Young Jude Brighton has gone missing, and while the search for him is in full swing here in the small town of Deer Valley, Oregon, the locals are starting to lose hope. They’re well aware that the first forty-eight hours are critical and after that, the odds usually point to a worst scenario. And despite Stevie Clark’s youth, he knows that, too; he’s seen the cop shows. He knows what each ticking moment may mean for Jude, his cousin and best friend.

It’s just like the stories from years ago of that boy, Max Larsen, who was found dead after also disappearing under mysterious circumstances. And then there were the animals: pets gone missing out of yards. For years, the residents of Deer Valley have either murmured about or tried very hard to not talk of these unsolved crimes…. or that a killer may still possibly be lurking around their quiet town. Now, fear is reborn — and for Stevie, who is determined to find out what really happened to Jude, the awful truth may be too horrifying to imagine.