Winter 1921.
Patrolman Will McLain has been assigned to oversee the western region of Massachusetts known as the Swift River Valley. Himself, along with a handful of war veterans — trained to serve and protect — make up an all-new task force known as the State Patrol —the first incarnation of what would become the Massachusetts State Police.
The Valley is a peaceful haven of farmers and church-goers — made up of four towns: Prescott, Greenwich, Dana, and Enfield. For McLain, it is a seemingly uneventful setting for his first “beat” as State Patrolman...
That is, until a body is found face down on the banks of the Swift River.
In a single unexpected turn of events, McLain comes face to face with unthinkable evil, and the dark underbelly of government politics, as all eyes fix their gaze on these four unknown towns in Western Massachusetts.
What is it about the Swift River Valley that has driven men to kill? And, why does exposing the truth mean giving up something far greater than McLain would ever have imagined?