A late-night knock at the door puts a man's life in turmoil.

Jack Pate has been living alone in a cabin in the woods after leaving behind his wife, children and dental practice when the stranger calling himself Yardley Bennett shows up near midnight.

Bennett claims to be from Pate's hometown and seems to know too many personal details about Pate for comfort. Despite his reluctance and suspicion of the visitor, who appears to be a drifter, Pate feeds him and allows him to spend the night in his cabin. His visitor reminds him of Eric Rudolph, the Olympic Park bomber.

In the morning, Bennett plies him with more questions about his life Pate isn't happy to share. He responds by seeking details about his unwelcome visitor's past. Bennett complies to a degree but declines to reveal how he knew Pate's name, where he was from, and most importantly how they supposedly knew one another. They discuss a lot of other things over two days.

Then, his mysterious visitor disappears and Pate is unable to verify anything the man told him, including his name.

For reasons he doesn't fully understand, the visit stirs memories of his past, memories told in flashback revealing Pate's traumatic upbringing, childhood events, life with his wife and children, fires, and other disturbing events.

When a sheriff's deputy calls on him with news of a nearby fatal arson and other fires, Pate tells him about his mysterious visitor. Soon Pate is questioning everything he thought he knew about his own life.

Muzzle the Black Dog is a dark psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns that will have the reader questioning who to believe as Pate's life tumbles into jeopardy.

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