Edward Gorman

Just when Les Graves finally earns a chance at a respectable life in Cedar Rapids, his brother T.Z. shows up in town with plans to rob the bank where Les works, and loyalty to his brother lands Les in jail.

"Guild is a man tormented by his past. He already narrowly escaped one lynching, and he certainly isn't about to get caught up in another one. He's just a weary bounty hunter looking to collect his reward when he rides into the dusty Dakota town of Denton one evening. He doesn't plan to stay long--until an old buddy and a beautiful woman convince him to change his mind. But some folks don't like his presence in Denton. They don't like the questions...

For small-town Iowa lawyer Sam McCain the year 1965 is not a sweet one. His father is gravely ill. His elitist boss is just coming out of rehab. The brilliant lawyer he hoped to start a relationship with has gone back to her husband. Still McCain tries to enjoy himself during the town's Labor Day weekend party, reuniting with several old friends - until two of them are murdered for what seems to be a motive buried in the past.

Attorney Sam McCain investigates the murder of a young black man in his 1960s Iowa hometown, suspecting a link between the murder and Senator Lloyd Williams, a political official facing a tough re-election campaign, whose daughter is rumored to have been dating the victim.