Plot summary

Among the goings-on of the sheriffs in largely rural and desert landscaped Thomas County, California include: divorced Wade Parent trying to introduce the notion to his two adolescent daughters, Lynn Marie and Debbie, of their teacher, Lauren Humphries, possibly becoming their new mother; Everett Peck believing that his first love, Bertha Clements, is being physically abused by her husband, blasting contractor Amos Clements; and alcoholic Luke Johnson being two years sober. Their goings-on and issues take a back seat when they have to investigate a numbers of deaths in different incidents, all seemingly related to a driver in what few eyewitnesses inconclusively identify as a large dark-colored sedan purposely running the victims down. Wade ends up leading the investigation and as more and more deaths occur, more evidence is collected *except* who the driver is. That increasing evidence includes the viciousness of the incidents and the seemingly nondestructive nature of the car. But what is happening may not be as simple as it appears on the surface, Wade and the others who will have to figure out the underlying issue to be able to neutralize the "car" hopefully forever.—Huggo