The Last Mountain Man

Series · 51

books · 1984-2022

By William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Books in series

The Last Mountain Man

1984

From his Missouri farm, the boy travels west. In his heart is vengeance. In his hand is a Navy Colt. By his side is the old mountain man named Preacher, who'll teach young Smoke Jensen everything he needs to know about fighting like the devil, and—when the time comes—dying like a man. Although his enemies have destroyed everything he's ever loved, they made one mistake.

Return of the Mountain Man

1986

The town of Bury took up a piece of Idaho Territory that was still raw, untamed frontier. It was no place for the cowardly or faint-hearted, but Smoke Jensen was neither. Nor were Stratton, Potter and Richards, the three bloodthirsty outlaws who came there to live. Or, if Smoke had his way...to die! It had been years since hired gun hands had murdered Smoke's wife and son, but the pain was as fresh as yesterday. And so was Smoke's need for revenge. He's come a long way to find the bandit trio responsible for his family's brutal massacre. Now, the town of bury was about to live up to its name.

Trail of the Mountain Man

1987

When gold is discovered in the little town of No-Name, Colorado, its initially joyful citizens are besieged by an onslaught of fortune-hunting gunslingers, and Smoke Jensen recruits a handful of legends to help protect the town. Reissue.

Revenge of the Mountain Man

1988

In this western by the USA Today –bestselling author of Trail of the Mountain Man, criminals go after the wrong man’s wife, and he’s out for revenge. Smoke Jensen—A One Man Judge and Jury They struck in a pack, in the dead of night. They had crept in like thieves, like the cowards they were...but it wasn’t robbery they had in mind. It was something much darker... Smoke Jensen was buying cattle a hundred miles away from his Colorado ranch when he got the news. Drawing two horses from the remuda, he saddled up, rode off and didn’t stop until he reached his wife’s side. She had been shot three times and lay close to death. Smoke Jensen knew the outlaws had come to kill him. He wouldn’t give them a second chance. He was going after them. And he wasn’t taking any prisoners...

#4, 19

Blood, Guts, and Glory

Smoke Jensen: American Legend

2021

One of the greatest characters in Western fiction. Two of the wildest tales of frontier vengeance from William Johnstone’s classic bestselling saga. This is how Smoke Jensen became a legend. REVENGE OF THE MOUNTAIN MAN They came in the dead of night like a pack of wolves. They invaded Smoke Jensen’s ranch. They destroyed Smoke Jensen’s dream. Then they finished the job by putting three bullets in Smoke Jensen’s wife. By the time Smoke arrived on the scene, it was too late to save her. Now he lives for revenge. Ruthless, righteous, merciless revenge... VENGEANCE OF THE MOUNTAIN MAN With his darkest days behind him, Smoke Jensen hopes to return to a normal life. Unfortunately, he can’t escape his past. A vicious young gunfighter named Sundance holds an all-consuming grudge against the mountain man. He’s got backup from Mexico, bullets to spare, and bloodlust in his eyes. Tonight, the past is coming for Smoke Jensen. With a vengeance... Live Free. Read Hard.

Journey of the Mountain Man

1989

When Smoke strapped on his Colts and went to Fae's aid, he knew the deck was stacked against him. Even when he was joined by four friends, it looked like it was going to be his final stand. But if anyone could buck the odds, it was Smoke Jensen, the last mountain man.

Law of the Mountain Man

1984

As Smoke Jensen sets out to discover why he is being followed by an unknown enemy, he comes face to face with Jud Vale and his dangerous gang and finds himself in the middle of a battle where he must choose sides or die. Reissue.

War of the Mountain Man

1990

USA Today bestselling Smoke Jensen has taken on plenty of outlaws—but this time, it's personal . . . Big Max Higgins ran the outlaw town of Hell's Creek up in the north Montana Rockies—and then he decided to include the nearby town of Barlow in his cutthroat operation. What he didn't know was that Smoke Jensen was there with his wife, visiting relatives. It didn't take Smoke long to rout out the lot of them with angry fists and blazing guns . . . but Smoke didn't count on Big Max doing something as daring, desperate, and stupid as kidnapping his wife—and demanding the town of Barlow itself as ransom. Soon Big Max Higgins would look up and see the last mountain man riding down the middle of the street with reins in his teeth and both hands filled with .44s. Big Max had always wanted to make a name for himself. And he was going to get it, too—carved on his gravestone.

