California rancher and ex-sheriff Hack Bohannon, unable to turn away strangers in need of help, tackles five complex and challenging cases.

Ex-sheriff Hack Bohannon and his crew—including grizzled rodeo rider George Stubbs and student priest Manuel Rivera—discover that death can be as unpredictable as the California landscape. 17,500 first printing. $15,000 ad/promo.

In this collection of Joseph Hansen's longer stories, he demonstrates how versatile he has become, not only as a storyteller but as an observer of contemporary Southern California.