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Bad Men of the West book cover 1
Bad Men of the West book cover 2
Bad Men of the West book cover 3
Bad Men of the West
Series · 5 books · 2013-2015

Books in series

Forty Times a Killer! book cover
#1

Forty Times a Killer!

A Novel of John Wesley Hardin

2014

First he became a killer. Then he became a legend. John Wesley Hardin was fifteen when he killed his first man. Before his murderous ways ended, he'd killed forty-two men in cold blood—one, the legend goes, for snoring. From then on, Hardin stayed true to his calling, living a fever dream of lightning fast draws and flying lead. By seventeen, Hardin had a deadly reputation for killing that drew traitors, backstabbers, and wannabe gunslingers—all for a chance to gun down the man who had turned killing into an all-American legend.
A Dangerous Man book cover
#2

A Dangerous Man

A Novel of William "Wild Bill" Longley

2014

William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone are the USA Today bestselling authors whose Western sagas have won a legion of devoted fans. Now, they take up the tale of a legendary outlaw who tore up Texas, and left behind a legacy of terror. Live Wild, Draw Fast, Die Hard Born and bred in the Texas Pandhandle town of Comanche Crossing, William "Wild Bill" Longley gunned down a dozen of its men in cold blood before he got around to the sheriff and deputy—so he could take over the job himself. Then he found the perfect sidekick in a vicious career criminal named Booker Tate. With his remorseless heart set on a beautiful young woman, Wild Bill and Booker take the whole town hostage until the young lady agrees to marry a man she despises. That's when a cold-eyed stranger comes to town with a dead man strapped to his saddle. In a town where violence and murder rule the day, a terrifying battle is about to explode—between ruthless Wild Bill Longley and a bounty hunter named Tam Sullivan, who's done a whole lot of killing of his own...
Day of Independence book cover
#3

Day of Independence

2014

In Last Chance, Texas, Abraham Hacker will slaughter anyone who tries to lay claim to the fertile land and everything on it. Freedom is under siege one violent act at a time - until wounded Texas Ranger Hank Cannan arrives in town ...
Butch Cassidy book cover
#4

Butch Cassidy

The Lost Years

2013

According to the history books, legendary outlaw Butch Cassidy was killed in 1908 alongside the Sundance Kid in a bloody shootout with the Bolivian Army. Or was he? From master storytellers William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, a page-turning revisionist Western and gripping tribute to a true icon of the Wild West that asks the What if Butch Cassidy survived? In a small Texas town in 1950, a Pinkerton detective interrupts an old-timer’s game of dominos to learn the truth about Butch Cassidy—who is still very much alive and well. In fact, he’s the old-timer playing dominos. Seems that after surviving the infamous shootout in Bolivia that claimed the life of his partner the Sundance Kid, Butch returns to Texas searching for a place to call home. When he comes across a dying rancher who’d been shot by some rustlers, Butch promises to avenge him—and take over the ranch after his death. Assuming the name Jim Strickland, Butch begins a new chapter in his life. But trouble has a way of finding Butch. A corrupt railroad baron pulls him into the most dangerous train robbery he’s ever attempted. But if Butch Cassidy is going to ride again, it’ll have to be with a newer, and wilder, Wild Bunch . . . JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE LEGENDS NEVER DIE.
Shot in the Back book cover
#5

Shot in the Back

2015

THE GREATEST WESTERN WRITERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY From the greatest western storytellers of our time comes a new twist on the legend of notorious outlaw Jesse James—who just might not have died on that fateful April 3, 1882. 1942—Granbury, Texas. A ninety-five-year-old man walks into a recruiting office with the crazy idea to enlist—and an even crazier story. He claims to be the one and only Jesse James, the infamous bank robber allegedly shot by Robert Ford sixty years earlier. Using another man’s corpse to collect the reward, Ford allowed James to slip away and start a new life. Changing his name to Dalton, Jesse worked as a cattle broker in Fort Worth and fathered a pair of twins named Bill and Frank. But when one of the boys turns out to be a chip off the old block—a young outlaw in the making—Jesse has no choice but to school the lad in the fine art of bank robbing so he doesn’t get his fool head blown off. Problem is, once Jesse’s son gets a taste of the outlaw life, he decides it isn’t for him after all. Father Jesse, on the other hand, misses it… So begins the wildest story the West has never known, proving that some legends are bigger than life—and a lot harder to kill…

Author

William W. Johnstone
William W. Johnstone
Author · 500 books

William Wallace Johnstone was a prolific American author, mostly of western, horror and survivalist novels. Born and raised in southern Missouri, Johnstone was the youngest of four children. His father was a minister and his mother a school teacher. He quit school when he was fifteen and worked in a carnival and as a deputy sheriff. He later served in the Army and, upon returning to civilian life, worked in radio broadcasting for 16 years. Johnstone started his writing career in 1970, but did not have any works published until 1979 (The Devil's Kiss) and became a full-time writer in 1980. He wrote close to two hundred books in numerous genres, including suspense and horror. His main publication series were Mountain Man, The First Mountain Man, Ashes and Eagles and his own personal favorite novel was The Last of the Dog Team (1980). He also authored two novels under the pseudonym William Mason. Johnstone had lived for many years in Shreveport, Louisiana, yet died in Knoxville, TN, at the age of 65. J. A. Johnstone is continuing William W. Johnstone's series.

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