Shiloh

Marty Preston is a boy from the West Virginia hills who finds a young beagle wandering the woods behind his house and falls for it immediately. The trouble starts when he learns the dog belongs to Judd Travers, a heavy drinker with a gun who mistreats his animals. When the beagle escapes Judd and comes to Marty, the boy decides to conceal it and keep it safe from its owner. Keeping the secret proves harder than he expected, and the danger spreads beyond Marty to his whole family. The question at the center of the story is how much Marty is willing to risk to keep the dog.

This is the first book in a trilogy, followed by Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh. A 1997 film adaptation was also made.