First published 2015
Brooke and Sugar make their living as killers, tracking bounties across the unforgiving Western frontier. When they wake up one morning to find Bird, a young boy who appeared beside them without explanation, their lives take an unexpected turn. The three have been run out of town and now face miles of empty desert and wilderness, with scattered settlements dotting the edges of civilization. Each character searches for something different. Brooke and Sugar want to rebuild their reputation as bounty hunters after their recent troubles. Bird seeks to understand his place in this harsh world. Their journey takes them through gunfights and saloons where piano music drifts through smoky air. They encounter wagon trains moving west and witness stampeding cattle. Along the way, they meet a one-armed gunslinger trying to make his mark in a profession that demands two good hands. The West emerges as a place where survival depends on violence, yet people still reach for connection and meaning. Brooke, Sugar, and Bird must navigate this landscape while confronting what they owe each other and what justice means when civilization feels far away.
Genres: american-fiction, adventure, action
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, survival
Setting: Western Frontier, Desert, Wilderness, Settlements
Period: 19th Century
220 pages · Paperback · Two Dollar Radio
Content warnings: violence