William W. Johnstone

 Brutal Night of the Mountain Man

First Mountain Man #44

by

William W. Johnstone

&

J.A. Johnstone

Kate Coldane has sweated blood for this saloon, and she won't let it go down without a fight. Silas Atwood may be the richest rancher in Hudspeth County, but that doesn't give him the right to push her around. When Atwood sends one of his goons to cause trouble at her watering hole, Kate's son, Rusty, guns him down. It may have been self-defense, but Atwood is the law, and that means Rusty has to run.

The law's got nothing on justice

Rusty flees to the home of his uncle, Pearlie, who straps on his six-gun, intending to return to Hudspeth County and clear his nephew's name. But Smoke Jensen, the mountain man, won't let his friend ride into certain death. With a handful of brave souls, Smoke storms the town, ready to wage war against more than two dozen of Atwood's blood-hungry killers. Drunk with power and afraid of no man, Silas Atwood believes Smoke Jensen can be stopped with brute force alone.

Problem is, Silas Atwood doesn't know Smoke Jensen.

Smoke Jensen returns in fine form, delivering another fast‑paced, bullet‑riddled adventure.

When Pearlie’s nephew is framed for murder and sentenced to hang, he breaks free—only for his mother to be jailed in his place. If he doesn’t turn himself in, she’ll face the noose.

Word of the injustice reaches the Sugarloaf, and it isn’t just Pearlie who rides out. Smoke, Sally, and Cal saddle up as well, ready to take on Silas Atwood and the hardcases backing him.

The story follows the classic Smoke Jensen rhythm: one showdown leads to another, and when the villain runs out of hired guns, he simply brings in more. It’s familiar territory, but it’s exactly what fans come for and it makes for an entertaining, satisfying read.

The writing keeps the pace tight and the tension steady. As the plot unfolded, I found myself wondering when the townsfolk would finally find their backbone. All they needed was someone to show them the way and eventually, they do.

An enjoyable entry in the series, even if not the strongest I’ve read. Solid entertainment. 4/5

William W. Johnstone

 Strike of the Mountain Man

by

William W. Johnstone

and

J.A. Johnstone

A young man has inherited a ranch—and a whole lot of trouble—in this Western in the New York Times bestselling series.

In Colorado Territory, Smoke Jensen is trying to live at peace with the big, beautiful world around him. Then a tinhorn named Puddle enters his valley—and unleashes a hellstorm of a range war.

Then the shooting started

Malcolm Theodore Puddle is a twenty-one-year-old shipping clerk—from way back East. What is he doing out here? The Mountain Man's former neighbor, Humbolt Puddle, has died and left his crumbling six-hundred-acre ranch to his only living heir, just as a greedy and ruthless cattle baron is circling the Humbolt ranch like a ravenous vulture. Poor, unsuspecting Puddle is walking into a death trap.

Smoke is the not the pitying kind. But any enemy of Smoke's neighbor is his enemy, too: Kill-crazy hired gunmen are threatening the whole valley and good men are dying. Puddle may not be much, but he's all Smoke has—as a take-no-prisoners mountain man and a timid tinhorn make for an army of two . . . in one hell of a fight.

Colonel Marquis Lucien Garneau—a Frenchman with a shadowed past, wanted back home for murder and theft—has crossed the ocean to reinvent himself in Colorado. His ambition? To become the most powerful rancher in the territory.

With Deekus Templeton at his side, Garneau begins seizing land by ruthless means. But he’s never faced a man like Smoke Jensen, a rancher quick on the draw and unwilling to yield.

When Humbolt Puddle secures Smoke’s promise to protect his nephew’s inheritance, Smoke stands ready. Garneau, however, has other plans. Templeton unleashes a band of hired gunmen to crush resistance. Only one man has the skill and grit to stand against them all.

This installment in the Last Mountain Man series delivers sharp writing, relentless action, and page-turning suspense. It’s a Western that grips from the first shot to the final showdown, keeping readers hooked until the very last page.

William W. Johnstone

 Thunder of the Mountain Man

By

William W Johnstone

and 

J.A. Johnstone

Thaddeus Bolton sees himself as a cattle king. His ambitions are as big as the land and stock he just purchased near Smoke Jensen’s Sugarloaf ranch. Bolton and his family are friendly enough, although in the case of his wife Emmaline, perhaps too friendly. While her husband stakes his claim with plans to spread throughout the territory, she’s set her sights on Smoke. But fending her off is the least of Smoke’s worries when outlaws sweep across the valley on daring rustling raids—hitting every ranch except Bolton’s.

Fearing it’s only a matter of time before his cattle falls prey to the rustlers, Bolton takes the law into his own hands. Forming a band of vigilantes, he tracks down the men he believes are the thieves and hangs them, despite no evidence linking them to the crimes. Then when Bolton’s ranch is actually rustled, his vigilantes go on an even deadlier, merciless rampage.

To stop the escalating violence, Smoke forms his own posse to bring the outlaws to justice—only to discover that Bolton’s plans are sinister and downright evil.

Now Smoke will have to prove Bolton’s corruption…before the entire valley erupts in a blood-soaked range war . . .

Just when it seems the Smoke Jensen saga has ridden off into the sunset, a new chapter thunders in. Smoke’s got fresh neighbors—Thaddeus Bolton and his kin—and with them comes a storm of trouble.

Rustlers hit Bolton’s spread hard, but that’s just the beginning. His wife sets her sights on Smoke, stirring up tension that cuts deeper than any cattle raid. And then there’s Bolton’s daughter, sweet on Cal—or maybe Cal’s the one doing the sweet-talking.

To clean up the mess, Bolton brings in regulators with orders to string up the rustlers. But the truth’s got more twists than a mountain trail, and when the dust settles, it all explodes in a smoke-choked showdown.

Another gripping tale from the Johnstone camp, packed with action, suspense, and plenty of twists. The writing is sharp, the pacing tight, and the story keeps you guessing right up to the final pages when the truth comes crashing down and the schemers are unmasked.

This time, Cal steps into the spotlight, offering a fresh angle that adds depth and variety to the narrative. His expanded role brings a welcome shift in perspective and keeps the story feeling fresh.

Western fans will find plenty to love here—it's a wild ride from start to finish.

This book will be published in Nov. 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the Arc of this story.