Fueled by youth, courage, and quickness with a gun, Matt Brennan rode into Hattan's Point ready to live or die at a single challenge. But in one day he was a changed man. A beautiful woman had dared him to stay alive. A powerful landowner had set him up for a beating. And a good friend had died in his arms. Suddenly Matt found himself owner of the Two-Bar Ranch--and the odd man out in a vicious range war. With enemies everywhere, Matt knew that the next time he drew his gun, there would be much more than his life at stake.
It was originally published in a shorter version, named Riders of the Dawn, in the magazine Giant Western in June 1951. It then was published in hardback in 1956 by Avalon Books and in paperback by Bantam Books in 1957.