Pinebox Collins

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When Jonathon "Pinebox" Collins loses his lower right leg to a cannonball in his first Civil War battle, the course of his life is forever changed. While recuperating, he learns "The Dismal Trade" of undertaking, the emerging art of arterial embalming, and coffin construction. His first case turns out to be the victim of Wild Bill Hickok's first showdown, and Collins crosses paths with the legendary gunfighter - and occasionally his victims - across the Old West. ... Often avoided and sometimes shunned owing to his practice of The Dismal Trade, Pinebox Collins learns to drink alone. Love eludes him and friends are hard to come by. His recurring acquaintance with Wild Bill proves the most lasting, even after Hickok is in the ground -- Jacket cover