Bordello madam Hennessey Reed suspects even the combined magic of laudanum and Irish whiskey will not soothe her distress. The girl lying on the undertaker’s table will remain dead, her wounds horrifying, inexplicable, and reminiscent of Indian sacrifice.
Hennessey treasures the uneasy peace she has found in the remote town of Melancholy, in Idaho Territory. However, when three more young girls are murdered she recognizes one of the victims, and her hard-won equilibrium is compromised.
Hennessey decides U.S. Marshal Rafael Cooper requires her help to find the killer, acknowledging he may not necessarily agree. Nevertheless, with her Bowie strapped to her calf and wolfhound, Raven, at her side, Hennessey sets out to investigate—a one-woman stampede.