Aliens, sasquatch, and shady corporations come together in a complex tale of adventure and scientific inquiry.

Scientist Jack Walker returns to his birthplace in Montana and becomes involved in the investigation of a missing 10-year-old boy. He assists local Sheriff Dan Wendover with the case, following a series of cryptic clues. They realize that shadowy corporate forces are interested in the boy and his family because of the family’s unusual DNA, which indicates that there might be extraterrestrial life on Earth. Through the help of a family friend, Jack connects this discovery to strange incidents that occurred on a naval ship in 1943. Intrigued, Jack uses LISA, a pattern recognition system he has developed to aid in the search for aliens. This sets him on a wild adventure, from Montana to South America and New Mexico, where he encounters telepathic aliens and many other mythical creatures. Jack and his various compatriots fall into a series of daring exploits, like chases through caves and tunnels. He battles on, feeling compelled to protect these species from corporations and politicians who would try to exploit their gifts and resources. Duus’ prose is both wry and insightful. Jack, a curious and worldly figure, is fun to follow on his tour. The landscapes and people of the varied settings, particularly of small-town Montana, come alive, and the dry banter between Jack and Wendover proves reliably amusing (“Professor,” Wendover says dryly, “you see, but do not observe”). Duus also has a keen perspective on the function (and dysfunction) of the government agencies and corporations that keep trying to chase Jack down and control alien species. Jack’s escapades are interesting, but often long and sometimes hard to follow. These action sequences could be brisker. Still, Duus paints compelling portraits of beings from other worlds and thoughtful meditations on how humans might ethically share a planet with them.

A unique, clever, albeit sometimes meandering, take on the paranormal.