It is the dog days of summer, and things are getting hot for Sheriff Jonas Lauer in Monroe County. A tragic suicide turns out to be more sinister and places Jonas in the middle of a federal investigation. The sheriff can't decide who is worse, the FBI or the criminals. A deadly thief launches a bizarre scavenger hunt that ricochets across the county, leaving behind dead bodies. And there is an affable assassin with an affection for fedoras who prefers to play by a different set of rules. As the heat builds and the bodies pile up, Jonas will face corruption, hired guns, and unadulterated greed, in what may be his most dangerous case yet.