Sam Bass is tall and lanky, loves old western movies, wears cowboy boots, and drives a battered Wrangler. He's a pilot running a one-man charter operation on remote Ocracoke Island, living a quiet life with his Cherokee girlfriend, Valerie Lightfoot. When Sam helps make a dangerous rescue of a couple lost at sea, he gets publicity he doesn't need. A powerful enemy now knows where he is, and sends a hit team to finish old business. Sam, Valerie, and her young son, Josh, become the focus of evil. The only response is a trail of just vengeance as ancient as the ghosts of the Smoky Mountain Cherokees. The bloody hunt is on . . . "Fast. Engaging. A fine debut." Lee Child