In the summer of 1962 Gunner Gunderson is 14 years old, stuck somewhere between a man and a boy. He had been raised on an island in the Pacific Northwest and every summer he worked in the fishing fleet for his uncle. School was always a problem. Early years with an abusive teacher in a one-room school on the island and a mean father, started Gunner down an unforgiving path.

The last straw was when his father beat him, and Gunner's mother hauled him to his grandparent's ranch in Idaho next to the Nez Perce National Forest.

After a rough first six weeks, Gunner finds a mentor and friend in a retired miner, Cleo, who sends Gunner to his mining claim up in the wilderness.

A run-in with the local bullies makes Gunner their sworn enemy and they want revenge on Gunner and his new friend, Quiet Bird. Now they must decide how to keep her safe with the bullies still on the loose.

This is a story that will appeal to your sense of adventure. Take life on and find your own experience, just like Gunner and Quiet Bird.

-H J Pettersen