Book excerpt: The wide-open Western Frontier in 1865 paints the backdrop for murder and revenge. A young man's manic need to avenge the deaths of his family is aided by an Apache woman warrior. Skilled in the art of war and killing, she becomes his teacher and lover. Murderers seek the anonymity of droving cattle and become prey; catacombs hide the bodies of the wrongdoers. A man's mind can become ingenious when he begins sinking into insanity. Filled with venom, he becomes El Cascabel; the rattlesnake! "M. A. Hutchison crafts a suspenseful tale of a young man's descent into murderous madness in the Old West, weaving a rich tapestry of love, loss, and vengeance amid the desert's stark beauty. This is a twisting ride the reader won't soon forget." Jude Johnson, Author of "Cactus Cymry" & "Dragon & Hawk"