Kirk Stebbings is a killer with big ideas... After murdering the owner of a newly discovered gold-mine, he sees his chance to seize control and hit the big-time. Fearless and without mercy, he takes over the ramshackle little town of Black Gap, Arizona. Recruiting local workers to exploit the mine, Stebbings is aided by sundry gun-hawks and - reluctantly - by his young stepson, Hank. But not everyone is going to sit back and watch Stebbings continue his brutal reign. He soon meets opposition from local rancher and preacher Bill Westlake, and rival saloon owner Rex Carbine. Westlake vows to smash Stebbings' golden grip over the territory, restoring peace, law and order to the land. But as their campaign to undermine Stebbings gets underway, they are met with violent and murderous reprisals. Upon meeting the beautiful young Ruth Westlake, Hank abandons his evil stepfather and decides to join Westlake in the mission to take down Stebbings. But Stebbings is a man who will stop at nothing to keep his tight hold on control. And with the local sheriff and townspeople under his command, are Westlake and his family fighting a losing battle? A classic tale of the American West, the fight between good and evil plays out in Retribution at Black Gap, but who will triumph? John Russell Fearn (1908-1960) is well remembered as almost single-handedly driving the post-World War II boom in British publishing with a flood of science fiction, detective stories, and westerns. His writing appeared under various pseudonyms and has been translated into many languages around the world. His other western adventures include Thunder Valley, Deluge!, Skeleton Pass, Town Without Law, Hell's Acres and Firewater.