With “Altar of Eden,” Pocket veterinarian-turned-nationally renowned author James Rollins (“Dr. Jim” or “Jim Czajkowski” to former Pocket patient families) breaks away from the thriller writer pack and distinguishes himself as the authority on smart, science-based thrillers.

As a practicing doctor of veterinary medicine who studied evolutionary biology, Rollins uses his medical and scientific knowledge to write novels that meld cutting-edge science and technology with history and religion, and creates books that are as authentic and smart as they are entertaining.

Rollins is particularly close to this novel as the main protagonist is a veterinarian, a career he practiced for many years in the Pocket and still practices on a charity basis.

In his latest book, Rollins takes a step away from his wildly popular SIGMA series and delivers his first stand-alone thriller in more than five years with “Altar of Eden” (William Morrow, on sale now, ISBN 13: 9780061231421, $27.99), a provocative look at genetic experimentation that includes the same breakneck pacing, gripping suspense and complex characters that make his SIGMA novels bestsellers.

 

The story

Following the fall of Baghdad, two Iraqi boys stumble upon armed men looting the city zoo. The floodgates are opened for the smuggling of hundreds of exotic birds, mammals, and reptiles to Western nations, but this crime hides a deeper secret as “Altar of Eden” begins. Amid a hail of bullets, a hidden underground weapons lab is ransacked and something even more horrific is set free. Seven years later, Louisiana state veterinarian Lorna Polk is called in for her expertise when the Department of Homeland Security’s Border Patrol unit uncovers a ring of black market smugglers at the U.S. border carrying puzzling cargo—conjoined twin monkeys, a lion cub with saber teeth, a featherless Amazon parrot.

While each animal seems to have a completely different mutation from the next, they all share one uncanny trait: super intelligence. With U.S. Marshall Jack Menard on her side, Lorna will uncover mysteries of fractal intelligence, genetic engineering, and a secret history tied to the Book of Genesis to expose a horrifying secret that traces back to mankind’s earliest roots. In the face of global terror and a genetic nightmare, Lorna will have to risk all to survive.

Rollins explores how research into genetics and DNA have spurred scientists to find out what makes humans human and how to manipulate intelligence through genetic experimentation. But more importantly, Rollins contemplates how scientific research and technology—if used by the wrong people—could produce appalling results.

 

“Dr. Jim” praised for new book

James Rollins and his SIGMA force series have grown in critical and commercial popularity, with the most recent entry in the series, “The Doomsday Key,” hitting No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list. Reviewers and peers alike have praised Rollins and the series, with the Chicago Sun-Times declaring “Rollins combines real-world science with high-octane action to create rousing stories of adventure that are as exciting as any movie.”