In His Hands

This is vivid, cinematic storytelling at its best. Peopled by a cast of exquisitely drawn characters—unique as much in dialogue as exposition—In His Hands is at once a solid genre piece and an engaging, enthralling story that defies any restrictive category. Never mind watering rights, cattle rustling or bounty hunting: This is about real people facing real challenges, real pain, real life-or-death struggles day after day: betrayal, wonder, hypocrisy and redemption. The Old West setting is not incidental … the setting of In His Hands is as much a character as Callon, Daniel or Mary. But the life events, challenges, relationships, emotions—all of it is universal, relatable, immediate and deeply involving. Through the melancholy, the stars were bright, clear, and eternal. Packed with emotion, action and musical writing. Brilliant.

— Eddie Cruz, Xulon Press Editor


A native of San Diego, California, married with four children; R. J. Conn is a veteran of the Vietnam War and thirty-seven years of teaching. He has hiked, hunted, and fished the backcountry of the Sierra Nevada; he has a deep love for the mountains, for their geography, and their history. He also has a love for the Old West, for the trials, failures, faith and victories of those who lived through its stormy—sometimes beautiful, sometimes terrible—history. Above all, from the darkness of the Vietnam War to the majesty of the Minarets, he has found God to be constant, tender, and powerful.