Booklist Review

In "Engines," a young man comes to Death Valley seeking solace after a broken marriage. He aids a young woman who has lost a child to her ex-husband, but more significantly, he rediscovers his own conscience. This isn't a typical "western" plot, but Pronzini isn't a typical western author. He glides smoothly from his series detective "Nameless" to stand-alone crime novels to westerns. And he writes short fiction across all genres that consistently challenges readers with issues and moral dilemmas. Other highlights in this standout collection of nominally western stories include "Hero," in which a long-ignored town cripple finds a deadly way to raise his stature in the community; "Not a Lick of Sense," in which the sounds of the prairie help solve a crime; and "All the Long Years," in which a ranch owner finds himself acknowledging the consequences of his past as he confronts a bitter cattle thief. Those who eschew the western genre as a literary poor cousin are missing some fine writing. This is an excellent example. --Wes Lukowsky