William W. Johnstone

 Reckoning of the Mountain Man

by

William W. Johnstone

&

J.A. Johnstone

As a happily married man, Smoke Jensen is glad his courtin’ days are over. Especially when two blonde beauties open a dress shop in town—and a big can of worms along with it. It doesn’t take long for the comely Caldwell sisters to catch the eyes of Sugarloaf ranch hands Pearlie and Cal. But the boys’ve got competition. Their romantic rivals are a pair of roughneck cowboys who are also trying to win the girls’ hearts. And willing fight to dirty. Smoke might find it all amusing—if it weren’t for the rash of crimes that broke out as soon as those pretty heartbreakers showed up. . . .

Cattle rustling. Train robberies. Stagecoach hold-ups. It looks like the work of seasoned outlaws, not a pair of dressmakers. Sure, the Caldwell sisters might be trying to swindle money out of Smoke’s ranch hands, but mastermind an outlaw gang? Doesn’t seem likely. But it’s true. Their stepfather is the notorious jailed outlaw “Whisper” McReady. His stepdaughters are running the gang while he serves time. And when the gang leader busts out of jail, all hell breaks loose. “Whisper” McReady may not be able to holler since he was shot in the throat. But he’s screaming mad over the girls’ mishandling of his gang. And now he’s taking control—not just over his gang, but the whole town of Big Rock.

Romance seems to be blooming in Big Rock, and Pearlie and Cal are sure they’ve found the right girls. Violet and Daisy, the charming new owners of the town’s dress shop, look like a perfect match. But these lovely lasses have plans that run a whole lot darker. As daughters of outlaw Whisper McReady, they intend to revive his old gang and put them to work while McReady serves out his sentence.

When word reaches Whisper about what his girls are stirring up, he breaks out of prison and rides hard for Big Rock with a full passel of outlaws behind him. Their aim is simple: take everything they can get their hands on. Standing between them and the town is Smoke Jensen, and getting past him is easier said than done.

This entry gives Cal and Pearlie far more page time, which is a welcome change. The action stays close to Big Rock and the Sugarloaf Ranch, delivering the familiar Johnstone rhythm readers enjoy. Daisy and Violet make lively, intriguing characters, and the added depth for Cal and Pearlie is a real bonus. It’s fast, fun, and keeps the pages turning. Fans should look forward to its October release. 5/5.

Thanks to Net Galley and Kensington Publishing for the advance copy. 

Gordon D. Shirreffs

 Judas Gun

by

Gordon D. Shirreffs

In Judas Gun, the prison at Yuma couldn't hold him... The blistering desert couldn't kill him... And the county's toughest guns couldn't stop him. Ken Sturgis was on the hunt for his brother Roy’s killers – and not even prison could stop him.

It was pure bad luck. Wrong time, wrong place. The stranger at their fire warned them to clear out before morning, but they stayed. When it was over, Ken Sturgis and his brother were in irons for train robbery, and their friend lay dead.

Sturgis swore they had nothing to do with it, but no one listened. The brothers were shipped off to Yuma prison.

Six months later, Sturgis’ brother is dead, and Sturgis breaks out to hunt the men who put him there. First he has to survive the blistering desert. Then he has to dodge the lawmen eager to drag him back. And finally, he must face the killers who’ll shoot him on sight. But Sturgis is a hard man to kill, and he’s riding for vengeance.

Not the most action‑packed Shirreffs novel, but still a tough, gritty read that keeps the pages turning. Sturgis’ relentless pursuit, and his brutal desert crossing, show just how determined he is. Well written as always, and worth the read. 4/5.

Kirk Hamilton

 Fargo Brett

by

Kirk Hamilton

(Keith Hetherington)

Against his better judgment, Fargo Brett took the blame for a crime he didn’t commit, and paid the price—six months’ hard labor that damn’—near killed him. When he returned home at the end of it, however, he found that he’d been double-crossed. There was no trace of the reward he’d been promised, and in his absence his girlfriend had married his wastrel brother.

Disgusted, Fargo decided to move on and start a new life elsewhere. But it wasn’t going to be as easy as all that. With Wild Bill Talman’s rowdy trail crew heading for town, the sheriff needed a deputy—and fast. Fargo fit the bill … and went to work enforcing the law one bullet at a time …

Fargo Brett vanished six months ago, and now he’s back. But he’s not the same man. Once a hellion, he’s returned granite‑hard and dead serious. He took a prison sentence meant for his brother, believing everything would be waiting for him when he got out, including Paula.

But things changed. Paula married Fargo’s scheming brother Ned, and now Ned intends to make sure Fargo gets nothing. Even if it means killing him.

Another gripping read, the kind you finish in a single sitting. Strong writing, sharp action, and memorable characters throughout. Hetherington once again proves why he was one of Australia’s finest Western authors. 5/5.

Available from Amazon or Piccadilly Publishing.

Robert Vaughan

 Slaughter at Rebel Ridge

by

Robert Vaughan

When evil dominates Rebel Ridge, there’s only one person to call on for help.

In the dusty frontier town of Rebel Ridge, Sheriff Jesse Loman rules with an iron fist, exploiting the local populace through unjust taxes and a corrupt legal system. His gang of outlaw deputies ensures his dominance, staging mock trials and sentencing innocents to the gallows while protecting their own.

