Friday, April 6, 2012

A Reader's Opinion: Montana Gundown and Massacre at Powder River by William W. Johnstone

The Last Gunfighter: Montana Gundown by William W. Johnstone with J.A. Jonstone

The Book (Amazon blurb)
Frank Morgan has one son he knows of - and Kid Morgan has become famous in his own right. But in Montana, Frank comes face-to-face with a young man with a deadly swagger and a stunning claim: that he's Frank's son, too. And he's here to gun his old man down. For Frank, the first thing to do is find out if Brady Morgan is truly his own flesh and blood. That means tracking down a woman he once loved, and then untangling her lies, lust and a scheme to steal prime Montana ranch land. Suddenly, Frank is in the middle of an exploding range war - and he's standing on the opposite side from young Brady Morgan. In a clash of guns and greed, two Morgans will face each other one last time: to decide who will live and who will die..

A Reader's Opinion
My first time reading a William W. Johnstone book and glad I am that I picked it up. A true western, much like that of Louis L'Amour and Larry McMurtry, though it was a bit more gunfighter versus bad guys without the relationships. Though I have a fondness for the above mentioned authors, Johnstone delivers a great tale here. The hero Frank Morgan, is well-written and as a gunfighter, he's quite likeable. I found myself enjoying his straight-forward way of thinking and no b.s. attitude. This is a real western, without sappy romance and drama. You will find, as the title so aptly states, good gunfights, gentleman cowboys, interesting characters and of course your outlaws, bandits and unexpected swindlers. Great book and great author - I'm now reading another William W. Johnstone book and enjoying every page. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys westerns or even those looking for something new to read.

Book Content: Nothing steamy and I don't recall any swearing-if there was any, it was so subtle I missed it.

Title: The Last Gunfighter: Montana Gundown
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Pinnacle; Original Edition
Source: Purchased book


Massacre at Powder River by William W. Johnstone

A Reader's Opinion
Massacre at Powder RiverUnfortunately I read this book out of order from the other Mountain Main books by this author, but I wasn't disappointed. Matt Jenson is a gunfighter, plain and simple. There were a few times when I might have enjoyed a few flaws in his character, but this guy just doesn't seem to have any. Despite this, I found our hero to be enjoyable and somehow he managed to carry the story himself with little help from the secondary characters, who I usually forgot they were there. I just wanted to know about the next gunfight - that is one of the great elements of true westerns.

I did find the incorporation of Winston Churchill into this fiction book, an interesting addition. At first I wasn't sure where the author was going with it, but having 10-year-old British Winnie show up gave our hero the opportunity to show us his 'softer' side. I did prefer the first book I read by this author more because the characters in Montana Gundown seemed to have a bit more depth, but I certainly enjoyed this one. Another great book by this author and I'll now be making my way through a number of his books.

Book Content: Nothing steamy or inappropriate. There was a little swearing in this one and though it was enough to stand out and make me notice, it didn't distract from the story. Unless you're easily offended by a little swearing, I wouldn't let that stop you from the reading the book.

Title: Matt Jenson: The Last Mountain Man; Massacre at Powder River
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Pages: 320
Publisher: Pinnacle; Original Edition
Source: Purchased book

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