The Scratch

San Francisco, 1880: Driver, after a year at sea, returns to the city, only to be shot down and nearly killed. The main suspect? A mysterious Russian known only as The Scratch. It's up to Driver's wife Genevieve to hunt him down, since the cops seem without clues. With Driver still recovering from wounds, things can only get worse when Robert, the ex cabin boy, is abducted. Where is The Scratch, and what of the shadowy mastermind known only as Mr. Smith?

About the author: Following a previous life, he has turned his attention to telling stories about the Old West during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He has discovered there are thousands of untold stories to be found in old newspapers, magazines, and sometimes even history books. The stories he writes are mostly made-up fiction, but then so are a lot of history books. He has learned that what people most value are not the bare bone facts of the past, but the stories we tell about them. Steve (whose friends mostly refer to him as "Bart") derives his idea from listening to people, walking around old neighborhoods, and a lot of reading. As for his previous life, he had an undistinguished career in civil service. His first actual job was in the U.S. Army. Someday he may write a book titled "All I Need to Know I learned in the Army." He now lives in a rural part of northern California, where he likes to listen to folks and look at trees.