Books by William W. Johnstone

Includes an excerpt from: Hell for breakfast, a Slash and Pecos western.

Red Ryan is one of the fastest guns in the West. But this time, he''s in for the longest, hardest ride of his life. Where danger lurks around every turn--and all roads lead to hell . . .Gold. Silver. Cold hard cash. Stagecoach guard Red Ryan and his driver Buttons Muldoon have ridden shotgun on some pretty valuable cargo in their day. But they''re about to learn--the hard way--that the most dangerous cargo of all is human. They''ve been hired to escort a cowardly traitor facing an army court martial in New Orleans. Every hired killer in Texas wants him dead, including gun-handy Hannah Huckabee, a woman with a mysterious past and an agenda of her own. But she''s just one of the dangers they''ll face along the way. There are cutthroat gangs bent on slaughtering anything on two legs. And 700 miles of the deadliest terrain Red Ryan has ever had to shoot his way out of...

In this blazing new series, William W. and J.A. Johnstone tell the tale of a man who became a myth--and a myth that became a legend. This is the epic story of Nathan Stark, Army Scout...They slaughtered his family. Killed his young bride. And ever since that tragic day, Nathan Stark has devoted his life to fighting the hostile tribes who massacred those he loved. As a civilian scout for the Army, he's served with such famous commanders as Custer and Crook. He's battled against such notorious war chiefs as Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. Among the fiercest natives of the untamed west, Nathan Stark is a living legend--one that must be destroyed...Against his better judgment, Nathan agrees to be teamed up with a rival Crow scout named Moses Red Buffalo. Their mission: to forge a trail deep into Indian territory under the command of a bloodthirsty army colonel. But the mission is not what it seems. If Stark and Red Buffalo want to stay alive, they'll have to work together as a team--if they don't kill each other first...

In the bloody aftermath of a wagon ambush, a suspect flees, a woman disappears, and a mountain man searches for truth, justice, and revenge. They call him Preacher...JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. STOP BY AND SAY HOWDY.Preacher is no hired killer. When a wagon train is brutally ambushed on the Sante Fe Trail though, he can't say no to the St. Louis businessman willing to pay him for justice. It's not the stolen gold that convinced Preacher to take the job...and it's not the missing body of one of the wagon train's crew, a prime suspect who may have plotted the ambush and taken off with the gold. No, it's the suspect's lovely fiancée, Alita Montez. She believes her fiancé is innocent--and has run off to find him. Preacher can't abide the idea of a young woman alone on the Sante Fe Trail. If the Comanche don't get her, the coyotes will. And Preacher can't have that.But to save the girl and get the gold, the legendary mountain man will have to forge a path that's as twisted as a nest of rattlers, face off with trigger-happy kidnappers, backstabbers, and bounty-hunters--and match wits with Bigfoot Wallace, the biggest baddest frontiersman of them all...

The all-time masters of the classic Western cordially invite you to another trip down the aisle with America's mail order brides--and the foolhardy men who thought they could tame them...Bo Creel and Scratch Morton are mighty proud. They managed to deliver five mail-order brides to the New Mexico mining town of Silverhill in one piece. The town is so grateful, they want to make Bo their marshal and Scratch his deputy. Bo and Scratch are happy to accept the job--and even happier to attend the weddings of the fine young women they brought here...Cecelia has two young suitors--a well-off rancher and a low-born miner--but one of them is not what he seems. Tomboyish Rose has gotten herself roped into a cow-rustling scheme--with the wild young buck who's stolen her heart. Luella has a not-so-secret admirer of her own, a former journalist who's making headlines--with a gang of Mexican bandits. And the refined Jean Parker thinks she's finally found a suitable match in this raucous boomtown. But it turns out her educated doctor has a dishonorary degree--in killing.With marriage prospects like these, Bo and Scratch will have to fight tooth and nail to keep the ladies safe and sound--and a real shotgun wedding is about to begin.

