man's doorstep. Kikora is a young chimpanzee, the property of Doring Medical Inc. Destined to die in a series of clinical trials on a new diet drug, Kikora is whisked away from Doring by scientist Celia Stone who later winds up dead. Sydney Vail claims Celia gave Kikora to her. But when Vail vanishes into the Virginia countryside after abandoning the chimp on Shep's porch, Harrington discovers he may be an accessory to murder. Sydney Vail is wanted by the police, and Kikora is wanted by Doring Medical. Leaving the chimp in the care of his friends, Shep sets out to clear his name along with Vail's. He's aided in his quest by one time girlfriend and Chicago reporter Cali McBride. Together, Shep and Cali approach Harvey Raimer, Sydney's lawyer, who fills them in on the case against his client. Things look bad for Sydney, but even worse for poor Kikora. A chimp that communicates through sign language should be worth preserving. Unfortunately, the folks at Doring Medical seem set on destroying her. Shep's growing respect for Kikora's cognitive ability leads him to plead her case in court. He loses the battle, but does obtain a stay of execution for the chimp when the judge forces Doring to hold off on its animal testing. It's only after she's returned to Doring that Shep realizes Kikora was a witness to Celia Stone's death. Given her ability to use sign language, Kikora could easily expose the scientist's killer. Are the people at Doring Medical really concerned about the progress of their new drug, or is their rush to remove Kikora from Shep's farm part of a devilish cover-up scheme? Shep must discover the truth quickly before Kikora is silenced forever. Best-selling mystery writer and animal activist Martha Grimes blurbed this book, praising the author's introduction of animal rights into mystery literature. Kikora's story will leave readers thinking twice about the use of chimpanzees in laboratory experiments even though the author exposes only the worst aspects of animal experimentation. As for the mystery itself, fans may find the villain to be just a tad too obvious. They may also wonder how, in this day and age, a company like Doring Medical can evade federal scrutiny and be run not by a Board of Directors but by its lowly Head of Security. Despite these reservations, the book is worth reading if only because of the author's creativity in handling the main character. Shep's design of an extraordinary legal ploy to save Kikora steals the show and may be the best part of the entire story.
Reviewed by Mary V. Welk, June 2003
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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