The Black Rim area in Idaho is a rather rough place, but no where is it more rough than at the Devil's Tooth Ranch, a ranch run by the Lorrigans. No one willingly messes with the Lorrigans. Tom Lorrigan, the senior of the clan, has three son's, Al, Duke, and Lance. His spouse, Belle, was at one time an entertainer of some note back East, Belle Delavan, "The Girl with a Thousand Songs".

Lance, the youngest appears to have become rather smitten with a neighbor, Mary Hope Douglas. But there's bad blood between the Douglases and the Lorrigans. Old Alec Douglas claims, without proof, that Tom Lorrigan swiped one of his heifers.

Lance has another problem. He was sent off to California for some education. He comes back a bit dandified and neither his father and brothers, nor the other ranch hands believe him to be reliable any more. Only his mother keeps her faith in young Lance.

Lance can tell that something amiss is going on, but no one will talk to him. He takes up "fishing" so as to snoop around a bit. In the end things work out, but not without a few bumps along the way.

Another fun book by B.M. Bower. It would be *** were GoodReads to allow it.
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