Hiding Hand
Lee Denning
Twilight Times, Oct 2008, $19.95
www.twilighttimesbooks.com
ISBN: 9781606190166

In Ireland, the Mullah waits impatiently for the moment to strike as his aid the Crone cautions him. They plot to abduct eight year old Eva Connard, a chimera of sorts as Nova sapiens. Her eighteen years old step-brother Joshua “Magician” O’Donnell vows to keep her safe.

However, in spite of his efforts and that of their Uncle Hamilton O’Donnell, the Mullah abducts Eva as he wants to control the power of this new evolutionary line as some insist she is the new Messiah. Joshua tries to rescue his sibling, but his attempts prove futile. Instead of saving Eva from the “pious” Muslim cleric, he manages to rescue Elia. As they fall in love, Josh, with the help of “Unca Ham”, mounts a rescue mission only to have his beloved abducted.

The next generation offspring from the heroes of MONKEY TRAP make for a terrific romantic science fiction tale as the young precocious hybrid seeks a place in the world of Neanderthals while caught between ambitious modern day Lady Macbeths especially the psychopath Mullah. Although the villain is obvious early on unlike the first book, team Dennng keeps the suspense high with a strong cast starring in the middle Nova Sapiens thriller.

Harriet Klausner