Eatin' Crow; and the Best Man in Garotte

Two raw, unsentimental tales from the rough edge of the American frontier. In 'Eatin' Crow,' newcomer Charley Muirhead arrives in the mining camp of Garotte with a chip on his shoulder and a fist ready to fly, quickly learning that in a town where every man carries a gun and a grudge, reputation is the only currency that matters. His confrontation with Bill Bent kicks off a cycle of pride and consequence that will test whether he can earn his place or get himself killed trying. 'The Best Man in Garotte' shifts to the wiry, quick-witted Lawyer Rablay, a man who solves disputes with words instead of bullets, until he finds himself facing down the deadliest gun in the territory, Bill Hitchcock. Harris writes with spare, muscular prose and a dark comic sensibility, capturing the fragile code of honor that keeps men alive in places where the law is just a rumor. These are stories about what it costs to be a man in a world that prizes strength above all else.