Charlie Rankin has recently been released from prison, but prison has not released its grip on him. He owes his life to The Buddha, who has given him a job to do on the outside: he must kill a man, a man who has done him no harm, a man he has never met. Along the road to this brutal encounter, Rankin meets Florence, who may be an angel in disguise or simply a lonely ex-porn star seeking salvation. Together they careen towards their fate, taking the reader along for the ride. Boot Tracks is a commanding tale of a man and woman struggling against a destiny they cannot control, told in Matthew F. Jones’s characteristically taut, economic style. An assassination gone terribly wrong; a couple searching for one last chance to find a safe place in a hostile world. With these elements Jones weaves a harrowing tale of suspense, violence, and compassion.