The first in a white-knuckled western series from the author of the acclaimed Gunsmith series, following a legendary gunfighter taking on the darkest and bloodiest jobs across the West. John Locke has been a lawman, a bounty hunter, and a gun-for-hire, but now he's embarked on a new chapter in his life, taking on odd and dangerous jobs that are really only suited to a man of his reputation. His first new assignment brings him to Lincoln, New Mexico, to serve as a bastonero (like the Master of Ceremonies) to the hanging of a man known for being a vicious killer, Ignacio Delgado. He spends most of his time in the beginning fending off Delgado's men, who regard the condemned man as part saint, part Robin Hood, and a soon-to-be martyr. But as time passes, Locke's respect for Delgado grows, and he learns that the sheriff has his own reasons for wanting the man dead. What ensues is High Noon meets High Plains Drifter in a shoot-em-up showdown.