Bøger af William W. Johnstone

“Superb from start to finish. An instant classic. “ —New York Times Bestselling Author Marc Cameron Based on real events and the true history of the legendary King Ranch in South Texas, this riveting historical adventure evokes the reality of life on the Texas frontier, as one pioneering family battles to forge a new life and carve out their own piece of the American West…The war is over. But a new battle is on the horizon. Based on true events. It’s 1852. The wounds of the Mexican War are healing. Regis Royle, co-owner of a steamship fleet, has made it out alive, relatively unscarred and with enough profit and foolhardy ambition to envision a new life in south Texas. With the help of his crack-shot kid brother Shepley, his glad-handing riverboat partner Cormac Delany, and his old friend, raw-edged former Texas Ranger Jarvis “Bone” McGraw, Regis is laying claim to the prime jewel in a magnificent rolling prairie: the Santa Calina range teeming with wild mustangs, cattle, and eighteen-thousand acres of lush promise.But all dreams have a price. For Regis, it’s hell to pay—and the fire is coming at him from all directions. On one side of the border, it’s banditos. On the other side, the Apaches, slave traders, and outlaws have Santa Calina in their sights. And none of them are going to walk away from the bloody battle.The brothers Royle and their partners have the most to lose—including their lives. They made a pledge to themselves to build the greatest ranch in America. To see it through to the end, they’ll have to ride hard and learn the bitter necessity of violence and bloodshed.

The national bestselling western authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone bring us another Ty Brannigan western with a unique and American brand of justice. JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE FAMILY COMES FIRST.Ex-lawman turned cattle rancher Ty Brannigan loves his wife and children. And may Lord have mercy on those who would harm thembecause Ty Brannigan will show none. KILLER SMILE No one knows their way around a faro table, bank vault, or six shooter more than Smilin' Doc Ford. When he's not gambling or thieving, he's throwing leador, if he's feeling especially vicious, slitting throats with his Arkansas toothpick. Roaming the west with Doc is a band of wild outlaws including a pair of hate-filled ex-cons and the voluptuous Zenobia ';Zee' Swallow, Doc's kill-crazy lady. The gang have been on a killing spree, leaving a trail of bodies near Ty Brannigan's Powderhorn spread in Wyoming's Bear Paw Mountains. U.S. marshals want Ty to help them track down Smilin' Doc's bunch. But when the hunt puts the Brannigan clan in the outlaws' sights, Ty and his kin take justice into their own handsand deliver it with a furious, final vengeance. Live Free. Read Hard.

When a band of merciless, murdering thieves raise hell across the territory, three men committed to justice descend upon them like angels of death. And when the guns fall silent and the smoke clears, the Jackals are always the last men standing.

Smoke Jensen calls the mountains home. The unforgiving wilderness taught him to survive. There’s no creature he hasn’t fought. There’s no storm he hasn’t weathered. And there’s no man in the untamed West who doesn’t fear his name. The Measure of a Man collects two adventures of New York Times bestselling author William W. Johnstone’s champion of the American frontier in one volume.War of the Mountain Man Nestled in the north Montana Rockies lies Hell’s Creek. A haven for outlaws, every thief and killer with an itchy trigger finger and an appetite for destruction pays their dues to Big Max Higgins, a criminal king seeking to expand his empire. But when he targets the town of Barlow, his gang ends up trading lead with Smoke Jensen, the Last Mountain Man, and the last man they ever should have crossed . . . Law of the Mountain Man In the dead of winter in frostbitten Idaho Territory two ranching outfits are at war, battling over the range. Between them comes Smoke Jensen, traversing the frontier and minding his own business, when he finds himself dodging bullets. Caught in the crossfire, threatened by both sides to sign up or occupy a grave, Smoke declares his own war, leaving casualties colder than the snow across the range . . .  JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE NATURE FORGES THE STRONGEST MEN.

