Another cool Ian Rogers novella. And oh so close to five stars. I loved the set up, loved the interplay between Dryden and Raisy, loved Dryden's gun.

Rogers is a great writer, which is important to note, because, quite honestly, in the hands of a lesser writer, this book would have been a hot mess. Instead, it's entertaining, and thought-provoking.

Unfortunately, it's also very obviously setting up more stories. Stories I hope we actually get to read, but it's this book's only downfall and the reason for the 4-star rating.

Rogers sets up a lot of interesting points. Who's this Marshall? What's with the dish? Hell, what's with the Groom kids? What's the relationship between Raisy and Dryden? What's with Dryden's gun?

For me, I felt this would have been better served by holding this story back until either a) a series of two or three could have been released, or; b) Rogers had made this into a novel instead.

So, the basis of my complaint here is, he grabbed me, piqued my interest, and then we're left to dangle, wondering if we'll ever see more of Dryden and Raisy. ( )