The Enclave by Karen Hancock

When I first read Karen Hancock's debut novel Arena, I loved it. It still ranks as one of my most favorite speculative fiction works.

The Enclave is Hancock's latest novel. Amazon's product description reads:
When Lacey McHenry accepts a prestigious research fellowship at the world-renowned Kendell-Jakes Longevity Institute, she sees it as a new start on life. But a disturbing late-night encounter with an intruder leads to an unexpected cover-up by Institute authorities, and she soon realizes there's more going on than she ever imagined.

She finds a supporter in genetics researcher Cameron Reinhardt. However, Reinhardt is a favorite of the Institute's director, and she can't help wondering if he, too, is in on the cover-up. The brilliant but absentminded researcher turns out to have his own secrets, some of them dark and deadly.
So far this sounds like a typical suspense novel, with one word hinting there may be something more. Can you find it?

The description continues:
The Enclave is characterized by adventure, intrigue, spiritual analogy, and romance, all set in an unusual but fully realized world--one that may have its foundations on earth but which, the more one learns of it, doesn't seem much like the earth we know at all.
Well!

That sentence alone (especially the last phrase) would make me want to read this novel. And you can read it too!

While I forgot to opt in for the CSFF book tour, I did request a review copy, so I am hosting a giveaway! Post a comment below with the one word that hints to something more from the first part of this book's description (it's okay if it's not the word I was thinking of!). I'll draw a name from the entries I receive by the end of August 15, 2009, and send the book to the US address you specify. If I receive more than 10 entries, I'll give away TWO copies of The Enclave!