The Stray Man

Where the West begins … and the familiar ends Strap in and take a look at Texas' past through a new lens, one that reveals the hopes and dreams of its inhabitants, along with horrors you've never dared imagine. In this dusty and lawless land, you'll meet gruesome flesh-eating monsters, uncommon heroes, ancient goddesses, and boneheaded but deadly genies. Not to mention some seemingly upright citizens. Remember, bad guys don't always wear black. An enterprising young man, new to the Wild West, aims to rebuild his fortunes using his supernatural powers. But when he offers aid to a demon-ridden ranch hand, the results are surprising. When a marginalized woman is gruesomely murdered, it is up to a brave and clever ragpicker and his discerning tracker friend to identify her killer, but the forces that deliver justice may be far darker and more ancient than expected. When an upstanding butcher is shot by rustlers, his sons seek vengeance. Only one of them is prepared to summon creatures that hunger for flesh of a different sort. The abandoned young denizens of turn-of-the-century Fort Worth struggle to survive against overwhelming and heartbreaking odds. An unspeakable act of racial terror against an innocent family reverberates through time to consume the souls of the perpetrators—and perhaps their unwitting descendants. A mother suspects her infant triplets are not what they seem. A teenager with a brand new instrument gets lessons from the maestro—but at what cost? Nobles brings his signature blend of award-winning historical savvy, folk horror, and humor to a new crop of freewheeling tales whose characters, both earthly and otherwise, readers will never forget.