A local dam breaks, sending a black ribbon of coal sludge cascading miles and miles through the hollows across the region. It turns out that Owen knows the owner of the coal mine.What's more, the owner knows that finding out why things fail is Owen's speciality, and he hires him on the spot to figure out just what went wrong.

After the death of J. Burton Caldwell, president of the First National Bank of Contrary, West Virginia, federal bank examiners find three-quarters of a billion dollars missing.

When road construction by West Virginia's highway department uncovers human remains near the small town of Barkley, everyone involved stops dead in their tracks.

Not much happens in Contrary, West Virginia -- a sleepy town with failing coal mines, a few local moonshine stills, and an urgent need for revenue. A Federal grant for a nonexistent bus system seemed to be just the ticket.

With her land threatened by the construction of a shopping mall, Lizzie parks herself at the edge of her property, shotgun in her lap, vowing to do whatever it takes to stop the dump trucks; then, suddenly, a truck driver is dead. Did Aunt Lizzie really shoot him?

Ten years after California Governor Red Davison engineered the collapse of Owen Allison's consulting firm, Owen crosses paths with the Davison family again. A win in the West Virginia primary is all Red's son Jason needs to capture his party's presidential nomination. Reporter Tom O'Day believes that votes are for sale. Sheriff Thad Reader enlists Owen's help to keep his county clean, but Owen is sidetracked when one of the partners in his failed firm commits suicide and old records are st...