When Range Detective Rance Dehner stops to make camp he hears a strange sound coming from the surrounding brush. A young girl of about five is hiding there, unable to speak and her eyes reflecting terror. Within minutes, someone tries to ambush both Dehner and the child. Bullets continue to fly as Dehner discovers that the child has witnessed her parents' murder and that the horrifying experience has traumatized her into silence. The detective's investigation leads him into a bizarre small-town race for mayor and a whirlpool of violence related to the brutal killing of the girl's parents. Can Dehner discover the shocking truth behind the murders before a town destroys itself?

James Clay spent his childhood watching Hopalong Cassidy on TV and devouring Fran Striker's Lone Ranger novels and believes such joys should not be restricted to childhood. He tries to convey a sense of fun and adventure in all of his western novels. James Clay has authored six Black Horse Westerns. He resides in San Diego, CA with his wife and two cats. They caution him to pound the keyboard softly.