Silas Durfee had come up against a lot of outlaws as a Texas Ranger. But he had never encountered one as cold and cruel as Spot Lester—a man who would as soon slit a throat as swat a fly.

Lester had a grudge against Silas Durfee. Durfee had fouled up a special plan of Lester’s once and Lester just couldn’t let that lie. Lester schemed and plotted and dreamed of Durfee’s death until he had him right where he wanted him—trapped in Torture Canyon where the infernal heat was enough to turn a man’s brain to smoke and the only way out was through a hail of rifle fire.