Brand practices his art to something like perfection.” The New York Times
Max Brand is the Shakespeare of the Western range.” Kirkus Reviews
After Andrew Lanning's father dies, his Uncle Jasper takes him under his wing and raises him for the next fifteen years. Jasper wants his nephew to be the kind of man who rightly belongs to the Lanning clan: good with horses, and even better with guns. But the results prove disappointingAndrew becomes the town’s mild-mannered blacksmith.
However, something soon happens that changes all that in a single day. When the belligerent Buck Heath confronts Andrew, Andrew fights back with a single punch, knocking Heath down, and probably killing him. Assaulted with feelings of guilt and terror, Andrew flees into the wilderness of the hills where he turns outlaw, and is relentlessly pursued by Deputy Sheriff Bill Dozier and a posse. When Andrew is finally within the sights of their long guns, he stops them by means of a fabulous long-distance shot, killing Bill Dozier.
Now, with the killing of an officer of the law, Andrew is outlawed for sure. Only one thing keeps him goingthe love he has for Anne Withero, the fiancee of rich Charles Merchant who financed Bill Dozier’s pursuit of Andrew. Anne is terrified of Andrew yet drawn to him at the same time, and now, more than ever, Merchant wants Andrew dead. Remaining free has suddenly become more dangerous for Andrew than it has ever been.