But when chaos grips Rebel Ridge, hope arises in the form of a legendary bounty hunter. Renowned for his unwavering principles, Dane Calder reluctantly steps in to free the town from Jesse’s grasp, pitting himself against corrupt deputies in a deadly showdown.

Can Dane deliver the long-awaited justice that the oppressed town of Rebel Ridge yearns for—or will its chance at peace be slaughtered once and for all?

Rebel Ridge is locked tight in the grip of Jesse Loman, and he’s not about to let go. What he’s built is too profitable to surrender. To keep the townsfolk cowed, he rules through taxes, fear, and brutality as sheriff, judge, jury, and executioner all in one.

But the people have had enough. They turn their hopes toward bounty hunter Dane Calder, praying he’ll be their salvation. Calder has principles, though, and refuses to become the town’s hired killer. That changes soon enough. He rides into Rebel Ridge alone and runs afoul of one of Loman’s deputies. It is an encounter that ends in blood.

From there, Calder’s only job is to stay alive long enough to clear the rattlers out of their nest.

Typical Robert Vaughan: an easy, fast read that keeps the pages turning. It’s a shame he’s no longer with us — readers would gladly take more. Vaughan wrote some terrific series and standalones, and this one shows why. The Dane Calder trilogy may be short, but it’s every bit as strong as his longer works.

This story along with others is available on Amazon or through Wolfpack Publishing.  5/5.

Gordon D. Shirreffs

 Ride a Lone Trail

by

Gordon D. Shirreffs

When Ken Macklin left the Double H a few years back, he had sworn never to return. But now that his father had been gunned down in ambush, he had no choice. Someone had to pay.

But as he trailed across the Lazy J spread, he learned he was being followed. It looked as if he were to be drygulch victim Number Two. For things were as bad as when he'd left, only now the valley was about to explode into open range war. All it had needed was the fuse, and Ken was it.

Macklin came back because the man he’d called father was murdered. What he walked into was a mess: a brother drowning himself in drink, a woman he once loved now married to that same brother, another sibling convinced he was a fast gun, and a sister trapped between them all. Then there was the ranch — run down, hollowed out, a ghost of what it used to be.

He’d only returned for the inheritance the old man left him, but that was long gone, poured away on booze, gambling, and a wedding that should never have happened. All Macklin had left was the will to drag the ranch back to life, and the job was going to cost him in blood and bullets.

Highly recommended. 5/5.

This book can be purchased from Wolfpack Publishing or through Amazon.  

Kirk Hamilton

 The Man From Red River

by

Kirk Hamilton

(Keith Hetherington)

The McKenna boys, Wade and Mike, came to Amarillo to buy cattle for their new ranch. They had high hopes for their future ... but what they didn't realize at the time was that one of them had no future left to live.

Bushwhacked and murdered, it left the surviving McKenna with a vengeance quest. But his targets were well-connected, and well-protected. He was beaten, he was shot at and he was left for dead, but there was no quit in him. He was going to kill the men who'd slaughtered his kin ... and nothing was going to stop him.

After his brother Mike is murdered for the cattle they’d just bought, Wade McKenna sets out on a straight path to revenge. Nothing is going to stop him. But the killer is the son of the richest rancher in the territory, and his partner is about to marry the rancher’s daughter.

First Wade is called a liar. Then he’s thrown in jail. Finally he’s run out of town.

But McKenna is a tough hombre, and he means to kill the men who took his brother’s life.

A solid story — plenty of action in true Hetherington fashion: fast‑paced, hard‑edged, and packed tight despite the short length. These may be quick reads, but there’s a lot crammed into every page.

You can get this at Amazon or from Piccadilly Publishing. 5/5. 

Rory Black

 Venom of Iron Eyes

by

Rory Black

(Michael D. George)

The notorious gang led by Peg Leg Grimes was headed for the remote and peaceful town of Cooperville to rob the bank of its recently-obtained hoard of golden eagles. But unknown to the gang, the bounty hunter Iron Eyes was also in town to collect a reward. When the robbery went ahead and the bank exploded into matchwood, Iron Eyes vowed to get the money, and the outlaws—for Grimes has made one mistake: he had stolen Iron Eyes’ prized Palomino stallion to make his escape ...

It isn’t death that rattles Iron Eyes — it’s a woman. And in this yarn, he spends half his time trying to outrun Squirrel Sally.

The trouble starts when Iron Eyes drives a stage into Cooperville stacked with corpses. The reward will be hefty, but he’s forced to hang around town to collect it. While he waits, Peg Leg Grimes and his gang blow the bank sky‑high with too much dynamite, catching Iron Eyes and the local law in the blast.

Squirrel Sally figures her Iron Eyes is dead. She hits the vengeance trail without hesitation, swearing to gun down the varmints responsible.

But Iron Eyes isn’t dead — or maybe he just refuses to lie down — and soon he’s on the bloody trail himself.

The writing is solid and the action suitably brutal, but Iron Eyes repeats his own name so often it wears thin. Not the strongest entry in the series. One for the die hard fans. 3.5/5  

This book can be bought from Amazon or Piccadilly Publishing.