From legendary bestselling Western authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, the third adventure  featuring Stoneface Finnegan, the former Pinkerton agent now serving up shots of justice as the owner of a boomtown saloon in Idaho Country. Whether serving justice as a Pinkerton agent or serving drinks as a saloonkeeper, Stoneface Finnegan always lines up his shots to kill. . . GONE TO DEADWOODThe Pinkertons believe Rollie “Stoneface” Finnegan was the best agent to ever wear the badge. So does dewy-eyed Pinkerton hopeful and sleuth-in-training Tish Gray, who’s just arrived in Boar Gulch. As co-owner of Boar Gulch’s Last Drop Saloon, Stoneface is content slinging booze into guts instead of bullets. But when his partner Jubal “Pops” Tennyson needs help to rescue his daughter, Stoneface saddles up to take a hard ride into hell.Their destination is Deadwood, Dakota Territory, the notorious mining town and outlaw haven where folks can dig up a gold fortune or dig their own grave. Pops’ daughter is being held captive by the infamous Al Swearengen, owner of the Gem Theater, supplying whiskey, wagering, and women to the desperate, the destitute, and the dangerous. As naïve, young Tish goes undercover at the Gem to find Pops’ daughter, Stoneface and his partner are pinned down in the Black Hills by every trigger-happy gunslinger looking to collect the dead-or-alive bounty on Stoneface’s head . . .

The greatest western writers of the 21st century, William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, kick off a blazing new series featuring Tynan “Ty” Brannigan, a man who traded his tin star for a cattle ranch and a family. But the men he left to rot behind bars have their own hash to settle with him…Once a respected lawman in Kansas and Oklahoma, Ty Brannigan ended his career as town marshal of Warknife while he was still young enough to marry, start a family, and raise cattle. Now nearly sixty, he’s a proud husband, father of four, and proprietor of the Powderhorn Ranch on the outskirts of his old stomping grounds. It’s been close to twenty years since Brannigan hung up his six-guns. Now he’s more content wrangling cows than criminals… But for every remorseless outlaw Brannigan put in jail, noosed, or left the vultures, he made even more enemies. Thieves and killers looking to settle old scores have tracked the ex-lawdog to his ranch. They’ve made the mistake of targeting his wife and children—only to discover that Ty Brannigan enforces his own law with a lightning-fast draw and a deadshot aim.

Before he became known as “The Last Mountain Man,” Smoke Jensen and his bride Sally were hard-working ranchers on the Colorado frontier, when times were hard, tensions were high, and guns were the law…JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. BULLET BY BULLET.  For Smoke and Sally Jensen, the Sugarloaf Ranch is a glorious stretch of untamed land near the Colorado-Kansas border, the perfect place to stake their claim, raise some cattle, and start a new family. But when a man claiming to be an army colonel arrives in Big Rock—with a well-armed militia—the Jensens’ dream becomes a living nightmare. Colonel Lamar Talbot claims there’s a war looming with the Cheyenne Indians. And only he can save them from a bloody massacre—by launching a bloody counterattack… Smoke and Sally aren’t sure they trust him. They suspect the colonel and his men are nothing more than brutal vigilantes with a hidden agenda of their own. But the Cheyenne war parties are a very real threat. The tribe’s charismatic leader, Black Drum, is launching raids on local ranches, farms, and the railroads, too. Every day, the violence gets worse and the war moves closer—until it reaches the Sugarloaf Ranch. That’s when Sally gets attacked. That’s when Smoke grabs his guns. That’s when the shooting starts—and the final battle begins…

Inludes excerpt from When the shooting starts.

“Superb from start to finish. An instant classic. “ —New York Times Bestselling Author Marc Cameron Based on real events and the true history of the legendary King Ranch in South Texas, this riveting historical adventure evokes the reality of life on the Texas frontier, as one pioneering family battles to forge a new life and carve out their own piece of the American West…It’s 1852. The wounds of the Mexican War are healing. Regis Royle, co-owner of a steamship fleet, has made it out alive, relatively unscarred and with enough profit and foolhardy ambition to envision a new life in south Texas. With the help of his crack-shot kid brother Shepley, his glad-handing riverboat partner Cormac Delany, and his old friend, raw-edged former Texas Ranger Jarvis “Bone” McGraw, Regis is laying claim to the prime jewel in a magnificent rolling prairie: the Santa Calina range teeming with wild mustangs, cattle, and eighteen-thousand acres of lush promise.   But all dreams have a price. For Regis, it’s hell to pay—and the fire is coming at him from all directions. On one side of the border, it’s banditos and a vengeful Mexican heiress with a passionate hatred for greenhorn gringos. Especially those who have their eye on land once owned by her family. On the other side, the Apaches, slave traders, and outlaws have Santa Calina in their sights. And none of them are going to walk away from the bloody battle.   The brothers Royle and their partners have the most to lose—including their lives. They made a pledge to themselves to build the greatest ranch in America. To see it through to the end, they’ll have to ride hard and learn the bitter necessity of violence and bloodshed.

