At the end of BITTERROOT, rodeo cowboy Wyatt Dixon - 'the most dangerous, depraved, twisted and unpredictable human being I ever knew' - was sentenced to sixty years in Deer Lodge Pen for the murder of a biker in the Aryan Brotherhood. Now, one year later, he's out, due to the DA's failure to disclose a piece of evidence. Among his many crimes, Wyatt once tortured Billy Bob's wife, Temple, when she was a cop. Dixon declares to Billy Bob that he's a reformed character and he needs his help in a venture to raise rodeo livestock. But how can Billy Bob believe him?

Meanwhile Johnny American Horse, a possible descendent of Crazy Horse, whose worst offences till now have been the odd bout of drunkenness and a propensity to believe his dreams, is caught carrying a gun. He tells Billy Bob he needs it for protection; in a dream he saw two men coming for him. Sure enough, those men in Johnny's dream are heading West, with Johnny as their target. Soon Johnny's in serious trouble with only one man to turn to, Billy Bob - and Billy Bob finds himself pitched into a complex battle that pits him not only against Wyatt Dixon, but against the very government he has sworn to support.

This is James Lee Burke at his compelling best: a novel defined by stunning plot twists, breathtaking suspense and a cast of unforgettable villains - a combination that has earned Burke outstanding critical praise and a bestselling readership.