This reprint of an eight-part magazine serial, originally published in 1921, tells a story that, a few centuries earlier, could easily have formed the basis of a Shakespeare play. After he was orphaned, young Andrew Lanning was taken in by his Uncle Jasper. Andrew has grown into a kind and gentle man, much to the dismay of Jasper, who is afraid that if he doesn’t learn to defend himself, Andy will be a victim all his life. Jasper arranges a confrontation between Andy and one of the town’s bullies, but his plan couldn’t go more wrong: Andy kills the bully, flees the town, and, not long after, kills a deputy sheriff who’s chasing him. As if all this weren’t bad enough, Andy has fallen in love with the daughter of a powerful man, and—guess what!—the dead bully isn’t really dead at all. Yes, the story is a little hokey, but the novel tells a powerful story of a man discovering his cold, dark inner self. Brand’s strength was always his characters, and Andrew Lanning is a multilayered, memorable creation, a character who compels us to watch him, even as he does things that frighten us. --David Pitt
About the Author
Max Brand is the best-known pen name of Frederick Faust, creator of such beloved characters as Destry and Dr. Kildare. Eighty motion pictures and many radio and television programs have been based on his work. Faust went to Italy as a war correspondent during World War II after the United States entered the conflict, and was killed during a night attack on a hilltop village held by the German army. His literary output was so prolific during his life that he averaged three new books per year for seventy-five years, including many years after his death. Brand lived in Hollywood, California.
