With a bang - or rather, a barrage - Jacob Neptune finds his remote cabin in the Adirondacks besieged by a gun-toting gang of murderous bikers. With the help of his supersized sidekick Dennis, the hard-headed, wise-cracking Abenaki private detective traces the source of his troubles to a former adversary who is now running an Indian casino.

In short order, the friends are drawn into a dangerous mystery that will call upon all of Jake's skills as a martial arts expert, former special forces soldier, and - in the Abenaki tradition - a metoulin, one who can see beneath the surface of things through dreams and visions. Their investigation takes them to the Pacific Northwest, dead center in a vicious game involving tribal intrigue, a crooked casino, Chinese billions, a captive killer whale - and a series of murders and disappearances that may be linked to the monster known by Jake's people as Padoskoks, the giant underwater serpent.

Like Chenoo, the first in the Jacob Neptune series, Padoskoks has an explosive start and keeps gathering speed, giving readers a glimpse of the ancient wisdom and Native customs swirling just under the surface as the action-packed plot barrels toward its natural, if startling, conclusion.

Joseph Bruchac, an Abenaki writer, poet, and storyteller, has written more than 170 books during his distinguished career. His best-selling Keepers of the Earth: Native American Stories and Environmental Activities for Children is used in classrooms across the country.