Axle Bust Creek — John Shirley

The first book in a thrilling new western series from John Shirley, the acclaimed co-author of the Sundown Riders western series.

GOLD FEVER. BLOOD FEVER.
 
 From the battlefield of Shiloh to the prisoner camp at Slocum, former Union soldier Cleveland Trewe has seen more than enough carnage for one lifetime. Now that the war is over he's found work as a peacekeeper and prospector -- the perfect set of survival skills for a town like Axle Bust, Nevada, a place seething with danger.
 
Cleve's uncle staked a claim in Axle Bust only to lose it to a murderous con-man partnered with Duncan Conroy, owner of the Golden Fleece Mine and a man determined to build an empire by means fair and foul. The only person keeping Conroy in check is his sister Berenice, a freethinker whose scientific education benefits the family interests -- even while catching Cleve's eye.
 
To reclaim his uncle's mine, and bring justice to a town under tyranny, Cleve finds himself turning the streets into a bullet-riddled battlefield. Conroy is about to learn there just isn't room for both men in a town like Axle Bust.
 
Praise for John Shirley

“Gritty realism, thrilling -- this is a good one.”
-- Lincoln Journal Star on Wyatt in Wichita

“One of our best and most singular writers. A powerhouse of ideas and imagery.”
-- William Gibson