Smoke Jensen: The Mountain Man, is the most enduring of the Johnstones' series and their most beloved character, known to set the standard for Western adventure. In this brand new installment, Smoke Jensen's epic battle for justice in the heart of the American Frontier takes him deep into the heart of Texas, where justice comes from the barrel of a gun...Welcome to Texas. Now Go Home.Smoke Jensen has met some down-and-dirty, murdering prairie scum over the years. But this time it's personal and it's bloody-and going to get bloodier. First, they stole fifty of the hundred horses Smoke delivered to his old friend Big Jim Conyers in Tarrant County, Texas. Then they stole two thousand cattle from Big Jim . . . and killed him just for the fun of it. Now they're going to pay . . .The leader of this unholy band of devils is Delbert Catron-but everyone calls him The Professor. Whatever he's called, he leads the most ruthless gang of vicious kill-crazy desperadoes this side of the border. Hellbent on avenging his friend's murder, nothing will stop Smoke Jensen from hunting down these killers. And celebrating justice . . .Live Free.Read Hard

Johnstone Justice. What America Needs Now.   In this exciting new series, bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone pay homage to America’s trail-hardened backwoodsmen who, like a fine grain whiskey, only get better with age . . .   REAL MEN DON’T RIDE INTO THE SUNSET   In his mountain-man days, Elwood “Firestick” McQueen was practically a living legend. His hunting, tracking, and trapping skills were known far and wide. But it was his deadly accuracy with a rifle that earned him the Indian name “Firestick.” His two best buddies are Malachi “Beartooth” Skinner—whose knife was as fatal as a grizzly’s chompers—and Jim “Moosejaw” Hendricks, who once wielded the jawbone of a moose to crush his enemies in the heat of battle.   Of course, things are different nowadays. The trio have finally settled down, running a horse ranch in West Texas—and spending quality time with their lady friends. But if you think these old boys are ready for lives of leisure, think again . . .   Firestick is the town marshal. Beartooth and Moosejaw are his deputies. And when a hired gunman shows up with bullets blazing, these three hard-cases are ready to prove they aren’t getting older.   They’re getting deadlier . . .   Live Free. Read Hard.

Johnstone Country. Where it’s never quiet on the Western front.   Life on the straight and narrow is easier said than done for a pair of crooks like Jimmy “Slash” Braddock and Melvin “Pecos Kid” Baker. But these reprobates are doing their damnedest to make an honest go of it. They’ve managed to safely deliver a church organ to a mountain parish when their sometime employer—Chief U.S. Marshal Luther T. “Bleed-’m-So” Bledsoe—recruits them for a job only fools would take. Marshal Bledsoe wants them to pick up a shipment of gold in the mining town in the Sawatch Mountains. Here’s the catch: Slash and Pecos’s wagon is just a decoy. When a ruthless gang ambushes the real gold shipment, it’s up to Slash and Pecos to go after the trigger-happy bandits. And they won’t be alone. A lady Pinkerton, Hattie Friendly—who is anything but—survived the ambush and is hellbent on getting the gold back. Even if she has to team up with a pair of ornery old cutthroats like Slash and Pecos. . . . The Cutthroats are back. The bad guys are history. Live Free. Read Hard.

Johnstone Justice. Double Barreled.   When a legendary frontiersman teams up with a legendary mountain man, the wild west will never be the same. But first they’ve got to live up to their legends—or die trying . . .   THEY CAME TO KILL   There are some things in this world that can’t be stopped. Like progress, a moving train, and the American Dream. When the bigwigs in Washington decide to build a transcontinental railroad to the West Coast, they need a man who’s just as unstoppable to clear a path through Mexican territory. That man is Jamie MacCallister.  Jamie knows it’s a tough job. The territory is overrun with Apaches. The Apaches are gunning for a fight. And the first patrol sent in by the President has already been ambushed, kidnapped, and most likely killed. Jamie knows he can’t take on the whole Apache nation by himself. He needs help. He needs back-up.   He needs a non-stop force of mountain-man fury who goes by the name of Preacher . . .Live Free. Read Hard.

The 11th book in the New York Times and USA Today bestselling series--a spinoff of William W. Johnstone's Mountain Man and Preacher series--featuring the legendary Matt Jensen, a man with survival and justice in his blood.On the lawless frontiers of the American West, there is one rule every outlaw should remember: Never cross a mountain man like Matt Jensen. Not if you want to keep breathing. No gun. No horse. No water or food. And worse yet: No idea how he ended up in the middle of a desert with a bullet in his leg and a bump on his head. That's the sorry situation Matt Jensen wakes up to--dazed and confused--until he slowly pieces together what happened. The last thing he remembers: He agreed to help out a friend of Duff MacCallister's. A pretty lady and her husband at a horse ranch. He also recalls their cross-country trip through hell to deliver the horses safely to market. That's when the outlaws showed up. That's when the shooting began. That's when everything went dark . . .But now Matt Jensen is alive and well and living for revenge. No time to lose. No holding back. And before it's all over, no trigger-happy horse thief will be left standing...

