""For Fans of: Larry McMurtry, Cormac McCarthy, and Johnny D. Boggs, Buell opens with a death threat and ends with a promise of a new life. In between, Buell Mace, a confused and guilt-ridden young man, longs to be loved but fears affection more than death"-- "Synopsis:Young Buell Mace, on the run again, leaves Fort Laramie and the only person he ever trusted. He crosses paths with grizzled prospector Arley Hill who's on his way to the goldfields...

After a seven-year absence, lifelong friends Buell Mace and Simon Steele return to the town they grew up in. Carlisle, Nebraska in 1879 is trying to become a more genteel and law abiding place than the one a hot-headed Buell had been encouraged to leave at the age of nineteen. Sheriff Lorin Staker is one of the first people Buell talks to on returning, and Buell is amazed when he offers Buell a badge. The sheriff is having trouble with drifters, "Islanders"...

"Dirt-poor farmer, Paul Steele, is tested in Nebraska of the 1850's. He and his wife meet adversity head-on and overcome it while teaching their children honesty, loyalty and dedication. As the adults begin to overcome their challenges, the story centers more around their eldest son Simon's friendship with his best friend, Buell. Though these boys have dramatically different personalities, their loyalty to each other is unwavering, and each one takes...