Mysterious forces drive Gabe Allen to leave home in search of the Keystone Ranch. Job by job, handout by handout, he finally makes it. But his next journey will be far more dangerous, more demanding. He is to see an arrogant lady safely home to her own ranch where her sister is being held hostage by an outlaw gang whose leader is almost certainly insane. Gabe’s only weapons are his wit, ingenuity, and a .44 revolver; but what can one man and one gun do against an outlaw who decorates his stronghold with the skeletons of other men who have come against him?

Praise for James C. Work

"This cleverly conceived and stylishly presented tale adds several levels of complexity to the standard western formula." —Booklist on The Tobermory Manuscript

"Work takes the concept of the mythic western and does it one better, outfitting an ancient tale in spurs and chaps." —Booklist on Ride to Banshee Cañon