Hackberry Holland is a man haunted by the past. A former POW from the Korean War, he has left his traumatic and chequered past behind to become sheriff of a dried-out, broken-down border town in south Texas. But Hack soon find himself dealing with more than just his own demons when nine dead prostitutes are dug up behind a run-down church. The search for justice - and revenge - pits Hack against hired guns, drug dealers who operate on both sides of the border, and a psychotic killer known as The Preacher. Burke deftly combines intricate, engaging plotlines and original, compelling characters with his powerfully poetic prose to create a blistering crime novel that also stands with the best of American contemporary fiction.