Things are heating up for SimGen, the company that created chimpanzees "enhanced" with human DNA, in this tightly constructed, action-packed third installment from Wilson (after 2001's Sims: Book Two: The Portero Method). The SimGen head of security clearly has his own agenda, an apparent mole is causing trouble, a missing sim (the eponymous Meerm) holds a secret of vital importance and a lawsuit threatens to unmask a money trail that may shed light on the firm's seemingly unsavory beginnings. Last seen with his life mostly ruined after an attempt to unionize a group of sims results in their murder, Patrick Sullivan brings the personal injury lawsuit, abetted by the alluring Romy Cadman, who seems to have every man in the story pining after her. Patrick and Romy are also working on the case of a torched "globulin farm," where sims were given diseases and those who survived were milked for the immunity that their blood carried. The missing Meerm was one of those survivors. The ongoing humanizing of Zero—the anti-SimGen leader who sets Romy and Patrick's agendas—will spark further curiosity about his identity among fans familiar with the earlier books. The bizarre behavior of one of the SimGen brothers will call his motives into question. As the saga grows more complex, readers will avidly stay tuned for the next exciting adventure of Patrick, Romy, Zero and the SimGen brothers. (Sept.)