Code of the Mountain Man

1991

Criminals draw the wrath of a retired gunfighter after shooting his wife in this western by a USA Today –bestselling author of War of the Mountain Man . Lee Slater and his gang of lowlife desperadoes didn’t know that Smoke Jensen had given up his gunslinger status to become a family man. Stirring up a motherlode of trouble was their first mistake. Shooting Smoke’s wife Sally was their second. Chances are, they’re not going to live to make a third.

Pursuit Of The Mountain Man

1991

Itching for a challenge, Count Frederick von Hausen sails from Germany to hunt down Smoke Jensen. And with a party of the toughest hardcases in the West, von Hausen shadows Smoke into Wyoming's high Rockies. But Smoke Jensen is the last mountain man, and he knows the country like the back of his hand. He also knows that these doomed backtrailers couldn't have picked a prettier place to be buried.

#10

Courage of the Mountain Man

1992

Clint Black runs the biggest operation in Montana. He has his own personal army of cutthroats—and he doesn't like competition. The trouble begins when Smoke Jensen brings 3,500 head up from Colorado to sell to Black's neighbor. More bloodthirsty than businesslike, Clint sets up a roadblock, backed by the biggest guns in the territory. Then he sends word out to Smoke Jensen: back down or die.

#11

Blood of the Mountain Man

1992

Smoke Jensen never would have come back to the gold-mining town of Red Light, Montana, if it hadn't been for his sister Janey's estate. That isn't the only thing the Last Mountain Man has to settle, however. There's also the score between him and Major Cosgrove, the man who owns Red Light and who is trying to lay claim to Janey's land. All that stands between Cosgrove and the land is an avenging gunslinger with a blazing .44—and a good reason to use it.

#12

Fury of the Mountain Man

1993

Like Jensen, the two Mexican gunfighters known as Carbone and Martine had put away their six-guns, married and turned to ranching down in Durango. Then they came up against an army of outlaws under a warlord who called himself Carvajal. That was when they called on Smoke Jensen.

#13

Rage of the Mountain Man

1994

When his wife is kidnapped during a visit to Boston, Smoke Jensen, the most powerful man on the Sugarloaf frontier, travels back to Dodge City and up to Yellowstone, where he faces a showdown with the culprits, a gang of hired guns. Reissue.

#14

Cunning of the Mountain Man

1994

Smoke Jensen is determined to find a way out of a New Mexico jail cell—as well as to escape the hide-hungry lynch mob who's after him for a murder he didn't commit. Then he must win the trust of the beautiful widow of the rancher they say he gunned down, because Smoke is all she's got standing between her and the cunning killers out for land—and blood.

#15

Power of the Mountain Man

1995

New York Times bestselling Smoke Jensen makes his way to San Francisco to sort out a case of gold, gangs, and a madam's mysterious death . . . In the depth of a cruel High Lonesome winter comes a cryptic message for Smoke Jensen. The letter tells of skullduggery by gold barons, railroad magnates, and Chinese tongs in San Francisco. Smoke knows only one person in the city by the the well-rounded, open-natured Francie, mistress of one of the town's most notorious pleasure palaces. Smoke once rescued her from raiding Cheyenne, but now Madame Francie is mysteriously dead . . . and Smoke's arrival in San Francisco is less than welcoming. Then, on the waterfront, he learns of a plot by the wealthy, the mighty, and the deadly to expand their stronghold over the region's gold-rich lands. Beating a trail into the High Sierras, Smoke recruits a band of angry prospectors, ranchers, and farmers for a final showdown that could be the end of Smoke Jensen . . .

#16

Spirit of the Mountain Man

1995

A hard term in Yuma Prison gave Ralph Tinsdale and his sidekicks some time to work up a deep hatred for Smoke Jensen, the man who put them there. Now having escaped, they possess a posse of 40 men and the price on Smoke Jensen's head is 20 grand. With Jensen's wife shanghaied into Tinsdale's deadly trap, Smoke knows there's more at stake than his own life.

