The heart of the American West lives in this collection of stories, with characters that blaze trails across a country that is on the verge of coming of age. In "Retribution River," the conflict has to do with the disenfranchised, struggling desperately to regain their land and their dignity. In "Cutbank Welcome," it is a matter of having to learn the identity of a murderer. Sometimes, the weather adds mayhem, such as the blizzard in "Signed on Satan's Payroll." "Matched Pair" poses the question of whether or not the past can ever be rectified. In the title story, "Phantom Raiders," even an honest lawman must resort to robbery at gunpoint.