The Case of the Deadly Desperados (Abridged ed)

Virginia City in 1862 is a mining camp sitting above a rich vein of silver in America's Wild West.

It's a dangerous place, full of gamblers, hurdy girls and gunmen - all of them on the make!

When twelve year-old P.K. Pinkerton arrives there, homeless, penniless and hunted, things don't look good.

But P.K. soon finds allies in Sam Clemens, a newspaper reporter, Poker Face Jace, a gambler who can tell when someone is bluffing, and Ping, a Chinese photographer's apprentice.

With the help of these friends - and armed with a Smith & Wesson seven-shooter and a knack for disguises - P.K. takes on the tricksters and desperados and tries to become a detective.