Deputy Sheriff Charlie Hood patrols Antelope Valley, California after being transferred from Los Angeles.  He enjoys  patrolling his area at night alone. He is not happy to be assigned a partner.  The partner is Terry Law, whom everyone calls "Mr Wonderful".  But when Law is shot dead while sitting in the passenger seat of the patrol car, in what appears to be a deliberate execution, Hood sets out to find why someone didn't think Law was "Mr Wonderful". He finds evidence to suggest Law was a crooked cop. Coleman Draper, a reserve officer who used to work with Law, tells a story of two years ago when Law was injured in a drug fight. The investigation escalates and ends in a grand finale battle.

Renegades gives a vivid picture of the wild and lawless desert atmosphere.   The emphasis of the story is on the action involving drug enforcement, money laundering, and corrupt cops.