In the ruggedness of the American West, death is always a shadow over the shoulder: a grizzly bear encounter, an avalanche, or a bite from a rattlesnake can change everything in an instant; and those are just the natural threats. If one wants to get away with murder, the mountain ranges of the West may be the perfect place to do it. Peering into the dusty files found in the back country sheriff's offices and highlighting the cases that were deemed unsolvable because the crime scene was too rugged, too remote, or the victim assumed too hard to find; despite the odds in this landscape, justice prevails.

• Dude Walker