Villains and the House by the River

Villains and the House by the River is a story of adventure and suspense.  The principal characters are Cousins, Harold and Hank Hawkins, and their rescue dog Rusty, a German Shepard Labrador Retriever. The setting takes place in the 1940s on the Toulumne River in Central California. The river is Hank and Harold's playground. 

Two bridges, a car bridge, to the east and a railroad trestle to the west encompass their primary boundaries.  The crystal clear river is active with marine life spotted with dense growths of cattail (toolies) in the shallows. Occasional thickets of wild blackberries occupy the river bank. 

On the east shore of the river, near the car bridge is a mysterious unpainted house, occupied by two strangers, new to the community..