A convoluted, twisty story of outlandish coincidences that explores the potential minefield of who funds human genetic engineering, and to what end. ( )

Huysman's Pets is in that borderline area of the SF thriller, most popularly associated with Michael Crichton or, in this case, Ira Levin's The Boys from Brazil. It opens with a brief prolog where several young children in different places mysteriously sense an unseen danger and leave town, either with their parents or simply running away. But all this seems forgotten as almost half of the book follows Drew, a horny divorced writer of little-read biographies, still in love with Pat, his ex-wife who has moved on to a politician, less because of love but in the hopes of being able to do something that makes a difference in the world. Drew has been contacted by Irma, the widow of Stanley Huysman, to do a biography of her late husband, a once well-respected scientist who's later claims were roundly rejected by the scientific community, but somehow he still managed to fund his work. Meanwhile Drew is being investigated by Leon, a soon-to-retire Federal agent, because of Drew's peripheral connection with Arnie, the only counterfeiter Leon never managed to catch. Arnie is on the run from Leon, and ends up, literally by accident, in a mysterious hospital for disturbed youth, that was once the site of Huysman's research. Meanwhile Michelle and her husband buy Arnie's house and are tempted into using some of Arnie's bogus bills on a mini gambling vacation.

By page 100 of this 217 page book, I wondered if this was one of those books that gets lost in a maze of plot mechanics and characterization. But all is well. Everything does converge, the majority of threads are either tied off or how they will tie off is clear, and the main science fictional conceit, while more Maguffin than anything else, is critical to the story, including the many coincidences, just a few of which are in my summary.

Recommended for those who like well-written SF-tinged thrillers. ( )