Dry Heat may be a small desert town in 1871 New Mexico, but it's about to see its share of action A crazed cougar, the snakebite death of a young man, and an unstable woman from a troubled family are just the beginning of Sheriff Phil Palmer's problems. Sheriff Palmer must also deal with the impending arrival of his newly orphaned 13-year-old niece a girl he s never even met. Add shady Southern politicians, angry Indians, mysterious cowboys, a gold-filled creek, and a hijacked train into the mix and you've got a glimpse of some of the wildest pack of troubles Phil and his trusty deputy, Ron Harris, have ever seen