#17

Ordeal of the Mountain Man

1996

In this western by the USA Today –bestselling author of Spirit of the Mountain Man, a cowboy stops in the wrong town and soon faces double the danger. The Wyoming tinderbox of Muddy Gap is feeling none too friendly ever since the Grubbs gang tore through on a hellraising rampage. And it’s far from over. Because what the vicious Utah Jack Grubbs would really kill for just rode into Smoke Jensen…and a small fortune in rawhide. Smoke needed a break from driving a herd of remounts north when he showed up in Muddy Gap. Now, he’s on the run again, headed for the Montana wilds—with Grubbs and his men shadowing his trail. As if that wasn’t trouble enough, Chief Iron Claw’s bloodthirsty Cheyenne warriors have just appeared on the horizon. It isn’t long before a war between the white man’s greed and the red man’s savagery turns the peaceful Bighorn Mountains into a simmering powder keg. Caught in the middle—with no way out—Smoke Jensen is just the man to set off the explosion.

#18

Triumph of the Mountain Man

1997

New York Times bestselling One man's greed is no match for the gunfighter named Smoke Jensen . . . Robber baron Clifton Satterlee is in greedy pursuit of a coveted piece of land in the New Mexico Territory. He plans to wrest the timber-rich hills of Tua Pueblo and then populate the town with his own subservient labor force. Many will suffer as his thirst for blood equals his lust for wealth and power. But Saterlee has overlooked one mighty obstacle—the iron justice and deadly aim of the legendary mountain man Smoke Jensen. In triumph blood will be spilled . . .

#19

Vengeance of the Mountain Man

1997

After years on the run, Sundance, a vicious, vengeful gunfighter, brings together a fearsome gang of cutthroats and sets out for the Sugarloaf, with the intention of seeking revenge on mountain man Smoke Jensen. Reprint.

#20

Honor of the Mountain Man

1998

USA Today bestselling Smoke Jensen aims to bring justice to a town taken over by the lawless—with a little help from his .45 . . . A short ride to hell Outlaw Joe Wales has a score to settle in find Jacob Murdock and the band of vaqueros who attacked his wife and drown them in their own stinking blood. But when Wales' hunting party is ambushed, the only gunfighter he can count on for cover is Smoke Jensen, the trigger-ready legend of the High Lonesome. Jensen's more than willing to strap on a brace of .45s to help out his friend—especially if it involves nailing some dirty renegades to the wall. Things are tougher than Jensen imagined. Murdock and his men aren't just hiding out in Pueblo—they've taken it over. Outnumbered in a town of desperados, Smoke is numero uno on Murdock's most-wanted list. But even with a price on his head, Smoke can still dole out his own unforgiving brand of justice. And when the sun goes down, he's going to take them on one by one, and blow each and every hide back to hell.

#21

Battle of the Mountain Man

1998

USA Today bestselling A Colorado cattleman wages all-out war on a gang of ruthless rustlers . . . The kind of man for whom God created the gun, Smoke Jensen stands as a force of will in the brutal, lawless west . . . Nothing will stand in his way Smoke Jensen has a good woman by his side. Now all he needs to make Sugarloaf the best cattle ranch in Colorado is John Chisum's prime steer. But a cattle war has turned the landscape into a battleground, and a ruthless gang of rustlers is hot on Smoke's trail. The bullet-proof mountain man is determined to get what he wants—even if he has to blast every one of the dirty desperados back to hell.

#22

Pride of the Mountain Man

1998

USA Today bestselling When Wyatt Earp teams up with Smoke Jensen, even the most notorious desperados better think twice . . . It's a simple job for Smoke drive a herd of longhorns to the backwater railhead of Dodge City. When he arrives there, Smoke finds a town in the grip of terror, its only lawman, Wyatt Earp, outgunned by a cutthroat gang forty strong. The rampage of bank robberies, looting, and cold-blooded murder stirs Smoke's instinct for survival, and his desire for justice. But to take the law's side means braving the West's most notorious outlaw . . . His name is “Bloody Bill” Anderson, a Confederate guerilla whose violent career as a gunhawk has earned the fearless desperado a deadly reputation. Now he's found his match in the Mountain Man—and choking on the muzzle of Smoke's twin Colts is only the beginning of an all-out war that'll turn one lawless town into a legend . . .

