The Cursed Brand — I.J. Parnham

The arrival of Jim Dragon and Pierre Dulaine in Monotony gives Sheriff Cassidy Yates plenty of problems when they both claim to be the owner of a wagonload of valuable cargo. Unbeknown to them the wagon also contains a rusty lump of iron, which turns out to be the infamous Bar-Z branding iron, also known as the cursed brand. Fifteen years ago a fierce range war had raged and the iron had been used to brand its mark into human flesh. Now its presence stirs up old hatreds and it's not long before a body turns up branded. With the tension in town rising Cassidy must expose the culprits before a new, even deadlier conflict erupts.