<p>Patten's characters are real people whose lives are shattered by the violence of a gunshot, who suffer from the brutality of misplaced hatred, and who sometimes succeed in living off the rugged land of the West and sometimes do not.</p><p>Robert E. Briney says in his introduction that Patten was a "teller of well-constructed tales, framed by a tough-minded sensibility . . . set forth in a crisp, efficient prose." This is the first collection of short stories by one of the most respected writers of Western fiction, a three-time winner of the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America.</p><p><b></b> </p>