Includes excerpt from When the Shooting Starts.

"'King' Charles Hagen is dead. The empire he carved out of Blackstone, Wyoming, by hook and by crook now lies in the hands of his children. Caleb Hagen has long stood in his father's shadow, ambitiously plotting, and ready to stake his claim. Young and impetuous Bart Hagen plans to expand the family legacy across the nation. Debora Hagen's ruthless nature believes the time has come for a queen to reign over the Hagen kingdom. Only Adam, their estranged brother, has a different plan. His vengeance against their father requires him to tear down everything 'King' Hagen ever built, even if that means shedding family blood. But none of the siblings reckoned that bloodthirsty crime honcho Lucien Clay was prepared to send a murderous pack of gunslingers against them all for control of the territory. Blackstone has been ruled by lawlessness long enough. The town is Buck Trammel's jurisdiction. And he will protect it as judge, jury, and executioner ..." -- Amazon.

From bestselling authors William W. and J.A. Johnstone, comes an all too plausible narrative of how far greed can go, as a shocking wave of mass evictions triggers a national crisis, a media meltdown-and all-out war.THIS IS NOT THE AMERICA WE LOVE. From coast to coast, American families are losing their homes. Evicted with little notice and tossed into the streets by predatory bankers, landlords, and real estate developers, these once-proud homeowners have invested their lives in the American Dream-only to see it turn into a nightmare. But one tightknit community is fighting back. They've decided to stand their ground, defend their homes, and fight the power-with firepower… THIS IS WAR. Enter Joseph Knox, a military veteran whose parents have been targeted in an illegal scheme to turn their quiet but slightly rundown neighborhood into luxury condos. The man behind the project has the backing of greedy investors, sleazy lawyers, and a corrupt police force. But the Knox family has backing, too-a makeshift army of real Americans who refuse to surrender. With some last-minute training from Joe Knox and his brother John-and a small arsenal of weapons-this ragtag team of senior citizens will do whatever it takes to save their homes. Even kill if they have to.

"Smoke Jensen is mighty proud of his son Louis for finishing law school. But he can't help being a little disappointed that Louis isn't returning to the Sugarloaf Ranch. Instead, he's setting up his own law practice in nearby Big Rock--a career choice that turns out to be every bit as dangerous as fending off cattle rustlers. The boy's first case lands him smack in the middle of a heated dispute between two riled-up ranchers over water rights. If Louis can't settle them down, the whole thing could blow up into a bloody range war. Then a scheming con man shows up in town to stir up trouble--and ends up dead. Now Louis has to defend his sister's boyfriend on murder charges. What's worse, the real killer is still out there. And he's ready to slaughter again... Smoke Jensen's son may be a lawyer now. But if there's one thing he learned from his daddy, it's that in places like Big Rock, men live and die by one law alone: the law of the gun... Johnstone Country. Guns and Money. And Sometimes, Lawyers." --

"Apache renegade Bloody Hand plays a role in each of the Jackals' lives. To bounty hunter Jed Breen, he is man with a price on his head. To retired cavalry segeant Sean Keegan, he is a cellmate after a drunken brawl. And to former Texas Ranger Matt McCulloch, he is the key to a mystery that has long haunted him. When McCulloch breaks Bloody Hand out of jail, his fellow Jackals follow them into Mexico. Now, all four are wanted men. The U.S. Army and bounty hunters cross the Rio Grande in pursuit. Awaiting them south of the border are Mexican rurales led by Confederate expatriate Major Block Frazer seeking revenge against Bloody Hand. But nothing will stop McCulloch from completing his mission--to save his daughter from the Apache band that abducted her years before. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Jackals will stand together to free McCulloch's daughter--or end up hung, drawn, and quartered."--

