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The year is 1879. For three years a gang of bushwhackers dubbed the "cross killers" have murdered and mutilated 26 people throughout the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado.

When the son of Joshua Brand, the most powerful man in the prosperous town of Ella, becomes victim 27, Brand loses faith that his sheriff, Jeb Moses, can track down the bushwhackers and hires Pinkerton and bounty hunter Paul Kirk.

Brand and Kirk have a history. They were best friends as boys, and Brand married Kirk’s sister, Ella, the town’s namesake, these three the children of the town’s founders.

But, as far as everyone in Ella thought, Kirk was dead. Brand claimed to see Kirk die at the Battle of Murfreesboro in 1862.

Brand lied. But why? And why is everyone in Ella, even his wife, prepared to forgive Brand for lying but not for hiring Kirk, who is met with distrust or hostility. And why didn’t Kirk return to Ella before now, even when his father was hung for murdering Brand’s father in 1865?

Moses , a reformed outlaw who has only worked in Ella for a few years, would like to know, but nobody is talking. But he intends to find out, especially after the sheriff begins to suspect Kirk may be one of the bushwhackers.

Brief Description: the year is 1879, and manhunter Paul Kirk has been hired to find the "cross killers," a gang of bushwhackers terrorizing the Colorado San Juans. Sheriff Jeb Moses of Ella, Kirk’s hometown, is worried, however. Worried that Kirk may be one of the bushwhackers.

Key Elements: Western, mystery, drama. There is the mystery between Brand and Kirk, but also the action and danger of tracking and capturing the "cross killers," all set against the hey-day of Colorado gold and silver mining.

Association: Westerns such as UNFORGIVEN and SONS OF KATIE ELDER.

Format: Based on the novel by Steven Jones.