Monkey Shines by Michael Stewart
A brilliant, athletic law student's life is wrecked by a road accident. As bitterness threatens to engulf him, a monkey comes to his aid. It offers him freedom through its daily tasks and their relationship grows. But their bond becomes a lethal one and a series of violent events ensue. The author has written Far Cry, Blindsight and Prodigy. Monkey-Shines is the basis of a film by George Romero.