Johnstone Country. Come and Get It. Mac is back. Framed for a murder he didn't commit, Dewey "Mac" Mckenzie is a wanted man who ends up on a cattle drive heading west-as a chuckwagon cook. Though he's never even boiled an egg, Mckenzie has a natural gift for cobbling together good trail drive grub. Now, with two trail drives under his belt, Mckenzie has proven to be more than a good chuckwagon cook. He's good at serving up justice, too-with a side of hot lead . . . A HILL OF BEANS Mac Mckenzie has enough problems on his plate. He's got bounty hunters on his tail, no one on his side, and no place to hide. Just when he thinks it can't get any worse, he hears the rumbling of a cattle stampede-heading straight for his camp. Mac's got two choices: Get trampled like a weed or saddle up and help get the herd under control. At first, the traildrivers ain't too pleased to have a stranger help them out. But once they realize Mac's not a rustler, they ask him to join the team. Mac takes them up on the offer-especially after he meets the cowgirl Colleen-and quickly impresses everyone with his cooking skills. There's just a few more problems: Mac's new employers might be the real rustlers. And Mac's stepped out of the frying pan into the fire . . .

Johnstone Country. A Home Worth Fighting For. Scotsman-turned-cowboy Duff MacCallister traveled far and worked hard to start a new life in America. And anyone who tries to mess with his dream is in for some serious Highland justice . . . KILLER TAKE ALL The cattle town of Chugwater may not look like much to outsiders. But for Duff MacCallister and the determined settlers who've staked their futures here, it's a land of opportunity. That's why the whole town is fired up by the latest news. Young railroad developer Jacob Freemantle wants to run a rail line through Chugwater, making it easier to transport cattle. Everyone is on board with the plan-at first. Duff begins to suspect that Freemantle is only after the most valuable land, and he's using strongarm tactics to force reluctant ranchers to sell. Things only get worse when Freemantle's hired guns show up-and the violence really begins . . . But Duff's got a plan of his own. With a little help from some well-armed friends, he's going to flush this phony out of Chugwater-and run his hired killers out of town on a rail . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

Johnstone country. Patriots welcome. The Johnstone hero with the heavenly name-and the hellish task of living up to it-Perley Gates-takes on a gang of cold-blooded killers to save the soul of a small Western town . . . They say that home is where the heart is. And no one knows that better than Perley Gates. After helping the lovely Miss Emma Slocum reunite with her sister's family in Bison Gap, Perley can't wait to rejoin his own kin at the Triple-G Ranch. No sooner does Perley settle in when he receives an alarming telegram from Bison Gap. Emma's brother-in-law has been murdered. Her sister wants justice. And Perley is their only hope to get it . . . Perley can't refuse a family in need. So he saddles up with his salty cowhand Possum Smith and heads to Bison Gap. He notices that the town's new sheriff is acting suspicious-and likely in cahoots with the local gang of deadly outlaws. In no time at all there's a target on Perley's back-and the vicious gang leader is calling all the shots. Justice may be hard to find in a town this wicked. But vengeance is swift-straight out of the Gates . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

JOHNSTONE. WHERE IT’S NEVER QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. In this rollicking new series, the Johnstones cordially invite you to the biggest, baddest event of the season—one that gives a whole new meaning to “shotgun wedding” . . .   Here come the brides. And the bullets . . . Bo Creel and Scratch Morton are lifelong drifters who keep one eye on the horizon, one finger on the trigger, and one foot out the door. Roaming the West is what keeps them young, or so Scratch tells Bo. But when they save the life of Cyrus Keegan—the owner of a matrimonial agency—they receive an unexpected proposal that’s hard to resist. Keegan needs to deliver five mail order brides to a mining town in New Mexico Territory. All Scratch and Bo have to do is get these gals to the church on time—and alive, if possible . . . The job seems easy enough—and the brides-to-be are even easier on the eyes. Cecilia, Beth, Luella, Rose, and Jean all need good husbands. But their prospects look bad when the journey to the altar includes Mexican banditos, scheming silver robbers, and one overbearing rancher who won’t take no for an answer. Bo and Scratch promised to keep the ladies safe—and keep their hands to themselves—but it could be the last vow they’ll ever make . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

