J. W. Keeley blames one man for the death of his brother: Joe Pickett. And now J. W. is going to make him pay. Ranch owner Opal Scarlett has vanished under suspicious circumstances, and her sons Hank and Arlen are battling it out for control of her multi-million-dollar empire. Everyone in town is so caught up in the brothers' battle that, with the exception of game warden Joe Pickett, they seem to have forgotten that Opal is still missing. Joe begins his investigation and is beaten nearly to death by Hank Scarlett's right-hand man - a stranger who looks eerily familiar. Why? And what's the meaning of the threatening messages that follow? Now Joe understands - someone with a very personal grudge is after him.

The author of 5 Joe Pickett novels, C. J. Box has won the Anthony, Macavity, Gumshoe, and Barry awards.