Max Brand was able to create Western characters who come to life on the page. The people in his stories are as human and believable as your friends and neighbors. This collection features three of the greatest examples of Brand's artistry, with three of his most popular, enduring characters, including Reata, the man who mastered the rawhide rope but who refuses to carry a gun.

In "The Whisperer," Reata realizes just how much trouble can come from accepting help from the wrong person. Perry Woodstock, the narrator of "The Stage to Yellow Creek," is among the passengers held up on a stage one night, a stage that he soon learns is carrying a fortune in cash. And Chuck Neilan, in the title tale, is led by curiosity along a winding trail into "The Lost Valley."