"The great state of Texas is a land of opportunity--for outlaws, and horse thieves, and cattle rustlers. Not to mention bank robbers, train looters, and anything-that-ain't-nailed-down robbers. The state's governor, Richard B. Hubbard, is at the end of his rope. He wants to clean up Texas once and for all--and he's desparate enough to try something crazy: hire a man who do what the Texas Rangers can't. A man not tied down by a wife or children--or rules. Who's not afraid to go outside the law. Who will protect the good people of Texas at any costst--and put the blast on anyone who gets in his way. He needs a man like Cullen McCabe, a small town sheriff"--

"There's a storm brewing in Oklahoma Territory, and this time, it's deadly serious. Local cattle ranches are being targeted by Texas rustlers--and the only man who can keep it from turning into a bloodbath is U.S. Deputy Marshal Will Tanner. The newly married lawman hates to leave his beautiful bride Sophie, but duty calls--for better or worse. In Tanner's experience, it's usually worse. An unexpected confrontation with outlaws is just the bloody beginning. Then an escaped convict catches wind of the fact that Tanner killed his brother. Now Will's really in the crosshairs. Tanner knows he's riding straight into a perfect storm of vengeance and slaughter, with only one way to end it--a hailstorm of hot lead"--Back cover.

An epic frontier adventure novel from William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, known as the "Greatest Western Writers of the 21st Century, To the River's End is an unforgettable journey into the harsh wilderness of early 19th century Pacific Northwest, as a young fur trapper named Luke Ransom sets out to stake his claim on the American Frontier...An epic saga based on true events of the American West -with the trailblazing fur trappers and the mountain men who lived it. This is an unforgettable journey into the untamed American frontier. Where nature is cruel, violence lurks behind every tree, and where only the strongest of the strong survive. This is a story of America. TO THE RIVER'S END Luke Ransom was just eighteen years old when he answered an ad in a St. Louis newspaper that would change his life forever. The American Fur Company needed one-hundred enterprising men to travel up the Missouri River-the longest in North America-all the way to its source. They would hunt and trap furs for one, two, or three years. Along the way, they would face unimaginable hardships: grueling weather, wild animals, hunger, exhaustion, and hostile attacks by the Blackfeet and Arikara. Luke Ransom was one of the brave men chosen for the job-and one of the few to survive . . . Five years later, Luke is a seasoned trapper and hunter, a master of his trade. The year is 1833, and the American Fur Company is sending him to the now-famous Rendezvous at Green River. For Luke, it may be his last job for the company. After facing death countless times, he is ready to strike out on his own. But when he encounters a fellow trapper under attack by Indians, his life takes an unexpected turn. A new friendship is forged in blood. And a dangerous new journey begins…

When outlaws start setting fires to distract the locals while they rob their banks and loot their towns, Luke Jensen, as their fiery reign rages out of control, infiltrates the gang, fighting fire with gunfire.

From the Greatest Western Writers of the 21st Century, William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, the 6th blazing adventure featuring Perley Gates, a new hero in the Old West who’s carving out his own legacy in the violent American frontier. He’s as honest and good as his heavenly name, so when an unholy trio of cutthroat rustlers turn a routine horse drive into an epic showdown between good and evil—with a little divine justice from gunfighting legend Perley Gates… JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. RUSTLERS’ PARADISE.  At first, the job sounds easy: lead a small herd of horses across the Arkansas–Texas border to the Double-D ranch near Texarkana. No problem—at least not for a man like Perley Gates. In fact, he’s looking forward to the 150-mile journey with his old sidekick Possum Smith and young Sonny Rice, and doesn’t expect any trouble along the way. Unfortunately, trouble has a way of finding Perley Gates. This time, it’s a trigger-happy trio of horse thieves who take one look at old Possum, young Sonny, and the low-key Perley, and decide they’re three very easy targets. But in the Old West, nothing comes easy. Except death… So begins one hell of a showdown. On one side are the forces of evil itself, with notorious gunslinger Spade Devlin gunning for blood. On the other side are a few good men, a town under siege—and a merciless angel of vengeance named Perley Gates… 

