1840's Alta California is on the verge of revolution. The Mexicans struggle to keep their gracious life-style, the Indians have sworn to defend their tribal heritage. Both are doomed by the inevitable war with the colossus to the east. America is determined to reach the shores of the Pacific. In this turbulent land comes John Clinton Ryan, an adventurer, a seaman, a man who must learn the ways of the vaquero if he is to survive. For only then will he have a chance against cruel Mexican soldados and a brutal American captain who has sworn to see him hang.

John Clinton Ryan is a man caught in the gunsights of history, traveling across Mexican Alta California in the mid-1800s. As the rumblings of war grow in cabinet rooms in Mexico City, Los Angeles, London, and Washington, and in the hearts of those who have already lost loved ones in the violent struggle for this magnificent land, Clint will find himself hunted by the U.S. government; robbed of his gold, his guns, and almost his life by a vicious Mexican bandit; and forced to choose sides between two dangerous enemies. And only when the musket fire stops and the smoke clears will he know which flag flutters free, which side prevailed... and at what cost.

In this western, Martin has produced a land-locked, Old West version of Peter Benchley's Jaws . Chased from its habitat among California's giant redwoods, a mammoth grizzly worshiped as a bear god by the local Indians goes on a rampage. When the son of the Indians' chief is killed by the animal, the tribe seeks out Clint Ryan to hunt it down. Although he demurs at first, circumstances force him to join both Indians and other hunters and to go after the bear. With tight plotting, Martin manages to keep the reader's attention, and series fans should not be disappointed.