This is the third in a three-novel series featuring Dan and Etta Currie. A mysterious telegram from Matt Halliday, an old friend, led Dan Currie to travel to 1880s St. Elmo, a gold mining boom town high in the Colorado Rockies. When he arrived, his friend lay mortally wounded. Halliday died in Currie's arms. Currie vowed he would not leave St. Elmo until Halliday's murderer was captured. Dan's investigation led him to try to unravel the complex web of alliances and animosities that were the seamy underbelly of St. Elmo. With the help of a newspaper publisher and another old friend, Currie was slowly but surely sorting out the players. The murderer, apparently worried that Currie was getting too close, made several unsuccessful attempts on Currie's life. Would Currie figure it out before they killed him?