Over 40 years ago, Stuart Woods found a battered chief-of-police badge in his grandmother's house. It had belonged to his grandfather, who had been shot in the line of duty. The story of the lawman's death inspired Woods to write Chiefs. This novel won an Edgar Award and was made into a popular TV miniseries.

In 1919, Delano, Georgia appoints its first chief of police. Honest and hardworking, the new chief is puzzled when young men start to disappear. But his investigation is ended by the fatal blast from a shotgun. Delano's second chief-of-police is no hero, yet he is also disturbed by what he sees in the missing persons bulletins. In 1969, when Delano's third chief takes over, the unsolved disappearances still haunt the police files.

As Stuart Woods' riveting tale spans three generations, Chiefs also probes deep into southern small town attitudes and behavior. The residents of Delano, and their reluctance to disturb a familiar social order, provide the perfect environment for this tale of dark secrets and murder.