There are no swashbuckling heroes in this book. Similarly, there are no blonde bombshells with fluttering eyelashes, tempting gentlemen with erotic dances. At least half of the characters and their stories are based on real people – the names have been changed, mainly to protect the guilty. The character, Jim McDuff, pops up frequently, providing some kind of continuity. Other tales are products of the author’s imagination, hopefully crafted to be of human interest.

People broken beyond repair, villains, humorous people, frustrated people – throw in passion, compassion, idiosyncrasies a-plenty, loyalty, and the arrogance of some who consider themselves better than common folk. The story lines span a wide range, as befits the title, and hopefully titillate the reader from go to whoa. (Yes, there is a horse in there – the closest thing to heroism in the book.)