Berkley Jordon's happy now, or as happy as he can be in the depression-devastated coal-mining community of Buxton in eastern Kentucky. There's the roadhouse he runs for Della and the little casino in back where folks can try their luck. But luck's in short supply, and for some people it's run out. Union agitation runs high, and violence is doing more than simmering.Berk proved that he can take care of himself and others, but he doesn't want to work for the mine owners . . . until death streaks out from behind a tree in the form of an assassin's bullet and makes the problems in Buxton a personal matter. Now he has to take old man Buxton's offer seriously - and he has to start watching his back. It makes life more difficult, but when a man's friend is killed, there really isn't very much choice.As Berk begins to put the pieces together, he knows that one large chunk of the puzzle is missing; when he figures out what it is, he also discovers the murderer's next target - and the price that will have to be paid if the man with the rifle isn't stopped.Berk isn't the most popular man in town with the powers-that-be, but they learn quickly that if they don't listen to him, whatever mining disasters have visited them in the past will be nothing compared to the explosion that's set to go off when the gunman squeezes the trigger one more time. Read Less