Henry Shore is the Chief Park Ranger at Crater Lake in Oregon. After a series of earthquakes unearth some fossils, other strange things start happening. Some people and their boats disappear, and animal carcasses and unusual tracks are found. Stories begin to circulate of a lake monster. Of course, being an ex-cop, he takes the stories with a grain of salt until he sees the creature and realizes that if it can't be contained, a lot of people are going to die. The dinosaur is smart, cunning, and hungry and he and his team have to find a way to stop it. 
 Some of the characters seem a bit too stereotypical -- Mad scientist, Vulture-like journalists from the Inquirer, Ineffective bureaucrat. That said, I still liked/hated them and they moved the story along for me in a fast-paced and interesting way.