A midshipman's six-story fall onto a plaza at the United States Naval Academy is classified initially as an accident. The Academy's administration - none-too-affectionately called the "Dark Side" by the midshipmen - attempts to brush the incident under the rug. But a bizarre twist complicates what might otherwise be a tidy cover-up, and pulls Midshipman first class
Cam Richter steps back from his too-eventful detective service and seeks more peaceful pastures in the North Carolina countryside. He buys a seven hundred acre ante-bellum plantation, and immediately finds himself the target of a killer who holds him responsible for something Cam is pretty sure he never did.
When two lowlifes rob a North Carolina gas station, murder the attendant, and incinerate bystanders, local police quickly arrest the killers at a nearby motel. But a stubborn judge dismisses the case because the suspects were not read their rights, and the sheriff's office and Lieutenant Cam Richter must face the anger of the victims' families.
Cam Richter is back in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, this time in pursuit of the secretive and evil Creigh Clan. Led by Grinny Creigh and her son, Nathan, the gang controls the methamphetamine trade in this part of Appalachia, but they operate a much worse enterprise on the side, involving abandoned and abused children.
This time the antiquarian book dealer/burglar is asked by a friend to burgle the home of the man who stole the friend's girlfriend. But a few days before the scheduled break-in, Bernie begins to feel itchy and decides to go on the prowl: "Walking the dark streets, gloves in one pocket, tools in the other, risking life and liberty for no good reason. I knew what I was doing, and I damned well should have known better." His little misadventure leads him to an encounter with a date rapist, accusations of murder, and the burglary of his own home.
