Andrew Apperley is in the East, visiting with his brother David, who he has persuaded to join him on his ranch in the West. Accompanying Andrew is a giant wolf dog named Comanche who is so wild that he has to be chained up at all times. But after Comanche saves escaped prisoner Single Jack Deems from drowning, Deems wants the dog for himself, and he follows the Apperleys west. Everything Andrew Apperley owns is imperiled by Alex Shodress, a clever...

On an isolated Texas ranch, Dr. Lucy cares for abandoned animals. The solitude allows her to avoid the people and places that remind her of the past. Not that any of the townsfolk care. In 1959, no one is interested in a woman doctor. Nor are they welcoming Calvin and Justin Bell, a newly arrived African-American father and son. When Pete Solomon, a neglected twelve-year-old boy, and Justin bring a wounded wolf-dog hybrid to Dr. Lucy, the outcasts...

The Virals are put to the ultimate test when they find a hidden geocache containing an ornate puzzle box. Shelton decodes the cipher inside, only to find more tantalizing clues left by "The Gamemaster". The Virals now must find a geocache concealing a bomb.