In Book Three of the Dylan Maples Adventures series, Dylan and his friends—no parents this time around—are off to the Badlands of Alberta and the excavation site of dinosaur remains from millions of years ago. The boys have won the trip for inventing their mechanical T-Rex, which placed first in the National Science Fair. Unfortunately, their trip coincides with the escape of a notorious serial killer from a Calgary prison. The Reptile, as the killer is known, was last seen heading straight for the Badlands. The adults on Dylan's trip—nerdy science teacher Norris Newcombe and his high-strung wife, Ophelia—decide to curtail the trip, allowing one last guided tour through Dinosaur Provincial Park. But the kids take a wrong turn, and suddenly they're lost and alone in the Badlands. Well, almost alone ...