"Mick Hardin, a combat veteran now working as an Army CID agent, returns home on a leave that is almost done. His wife is about to give birth, but they aren't getting along. His sister, newly risen to sheriff, has just landed her first murder case, and local politicians are pushing for city police or the FBI to take the case. Are they convinced she can't handle it, or is there something else at work? She calls on Mick who, with his investigation experience...

A moody Labrador and his insecure human share a cross-country RV trip into the heart of America's relationship with dogs, relating the stories of Appalachian wolf-dogs, a dedicated stray rescuer, a K9 cop, and other dogs and dog-obsessed humans.

Deep in the tropical forest of Costa Rica, ten sticky frog eggs cling to a leaf. Only nine eggs hatch. Only eight tadpoles wind up in the water below. What will it take to survive the countdown to adulthood and begin the cycle again?