JournalStone's DoubleDown series hits book number 3. Dog Days: It's the summer of 1983 and the suburbs of Houston are reeling from a disastrous hurricane. But the storm brought more than wind and floodwaters. In the swamps that surround Clear Lake a brutal and possibly supernatural killer is gathering strength, and waiting for the full moon. The focus of his bloodlust is fifteen year old Mark Eckert. Reckless to a fault, with a knack for making spectacularly bad decisions, Mark had planned to spend that last summer before high school wandering the swamps with his friends and his beloved dog Max. But after a chance encounter with the lunatic, Mark's summer becomes a time of terror and tragedy. With his life on the line, Mark's courage will be tested to his limits and beyond as he struggles to survive the hottest days of summer: the dog days. Deadly Passage: Just after the American Revolution, the slave ship Lombard sets off from Africa, beginning its brutal passage to the New World. But even this ship's hardened crew of thugs and drunkards is unprepared for the horrors ahead. When the Lombard's human cargo dies one by one, free black crewman George Bell suspects a stealthy and devious stowaway - not disease - is the cause. As the death toll mounts and the slaves threaten mutiny, he must choose between his humanity and duty to a callous captain. But Bell doesn't have much time to make his voyage of self-discovery. The deadly beast burrowing through the rotten guts of the Lombard grows more powerful with each life it takes.
