Carpenter, California is not Los Angeles. It is a much smaller city more inland, with less crime and a smaller population. That doesn't mean it hasn't seen it's share of violence. In his time as a homicide detective there, Arthur Nelms has seen things that have caused many sleepless nights. But nothing like the string of animal attacks that begin cropping up just before he is due to retire. Like every other murder he has investigated they have a simple, rational explanation. Until he begins finding evidence that the killer may be all too human...