"In the quiet of my forgotten office in the old country courthouse, behind the plastic doorplate that reads "Deputy David Mapstone, Sheriff"s Office Historian," I fiddled with the tribal fashion of cops. The tan uniform blouse with epaulets and pocket flaps, the opening above the pocket made for a cheap Cross pen, and the gold-plated "MCSO" letters running parallel on each side of the collars....An off-white felt Stetson sat on my desk. We might be one of the largest urban counties in the United States, but we kept our Old West traditions." -from Camelback Falls When his friend Peralta, newly sworn in as sheriff, is shot by a sniper, historian-turned-deputy-sheriff David Mapstone can"t keep a cool, academic distance. And he"d better not: while Peralta lies comatose in the hospital, the powers-that-be appoint Mapstone acting Sheriff in his place. Peralta feels unqualified, but he"s the only person whose temporary appointment won"t infuriate all the other...