Hackberry Holland is a man haunted by a chequered and traumatic past. A former POW from the Korean War, he has left everything behind to become sheriff of a dried-out, broken-down border town in south Texas. But Hack soon finds himself dealing with more than just his own demons when nine dead prostitutes are dug up behind a run-down church. The search for justice - and revenge - pits Hack against hired guns, drug dealers who operate on both sides of the border and a psychotic killer known as The Preacher.
As Holland frantically tries to end the cycle of killings and bring justice to the dead girls, he discovers just how dark the deepest corners of the human heart can get and how redemption can come in the form of a woman's love...
Read MoreFar superior to all but a few of his fellow crime writers...Burke is the most lyrical and poetic of US crime authors, his central characters the most three-dimensional, his atmosphere the most moody. - The Times.James Lee Burke is a genius. - Guardian.A brilliant piece of work from an American master. - Observer.He writes brilliantly...and the narrative is one of staggering intensity and power. - Evening Standard.His lyrical prose, his deep understanding of what makes people behave as they do, and his control of plot and pace are masterly. - Sunday Telegraph.