After a detective accepts a seemingly easy job, he soon discovers that his client's puzzling claims are not imagined but real. Drawn into a world of violent crime and puzzling mysteries on a remote estate, he must learn to survive while he tries to discover the secret a private militia is guarding. The discovery of a dead body leaves him tormented by guilt as the hunter becomes the hunted. Entangled in a government investigation of the mysterious occupants of Black Mound, he agrees to be the star witness in a case against them, and loses control over his destiny. His fate hangs in the balance as two parties try to tip the scale in their favor: one wants him to identify the guilty in court while the other aims to silence him before he takes the stand. Black Mound contains descriptions of violence and sexual conduct and is intended for mature audiences only. From the author of "Ventana."