Part of Series
In this thrilling frontier saga, bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone celebrate an unsung hero of the American West: a humble chuckwagon cook searching for justice—and fighting for his life. . . DIE BY THE GUN With one successful cattle drive under his belt, Dewey "Mac" McKenzie is on a first-name basis with danger. Marked for death for a crime he didn't commit and eager to get as far away from the territory, he signed on as cattle drive chuckwagon cook, to save his own skin—and learned how to serve up a tasty hot stew. Turns out Mac has a talent for fixing good vittles. He's also pretty handy with a gun. But Mac's enemies enemy are hungry for more—and he's hired a gang of ruthless killers to turn up the heat . . . Mac knows he's a dead man. His only hope is to join another cattle drive on the Goodnight-Loving Trail, deep in New Mexico Territory. The journey ahead is even deadlier than the hired guns behind him. His trail boss is an ornery cuss. His crew mate is the owner's spoiled son. And the route is overrun with kill-crazy rustlers and bloodthirsty Comanche. To make matters worse, Mac's would-be killers are closing in fast. But when the cattle owner's son is kidnapped, the courageous young cook has no choice but to jump out of the frying pan—and into the fire . . .
Author
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.
