Dead Man's Trail

WINNER OF THE 2023 SPUR AWARD FOR BEST PAPERBACK WESTERN!

The first in a bold, new, gun-blazing Western series for fans of Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers and Little Big Man by Thomas Guthrie.

In this razor-sharp Western debut, reformed outlaw Carson Stone stakes his claim in the untamed, bloody Idaho Territory -- only to find himself trapped in a bullet-riddled nightmare he may not walk away from . . .





Former thief and wanted man Carson Stone dreams of a peaceful life on a ranch built by his own hands, but dreams don’t always come without a steep price. To earn a stake, Carson rides west to collect the reward on a claim-jumper. The land is beautiful, but times are hard as the territory is ravaged by the latest Indian war and a mining boom gone bust.


When Stone steps in to defend a family ambushed by murdering marauders, he makes a terrifying discovery: one of the hired killers carries a death list full of names and dollar amounts. But the names on this list belong to upstanding citizens, not criminals. When the local sheriff is gunned down in broad daylight, Carson takes on the one job he never wanted—pinning on a lawman’s tin star to protect the innocent.


A gang of ruthless killers are storming back to finish their work—and Carson Stone has just moved to the top of the death list.