In the rugged heart of Pardoo County, survival is a game where the odds are stacked against you, and the house always wins. Buck Halliday finds himself at the end of his rope-literally-standing on a hilltop with a noose around his neck and a crowd hungry for a hanging.

Framed for the killing of a vengeful cowhand, Halliday's only hope lies in the fickle hands of the Coglans, a family ruled by the skeletal, Bible-thumping Nathan and his volatile son, Joel. Amidst the heat of the "hanging tree," secrets of a rigged shooting contest and a "prize" he never claimed come to light.

In this gripping tale by Des Dunn writing as Adam Brady, Halliday must use every ounce of his grit to escape a town where the law has washed its hands of justice. It's a classic Western showdown where every second counts-because in Pardoo, they've been starved of excitement for too long.