Orphaned as a child, Mike Bastian was taken in by the legendary outlaw Ben Curry, raised and trained to take over his empire of crime. Today, Mike is the quickest draw and the stealthiest tracker around, and Ben Curry is getting ready to retire. To test Mike’s wings, he has set him a task: the planning and execution of a gold-train robbery.

Now, as he prepares for his first criminal job, Mike must decide whether to follow the path that has been set before him or to carve out a destiny of his own. If he assumes the position of gang leader, he will face deadly competition from within Curry’s band; yet if he refuses, he may not be allowed to leave the pack alive. The dilemma is further complicated when he falls for Drusilla, Ben Curry’s real daughter, who knows nothing of her father’s career. Either way Mike chooses, a showdown is in store.

Louis L’Amour (1908-1988) was the most decorated author in the history of American letters. In 1983 he was the first American author ever to be awarded a Special National Gold Medal by the United States Congress for lifetime literary achievement, and in 1984 President Reagan awarded him the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the nation. His Western stories are loved the world over.