Sheriff Lance Beaufort is not going to let trouble into his town, no sir. Tucked away in the California mountains, Mad Creek has secrets to keep, like the fact that half the town consists of "quickened" - dogs who have gained the ability to become human. Descended on both sides from Border Collies, Lance is as alert a guardian as they come

Deputy Roman Charsguard survived Afghanistan where he lost his best friend - his K-9 handler James. Roman was a military dog until two years ago when he developed the ability to shift into a human. It's not easy to learn how to be a man. He found a place to live in Mad Creek, a haven for the secret world of dog shifters. Finding a reason to live has been harder. That is, until a certain human walks into the Mad Creek Sheriff's office and starts making trouble.

Dr. Jason Kunik is working on the most earth-shattering genetics project ever: DNA mapping of a new species, the quickened - dogs who can shift into human form. The problem is, no one knows the quickened exist, and Jason can't betray them by publishing his studies. When he moves to Mad Creek to continue his research in a town full of quickened, all he wants is peace, quiet, and to be allowed to bury himself in his work. Perhaps if he figures out how the mutation is activated, he can silence his own inner dog forever.