It is the first book in the Virals series and is intended for a juvenile audience. The book follows Tory Brennan, the niece of a famous forensic anthropologist, and her ragtag group of teenage "sci-philes" as they uncover a mysterious illness affecting them after rescuing a dog from a nearby island. With their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, the group must solve a cold-case murder and navigate through dangerous situations at their secluded island home. The book, published in 2010, is 464 pages long and falls under the genre of juvenile fiction.