Three outlaws arrive in the country town of Big Tree, California, on a blazing hot day of a long dry summer, in this well-crafted western by veteran Pronzini (The Last Days of Horse-Shy Halloran). A huge shipment of munitions is a-sittin' in Big Tree just a-waitin' to be stole—and they're a-goin' to do it. But the burglary gets bungled, an explosion sets the town on fire and there is only one way out of the parched valley for the townsfolk—by train. That way lies peril, however, for not only is the only locomotive in some disrepair, but the munitions are on board, and the fire is spreading fast—as fast as the train is racing.

Praise for Bill Pronzini

"Pronzini makes people and events so real that you're living those explosive days of terror."
—Robert Ludlum

"Once in a crocodile's age you come across a writer whose work you instinctively like... I've found one—Bill Pronzini. Buy him, read him, and relax."
—Los Angeles Times

"A skilled writer working at the top of his ability."
—Denver Post

"Pronzini delivers breathtaking suspense"
—San Francisco Examiner

"His novels are packed with adventure, fresh characterization, and minute-by-minute suspense."
—Chicago Tribune

"Pronzini is the master of the shivery, spine-tingling it-could-happen suspense story."
—Publishers Weekly

"Pronzini is a pro."
—The New York Times

About the Reader

Barry Greene, a native of St. John's, Newfoundland, was trained as a classical actor in England and Canada, and over the past 35 years has appeared in many classical and contemporary plays, as well as television and feature film productions between Canada and the United States. His voice has been heard broadcasting on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as well as on audiobooks, radio and television commercials and documentary films. Among his current projects is the audio version of If I Were Your Daddy, This Is What You'd Learn, by Julia Espey, scheduled for release in June, 2011, episodes of Hard-Drive 13—a new 'web-tv series', and adapting a prominent British novel to a screenplay.