From legendary Western writers William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, the fifth high-speed, blood-soaked Red Ryan adventure takes you to the lawless frontier, when every stagecoach was a moving target, every passenger needed protection, and it took a brave man with a fast draw to ride shotgun. Guarding a foolhardy troupe of performers aboard the Grey Ghost stagecoach, Red Ryan’s next—and possibly last—trip is a Wild West-style road trip across 400 deadly miles...JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE LEGENDS DIE HARD. Riding shotgun, Red Ryan leads a doomed stagecoach of the damned on the longest, deadliest journey of his life… 5 PASSENGERS. 400 MILES. 1,000 WAYS TO DIE.  According to local legend, the stagecoach known as the Gray Ghost is either haunted, cursed, or just plain unlucky. Each of its last three drivers and three more riding shotgun came to a violent, bloody end. And now it’s Red Ryan’s turn to guard five foolhardy passengers on the stage’s next—and possibly last—trip. The travelers are a small troupe of performers with dark histories of their own: a song-and-dance man with a drinking problem, a juggler with a secret, a knife thrower with a past, and a beautiful fan dancer who’s on the run from a one-eyed, vengeance-seeking outlaw . . . Red’s not the superstitious type. But with Apaches on the warpath with bloodlust—and a one-eyed cutthroat killer on his trail—this 400 mile journey is like something straight out of his worst nightmare. And all the roads lead straight to hell… 

Legendary national bestselling Western authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone return with the blazing new installment in their long-running series featuring Preacher, the First Mountain Man, a pioneering hero who embodies the Johnstone brand – and the American Frontier.A village is destroyed. A vengeance is born. And one man blazes a trail to hell and back to pay the devils their due—in bullets and blood. They call him Preacher… JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE. It starts as a happy reunion between Preacher and his fellow trappers in a peaceful Indian village. But it ends swiftly in death and destruction when a rival tribe attacks the village, slaughters some of Preacher’s Crow and mountain man friends, and carries off the women and children as prisoners. Preacher was off hunting when it happened. Now he’s teaming up with old friend Lorenzo and half-breed Tall Dog, to get the prisoners back—and get revenge. But the road to justice is paved with some very dark omens. And the trail leads to the baddest place on God’s good earth: the bubbling quicksand pits, hot springs, and geysers of the Wyoming wild country known as Colter’s Hell . . . Here—where earthquakes shake the land and no man is safe—Preacher and his friends must wage a three-man war against one of the fiercest tribes this side of the devil’s inferno. And once the shooting starts, it’s going to get a hell of a lot hotter… Oh, and there’s also a question of 100 missing rifles . . .

Johnstone Justice. Get It While It’s Hot. Dewey “Mac” Mackenzie is no ordinary chuckwagon cook. He’s a marked man on the run who works cattle drives to stay one step ahead of his enemies. If these hired killers catch up to him, he’ll be slinging guns instead of hash—with a side order of revenge that’s best served cold . . . HOT BISCUITS. COLD GRAVES. A hot meal, a hard drink, and maybe a friendly hand of poker—that’s all Mac Mackenzie wants when he drifts into the small town of Harcourt City, Montana. What he gets is a fistful of trouble.  When he defends a saloon girl from the unwanted advances of some local toughs, he earns the wrath of the town’s powerful namesake, Oscar Harcourt. Harcourt rules this place with an iron fist—and a steely eyed gang of thugs. Now he has his eyes on a ranch belonging to the saloon girl and her brother. A ranch they won’t give up—without a fight. To raise funds, the brother and sister arrange a cattle drive to Rattlesnake Creek, and they want Mac to join them. As an experienced cattle pusher and chuckwagon cook, he’s sure to be an asset. But as a secret gunslinger with a price on his head, he might end up getting them all killed. Now the cattle are ready to go. Mac is ready for anything. But with so many devils ridng on their tails, Mac is ready to turn up the heat—and send them back to hell . . . 

