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The Only Clue: The Neema Mysteries, #2
The Only Clue: The Neema Mysteries, #2
The Only Clue: The Neema Mysteries, #2
Ebook367 pages4 hours

The Only Clue: The Neema Mysteries, #2

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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**Winner of the Mystery & Mayhem Grand Prize**

Gorillas that communicate in sign language aren't exactly commonplace, so when Dr. Grace McKenna reluctantly hosts the first open house at her research center, half the town of Evansburg, Washington shows up to gawk. The next morning, Grace discovers that her worst nightmare has come true. All three apes—Gumu, Neema, and baby Kanoni—have vanished, leaving behind only one clue: a huge pool of blood. 
Grace is frantic. She hopes the apes have simply escaped into the nearby forests. If the press learns of her gorillas' disappearance, the county will revoke her permit to keep the apes. 
Detective Matthew Finn is sure that a criminal is at work. He risks his job for Grace by agreeing to keep the disappearance secret while doing his best to solve the crime. Has the maniac who murdered Grace's first gorilla returned? Have Grace's trusted staff members, who belong to the controversial Animal Rights Union, 'liberated' the apes? Or have exotic animal dealers stolen the valuable gorillas to sell on the illegal wildlife market? 

LanguageEnglish
Release dateFeb 19, 2016
ISBN9780979876899
The Only Clue: The Neema Mysteries, #2
Author

Pamela Beason

Pamela Beason, a former private investigator, lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she writes novels and screenplays. When she's not writing, she explores the natural world on foot, in cross-country skis, in her kayak, or underwater scuba diving. Pam is the author of nine full-length fiction works in three series: The Run for Your Life young adult adventure/mystery trilogy (which includes RACE WITH DANGER, RACE TO TRUTH, and RACE FOR JUSTICE), The Neema Mysteries (which feature Neema, the signing gorilla in THE ONLY WITNESS, THE ONLY CLUE, and coming soon, THE ONLY ONE LEFT), and the Summer "Sam" Westin wilderness mysteries (which include ENDANGERED, BEAR BAIT, UNDERCURRENTS, and BACKCOUNTRY).  In addition to these series, Pam has written the romantic suspense novel SHAKEN, and CALL OF THE JAGUAR, a romantic adventure novella. She also wrote the nonfiction titles SAVE YOUR MONEY, YOUR SANITY, AND OUR PLANET and SO YOU WANT TO BE A PI? and has published informational ebooks for wannabe auhors. Pam's books have won the Daphne du Maurier Award, the Chanticleer Book Reviews Grand Prize, and the Mystery & Mayhem Grand Prize, and a Publisher's Weekly award, as well as a few other awards.

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  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The character of Neema the signing gorilla is based on the real life Koko, and Neema certainly has a tough time of it in The Only Clue. She's the loving new mother of baby Kanoni and is happy in her life with her mate Gumu. All that is shattered when thieves break into Dr. Grace McKenna's barn. The pool of blood that's the only clue left behind isn't a very good one. Is it gorilla blood? Which gorilla? Could it even be human blood? It takes time to find out, and time is one thing that Dr. Grace McKenna does not have. There are too many people in charge who really don't have a clue about the work she's doing or about the animals she is in charge of. They are constantly on the lookout for the tiniest thing that will allow them to boot her and her animals out of their county. This really spotlights how tough it is for many scientists who have to wrestle for permits and funding.Another thing that The Only Clue does an excellent job of bringing attention to is that of the illegal wildlife trade. Why does someone with the right amount of money need to raise a tiger in their big-city apartment? Why do certain countries' traditional medicines seem to insist on the extinction of many animal species? I mean... I adore meerkats, but I don't want a family of them in my backyard. The lengths to which these illegal traders will go to get their hands on money are both chilling and disgusting, and Beason brings it right out in the open without being overly graphic.As much as I enjoyed the first Neema mystery, The Only Witness, this second book fell flat for me. First, there were Grace's overbearing parents. You know the type, the parents who don't like the career their child has chosen and never miss an opportunity to undermine them? If there's a contest for "I'm So Over Them" Characters, overbearing, judgy parents would rank in my top three. Then there was a bit of deus ex machina at the end to save the day for one of the plotlines, a plotline that I wondered how the author was going to resolve.But the thing that bothered me the most was poor Neema. She went through emotional hell in this book, and even though there is just one more book in the Neema series, I'm going to leave it here at book two where all is right in her world once again. It's just not right to keep torturing the poor ape.

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The Only Clue - Pamela Beason

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