In his younger days Ben Cameron had been a Texas Ranger and then a town-taming lawman. Riding into the dying mining town of Purgatoire, Cameron stops by The Texas House for a drink, but these days he always ends up blurry-eyed drunk. Amie Courtland works at The Texas House and is very interested in Cameron because she's heard that he was the last person to see her brother alive. When a series of murders begins in Purgatoire, many of the townspeople begin to look upon Cameron as a potential protector.

In addition to writing Western novels, Johnny D. Boggs has covered all aspects of the American West for newspapers and magazines on topics ranging from travel to book and movie reviews, to celebrity and historical profiles, to the apparel industry and environmental issues. He was born in South Carolina and now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Lisa Smith, and son, Jack.