First published 2009
Virgil Cole cannot understand why the woman he loves disappeared without explanation. The hired gunman sets out to find her, riding across New Mexico and Texas with his loyal deputy Everett Hitch at his side. Their search takes them through dusty towns and dangerous territory until they finally locate her in an unexpected place: working in a brothel. Cole's reunion with his lover becomes complicated when a religious man enters the picture, bringing his own agenda to an already volatile situation. The tension escalates as saloon violence erupts around them. Cole must navigate not only the physical dangers of the frontier but also the emotional complexities of a relationship he thought he understood. His determination to win back the woman he loves will test both his skills as a gunman and his capacity for forgiveness in a world where survival often depends on quick decisions and quicker draws.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, american, adventure, crime, detective, action, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: New Mexico, Texas
Period: 19th-Century
293 pages · Hardcover · Putnam Adult