Altar of Eden - James Rollins

Louisiana veterinarian Lorna Polk stumbles upon a shipwrecked fishing trawler carrying a caged group of exotic animals, clearly part of a black market smuggling ring. Yet, something is wrong with these beasts, disturbing deformities that make no sense. They also all share one uncanny trait - heightened intelligence.

To uncover the truth about the origin of this strange cargo and the terrorist threat it poses, Lorna must team up with Jack Menard, a man who has a dark and bloody past. Together, they must hunt for a beast that escaped the shipwreck while uncovering a mystery that traces back to mankind's earliest roots...