For nearly thirty years, Bill Pronzini has been writing Western stories and novels, yet this is the first time fourteen of his finest short stories are being brought together in book form. Pronzini offers rich variety in every element of his writing. Joining the familiar figures of lawmen, cowhands, and the like, are some seldom featured characters such as bartenders, saddle makers, traveling dentists and tramp printers. His settings run the gamut from a small, mythical town in Montana to the very real Death Valley, and his stories show a similar range: from grim character studies to action, mystery, and farcical humors.
