At the Odalon Animal Sanctuary, the chimpanzees are ready
to go to sleep, when a gunshot is heard; within ten
minutes, thirteen of the animals are dead then almost
burned to
a crisp by the wildfires that have been raging in
California. One chimp escaped though. Deputy Detective
Investigator Layla Remington has been assigned to the
case with Rick Stills, Assistant District Attorney. The
police think that one of the caretakers must have acted
in good conscience and performed a mercy killing by
shooting the poor beasts before they were consumed alive
by the fire; but Layla thinks otherwise. The incident is
not making the headlines because a movie star was
murdered around the same time, so Layla can work in peace
until the terrifying murder of a caretaker.
13 HOLLYWOOD APES is a thought-provoking police
procedural of a complex and puzzling case. Mr. Reavill's
book is very fast paced, extremely well written, and is
chock full of interesting facts about our distant
ancestors. The proceedings are depicted realistically, I
enjoyed how all the characters interacted with each
other, how much the dialogues ring true, and mostly that
the apes are not anthropomorphised. I was a bit perplexed
at the detailed account of the movie star murder around
halfway through the book. However interesting, I presumed
it must tie in at some point with the apes' story; it
caused a bit of a lull and somewhat slowed down the
story, but then the pace picked up again, and afterwards
it was full-speed ahead until the last page. It turns out
that this seemingly unrelated passage is extremely
important; so don't read it quickly! Then one clue at a
time, and as the bodies pile up and more facts are
revealed, the case becomes more intricate and mystifying,
leading to an explosive and satisfying conclusion. 13
HOLLYWOOD APES is a very well constructed thriller, and
I'm looking forward to more of Layla's adventures!
In a savvy, stylish thriller debut perfect for anyone who
loves the crime novels of Michael Connelly or Nevada Barr,
Gil Reavill unravels a chilling tale of murder and mayhem
among humans and their closest evolutionary relatives—a
primate family that may just be too close for comfort.
As a wildfire rages outside the Odalon Animal Sanctuary in
the rugged Santa Monica foothills, the retired Hollywood
movie chimpanzees housed there are shot and left for dead.
When Malibu detective Layla Remington reaches the grisly
scene the next morning, she’s deeply disturbed—and even
more
confused. The victims are not human, so the attack cannot
be
classified as homicide. Yet someone clearly wanted these
animals dead, and executed them with ruthless efficiency.
Miraculously, there is one survivor: a juvenile male named
Angle.
But as Layla reaches the veterinarian’s office where Angle
is recovering, a man with rock-star good looks and a
laid-back Southern California attitude swoops in and
removes
him. And just like that, an unusual case turns truly
bizarre. Soon reports surface of ferocious attacks against
Odalon employees . . . with Angle as the prime suspect. As
a
wave of senseless violence reaches its apex, Layla chases
a
mystery man and his chimp—but everything comes back to
that
terrible night at the sanctuary.
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