The White Desert

Barry Houston reaches the Colorado town of Dominion in a low-slung yellow car, intent on crossing Hazard Pass. Below the mountains, May feels warm and easy; above them, snow still holds the roads. A local warns that only experienced drivers have recently made the crossing, but Houston decides to try. His determination has a private side, too: a nameplate on his car threatens the secrecy he wants for his mission.

Courtney Ryley Cooper's adventure novel combines this mountain setting with railroad and lumbering interests and a mystery surrounding Houston's past. In a later conversation with Ba'tiste and Medaine Robinette, he describes being accused after Tom Langdon's death and explains how medical evidence helped clear him. The exchange turns on whether legal acquittal can restore personal trust. Readers interested in dangerous terrain and disputed reputations will find both in a story whose outdoor hazards accompany tense conversations about evidence and belief.