Illegal Alien

Amazon.com Review Aliens, Tosoks, have finally made contact with Earth, but there are only seven of them, and they've arrived in a disabled spaceship. The Tosoks are intelligent and surprisingly easy to communicate with, and are happy to tour Earth and see what humans have to offer. But during a stop in Los Angeles, one of the human scientists traveling with the Tosoks is gruesomely murdered, and all evidence points to the alien Hask. The Los Angeles Police Department is determined to indict Hask for the crime, even though the aliens have little concept of laws or crime as we understand them. The only thing the U.S. government can do is secretly procure the services of Dale Rice, a leading civil rights lawyer, and hope he can clear Hask of the charges. But as the trial progresses, evidence indicates a cover-up by one or more of the aliens. Humanity's survival--not just Hask's fate--might hinge on the jury's verdict. From Kirkus Reviews Aliens-on-trial, from the author of Frameshift (p. 424), etc. When a spaceship containing nonhumanoid aliens splashes down in the Atlantic, the President's science advisor, Frank Nobilio, and astronomer Clete Calhoun are sent to make contact. The Tosok (four eyes, two mouths, one arm in front, another in back) hibernated through the 211-year voyage, but their ship was damaged entering the solar system and they need help with repairs. Then, however, Clete's body is found butchered in the dorm where the aliens are being housed. A Tosok, Hask, is arrested and charged, so Frank hires top civil-rights lawyer Dale Rice to defend him. During the trial it emerges that one of the aliens, Seltar, supposedly killed in the accident that damaged the ship, is still alive; not only that, but she's helping Hask (he did kill Clete, but only by accident) to save humanity from the other Tosok--whose paranoid orders are to wipe out Earth with the particle-beam weapon that Hask and Frank somehow must disable. A consistently plotted if not always persuasively motivated yarn, with ingeniously constructed aliens in a fairly routine courtroom melodrama. -- Copyright В©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. When a disabled spaceship enters Earth's atmosphere, seven members of the advanced Tosok race are welcomed by the world. Then a popular scientist is murdered, and all evidence points to one of the Tosoks. Now, an alien is tried in a court of law-and there may be far more at stake than accounting for one human life.Aliens, Tosoks, have finally made contact with Earth, but there are only seven of them, and they've arrived in a disabled spaceship. The Tosoks are intelligent and surprisingly easy to communicate with, and are happy to tour Earth and see what humans have to offer. But during a stop in Los Angeles, one of the human scientists traveling with the Tosoks is gruesomely murdered, and all evidence points to the alien Hask. The Los Angeles Police Department is determined to indict Hask for the crime, even though the aliens have little concept of laws or crime as we understand them. The only thing the U.S. government can do is secretly procure the services of Dale Rice, a leading civil rights lawyer, and hope he can clear Hask of the charges. But as the trial progresses, evidence indicates a cover-up by one or more of the aliens. Humanity's survival--not just Hask's fate--might hinge on the jury's verdict. From back cover Ace paperback January 1999: When a disabled spaceship enters the Earth's atmosphere, fear is quickly replaced with awe. Seven members of the incredibly advanced Tosok race are welcomed by the world with open arms, and the people of Earth put their best face forward. Then a popular scientist is found murdered. All evidence points to one of the Tosoks. For the first time, an alien is tried before humans in a court of law. And in the unprecedented trial, where two cultures clash, there may be far more at stake than the accounting for one human life... The Trial Of An Alien Accused Of Murdering An Earthman. The Accused Is A Crewman Of A Damaged Spaceship Which Landed On Earth, And The Victim Was A Scientist Sent To Talk To Them. Evidence Reveals The Ship Was On A Mission To Destroy Earth, But Some Crewmen Rebelled Against The Order. Robert J. Sawyer.