Longarm’s going to blow a prairie pirate out of the water! 
U.S. Deputy Marshal Custis Long is practically vacationing at government expense in Grandview, Nevada, awaiting orders. But there’s no decent whiskey and, although “grass widow” Letitia Heinrix has elevated the quality of his stay, Longarm is saddle-sore from her ardor. So he’s ready to hit the trail. Then a telegram warns that a kidnapper named “Blackbeard” will be yo-ho-ho-ing into town.
 
Gloria Ames’s six-year-old brother was kidnapped and her family destroyed by this modern version of the notorious pirate of old. But she has no information to offer and claims she’s sworn to secrecy. In a town where she and Longarm are the only strangers, that leaves him with nothing to go on. This “Blackbeard” might as well be a phantom. But after a very real ambush, Longarm decides he’ll do more than shiver Blackbeard’s timbers. He’s going to treat him like treasure—and bury him…