In this action-packed western from national bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, mountain man Smoke Jensen sets his sharpshooting sights on an unhinged outlaw who’s carved out his own kingdom in the West—and declared war on the United States... Johnstone Country. Come visit. He calls himself The King. Once a respected professor, he was ruined by scandal. Now, he rules his own “country”—an area of western territory where an army of outlaws enforce his laws. Any town he claims as  his own must pay “taxes,” collected from bank, stagecoach, and train robberies. When he learns that President Rutherford B. Hayes and General William Tecumseh Sherman are venturing into the far west on a tour of the nation, The King devises a plan to kidnap America’s leaders and expand his empire. But The King didn’t reckon that Smoke Jensen had already staked his claim on the frontier. Traveling with the president’s entourage, the mountain man is not about to let this bloodthirsty, evil tyrant endanger his commander-in-chief and threaten American liberty... 

Johnstone Justice. Making the West wild again. Keeping the peace in a West Texas town like Buffalo Peak should be easy for a legendary frontiersman like Marshal Elwood "Firestick" McQueen. He’s got his longtime buddies "Beartooth" Skinner and "Moosejaw" Hendricks as his deputies—not to mention the famous rifle that earned him his nickname. But when Firestick learns that their ornery old friend “Rip” Ripley just rode into town, all bets are off. It’s darn near impossible to keep the peace when Rip’s specialty is disturbing it. Firestick finds a decade-old wanted poster for Rip—the reward is one dollar.  Firestick uses it to toss Rip into the clink till he decides to leave town. But Ripley’s still up to his old tricks—he has a new gang of cutthroats coming to Buffalo Peak to steal a king’s ransom in gold in the town bank. Firestick, Beartooth, and Moosejaw become pawns in what just might be the heist of the century. Because Rip’s kill-crazy pals will have to bust him out of jail first... 

From William W. and J.A. Johnstone, the bestselling masters of the American West,  comes a special holiday entry in the Jensen family saga. This time, they’re risking their lives for peace on earth—and for a piece of hell called Death Valley... A JENSEN CHRISTMAS SHOWDOWNA JOHNSTONE TRADITION Ace and Chance Jensen usually spend Christmas at the Sugarloaf Ranch. But this year, the brothers are heading to Death Valley to claim Chance’s prize in a poker game: the deed to a silver mine. Sure, the mine is probably dried up and worthless, but what they don’t realize is that half the deed belongs to a ruthless outlaw named Foxx, a rich vein of silver hasn’t been tapped yet, and another wealthy mine owner is trying to crush the competition—by killing every miner in the valley... The Jensen boys didn’t plan on a Christmas gunfight. But when they show up at the mine—and learn that a charity worker is using the silver to fund an orphanage—Ace and Chance can’t help but get into the holiday spirit. ’Tis the season of giving, after all. But instead of gifts, they’re swapping bullets. And instead of Santa Claus, there’s a surprise visitor coming to town. A man named Luke Jensen—Ace and Chance’s gunslinging father—and he’s here to spread peace and joy. With a double-barreled dose of holiday cheer—gunsmoke.

Johnstone Country. Be Quick or Be Dead. In a twist of fate, Slash and Pecos are riding hard for the law, dispensing justice as they see fit, and determined to watch their final sunset as heroes...not outlaws. His wicked ways mostly behind him, reformed bank robber Jimmy “Slash” Braddock is getting hitched to his sweetheart. But before the honeymoon, Chief U.S. Marshal Luther T. “Bleed-’Em-So” Bledsoe needs Slash and his former partner-in-crime, Melvin “Pecos Kid” Baker, to don a couple of deputy marshal badges and saddle up for a trip to Nebraska. Seems the town of Harveyville has fallen prey to a trio of murderous badmen blasting away up and down Main Street, and the local law needs some assistance from men who know how to handle a gun. But Slash and Pecos killed the wrong man. Worse, the town marshal tells them that the outlaws rode on and he doesn’t need their help after all. But now Slash and Pecos are wanted men. Tom Gyllenwater’s son is dead. He won’t rest until Slash and Pecos are permanently relocated to Boot Hill. And as the duo are targeted by every gun-crazy desperado in the territory, Slash and Pecos discover they’ll find no help from anyone in Harveyville, a town of ruthless and corrupt folks willing to kill to protect their secrets...