In the midst of cattle-thieves, the new owner of Up and Down Ranch, James Shannon, has his hands full. He is clearly distracted by his attractive neighbour, Dawn Madden. However, his commitment to get to the bottom of the mystery has dangerous ramifications! The novel was also the basis of a Hollywood film named The Man from Painted Post.

Jackson Gregory (1882-1943) was an American teacher, journalist, and writer. He was born in California and was educated at the University of California, Berkeley. He began his career as a newspaper reporter in San Francisco. He later served as a principal at a high school in Truckee. He authored more than 40 fiction novels and a number of short stories. Though the vast majority of his stories were about the American Old West, he did occasionally venture into other genres, like mysteries, fantasies or South Seas adventures. His writing formula was usually a successful combination of an abundance of action, adventure and suspense coupled with a dependable story line about areas and the life he was familiar with in the American Southwest.