A new kind of hero in the Old West tradition, Perley Gates is as honest and good as his heavenly name. But don’t make him mad. Because when Perley Gates gets mad, people get hurt.    Once every year, Perley Gates and his brothers lead the Triple-G crew on its annual cattle drive. It’s a treacherous journey along the Great Western Trail, with a herd of two-thousand cows on one side and many opportunities for trouble on the other. This year, trouble shows up in the form of a beautiful young woman, her little baby, and her bizarre traveling companion—a colorful old cuss who goes by the name of Possom Smith. They’re heading to a settlement called Butcher Bottom, and risking their necks to get there. Perley—being the gentleman he is—offers to escort the trio to their destination. But there are a few minor details they “forgot” to tell Perley . . .   The woman is a widow whose husband had enemies. The old man is hiding a small fortune that might get them killed. And Perley is stuck in the middle trying to decide who’s good, who’s bad—and who deserves to die first . . .   Live Free. Read Hard.

Johnstone Country. Frontier Spirit Lives Here. America's greatest Western storytellers take you inside the dangerous world of undercover agents-and one man's mission to hell and back . . . BREAKOUT OF THE CENTURY Hank Fallon used to be one of the best deputy marshals in the country. Then he got framed for a crime he didn't commit. Got sentenced to ten years in a federal penitentiary. And got out early for saving the life of the captain of the guards during a riot. When Fallon is released, a private detective is waiting for him. He wants to put Hank behind bars again-but this time, as an undercover agent . . . The last thing Fallon wants is to return to jail. Especially a rat-infested hellhole like Yuma Territorial Prison. But if he wants to clear his name, he's got to take the job. Get himself arrested. Make friends with criminal mastermind Monk Quinn. Find out where he stashed a fortune in stolen money. And join Monk's gang for the biggest breakout in American history. If Hank succeeds, he'll be on the run with the deadliest cutthroats alive. That's when all hell will break loose . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

Johnstone Country. Stay awhile. With their acclaimed novels of the Jensen family, bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone have captured the pioneering spirit of America itself. Now a new generation of Jensens prepares to take the reins-and live the dream their ancestors fought for . . . A JENSEN CELEBRATION. A JENSEN RECKONING. There's nothing like a wedding to bring families together. And there's no place like the Sugarloaf Ranch to throw a foot-stomping hoedown-even if it turns into a gun-blazing showdown. Smoke and Sally Jensen are delighted that their son Louis is marrying the lovely widow he met during a perilous stagecoach journey through the Donner Pass. The whole family welcomes the bride and her young son with open arms. In fact, everyone is invited to the party-even the handsome stranger who rescued Louis's twin sister Denise from a runaway mustang. Who is this mysterious hero? No one knows. But there's going to be a lot of gunshots along with the wedding bells when this stranger makes his deadly moves. Once more, the Jensens band together to fight for what's theirs. And it just might be till death do they part . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE THE BULLET IS LAW. Of all the Western series by William Johnstone, the epic saga of the mountain man known as Preacher may be the most beloved and enduring. This special edition includes two of Preacher's greatest adventures-Cheyenne Challenge and Preacher and the Mountain Caesar-featuring two of the legend's bloodiest showdowns . . . TO HELL AND BACK Ten years ago, Preacher taught a bad man from the east a violent lesson he'd never forget. Today, that man returns to even the score by igniting an all-out Indian war. The battle lines are drawn. The players are cutthroat. And Preacher's scalp is the ultimate prize . . . OF GODS AND MONSTERS In the mountains of Montana, Preacher stumbles upon the town of Nova Roma, aka New Rome. It's ruled by a ruthless tyrant straight out of ancient history. But Preacher refuses to bow down to a power-mad Caesar who thinks he's a god-not if he bleeds like a man . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE IT'S NEVER QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. Springfield Model 1880. Trapdoor rifle with bayonet. Vengeance optional. With a handful of murderous rogues, Captain Jed Foster has run off with four wagons containing new Springfield rifles, bayonets, and ammunition meant to resupply the troops at Fort Bowie in Arizona Territory. Foster plans to sell the weapons to the highest bidder-whether it's Apaches, Mexican revolutionaries, or Confederate veterans who still dream of destroying the Union. But that's the least of Foster's problems . . . His junior officer, Lieutenant Grat Holden, is coming after him. With the help of an ornery ex-sergeant known as "Hard Rock" Masterson and fiery guerilla fighter Soledad, the young lieutenant will face off with war chiefs, banditos, and cutthroat outlaws. That's just for starters. Then he's got to take down a man who has enough guns for a small army . . . Live Free. Read Hard.