Part of Series
The unbelievable, untold story of Jesse James’s other brother… In this rollicking stand-alone novel from the bestselling Johnstones, fact and fiction collide in the jaw-dropping story of Jesse James’ little-known, disaster-prone brother. They call him Calamity—for a reason. Calvin Amadeus James, aka Calamity, isn’t an outlaw like his notorious brothers Jesse and Frank. He’s worse—due to the bad luck that follows him everywhere he goes. Every job he takes—from army scout to gambler to cowboy and rail worker—ends in catastrophe. No matter what he does, Calamity James always seems to be on the wrong side of history . . . The Great Chicago Fire of 1871? Calamity placed the lantern next to the cow that kicked it over. The gunfight at O.K. Corral? Calamity stirred up trouble in Tombstone right before it all went down. The fateful saloon shooting of Wild Bill Hickcock? Blame it on Calamity James. Some folks say he’s even responsible for Custer’s last stand at Little Big Horn—but Calamity swears it ain’t true. He’s just a magnet for bad luck who’s trying to find his good luck charm—a pretty little dancehall girl known as Clumsy Catherine. But somehere along the way, he foolishly joins the James-Younger Gang with his outlaw brothers. And that’s when Calamity’s infamous bad luck gets a whole lot worse . . .
Authors
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.
