The "secret" in "The Secret of Kansas Gulch" is a half-mile long, 200 yards wide - and wherever a man touches gravel, there is gold! Only Jay Meade knows of Kansas Gulch. The year is 1859 in Colorado Territory. The tensions dividing the country are no less apparent in Poverty Gulch with factions of men who are Free Staters and men who are pro-slavery. The explosive situation is further complicated by four ex-slaves who were declared freed men by their former owners but who garner resentment because of the efficiency with which they have worked their claims. In "Look Behind Every Hill" Carmody Steele has homesteaded right in the middle of what two big ranchers in the area regard as open range. It is hard-going for Steele, both in his battle with the land and after his wife leaves him for another man, abandoning their two children. Steele must fight for his land and keep his children safe . . .< P>The heart of the American West can be found in the Western fiction of Steve Frazee. He captures the past with impeccable historical accuracy and a deep understanding of human character.