Human

Human, Brian F. McNamee, VistaTron Publishing, 2000

For most people, the medical diagnosis of total internal organ failure, one at a time, would be a death sentence. Not for Dr. Sean Colin, head of Geneserch, a biotech firm based near Cleveland. While Colin is dying, his employees come up with a way to mix his DNA with that of a chimpanzee to create a half-human, half-animal walking organ repository for harvest. It's name is Mookie.

The people at Geneserch think they are safe from the prying eyes of the public, until, tipped off by a disgruntled employee, the authorities put Mookie in protective custody and put Colin on trial for cruelty to animals and felonious assault. The animal rights people have a field day. The defense attorney, L.J. McClafferty and the prosecutor, Javer Houston, have met many times before in the courtroom. Houston's loathing for McClafferty is such that a mere conviction for Colin isn't enough; Houston wants to flatten McClafferty like a steamroller.

Much trial time is spent trying to determine What is human? Where is the dividing line between animal and human? The trial does not go well for Colin; every witness, even the "friendly" ones, seem to hammer another nail in his coffin. By the time of the verdict, the only question for Colin is the length of his prison sentence.

This book is just weird enough for X-Files fans. Those who enjoy courtroom novels will especially enjoy this one. The author, a doctor and lawyer, has done a fine job throughout. Maybe the story gets a little too technical at times, but it is still a first-rate piece of writing.