#23

Creed of the Mountain Man

1995

USA Today bestselling It's war on the Wyoming range, and Smoke Jensen aims to restore order . . . Live by the West . . . Die by the West . . . Smoke Jensen has tried to make peace with the land—and the past. But trying to outrun a reputation as a fearless gunslinger in the wilds of Colorado can be life's toughest game. Especially when you're playing against fate. This time it's calling Smoke to the restless Wyoming range, to fight the bloodiest private war in American history. In Johnson County, vigilantes have become the law. Cattle rustlers have turned the great Powder River red with the blood of the innocent. And nothing's going to stop the renegades from going barrel to barrel to pilfer the best grazing land in the Territory. But they've finally met their match in the likes of the kill-or-be-killed legend Smoke Jensen. As the body count rises as high as the Rockies, the trail-hardened pioneer is set to strap on his brand of .44 caliber justice—and teach these outlaws the real meaning of the word hell.

#24

Guns of the Mountain Man

1999

Lazarus Cain leaves justice and fair play to Heaven. With a brace of Colt. 44s, a deadly aim, and a bullet-shredded Bible, the despicable desperado has already made a name for himself in Texas. But the pitiless preacher is about to make his first mistake. Bent on pilfering a herd of cattle and a team of horses, Cain has crossed a Colorado ranch in the highland meadows known as Sugarloaf. His second mistake? Crossing the rancher...Smoke Jensen's got his own rule to live Do unto others - before they do unto you. With a pair of burning six-guns, and a deadly gift for using them, he's going to blow Cain back to his maker. But not before he gives him a flaming taste of Hell - Mountain Man style...

#25

Heart of the Mountain Man

2000

USA Today bestselling It's a race against time to rescue a gunslinger's wife held hostage . . . Selling his gun to the highest bidder, sharpshooter Monte Carson rode side by side with Big Jim Slaughter, the most feared hombre in Wyoming Territory. But when Monte decided to reform his ways and give back fifty thousand dollars in stolen army payroll, he made an enemy in Slaughter and a friend in mountain man Smoke Jensen. Now, an enraged Slaughter wants his money, and if he doesn't get it, he's going to kill Monte's wife, his hostage in an outlaw paradise called Jackson Hole, Wyoming. For Smoke, there's no choice but to come down off the mountain and ride straight into the Hole, where he and Slaughter will go head to head in a fiery clash of courage, fury, and guns.

#26

Justice of the Mountain Man

2000

Johnstone. Where It’s Never Quiet on the Western Front Ain’t too many jails that’ll hold Smoke Jensen . . . On the Western frontier there’s no lawman more feared and respected than U.S. Marshal Bill Tilghman. But when Tilghman arrests the Mountain Man for a brutal murder he sure didn’t commit, Smoke knows he’s going to have to bust out of Tilghman’s jail, and find out the truth. But there are two things Smoke never counted on: saving Marshall Bill Tilghman’s life—and fighting him again. Live Free. Read Hard.

#27

Valor of the Mountain Man

2001

When thirty brutal killers and thieves escape from prison and leave a bloody trail of murder and mayhem, Smoke Jensen makes it his mission to stop them and finds himself face-to-face with an enemy from his past who is bent on revenge. Original.

#28

Warpath of the Mountain Man/Valor of the Mountain Man

2002

THE GREATEST WESTERN WRITER OF THE 21ST CENTURY When an old friend’s family is massacred, legendary mountain man Smoke Jensen hits the vengeance trail. He’s soon riding into a bloody Colorado war that has militia cavalry volunteers and Kiowa warriors stalking each other across the territory—matching kill for kill, outrage for outrage. Defying both sides, Smoke uncovers a sinister conspiracy to set ranchers and Kiowas at each other’s throats. It turns out that the war’s been cooked up by renegade Jack Tatum and his outlaw band, who stand to reap a fortune in gold by selling illegal guns and whiskey to the Indians. High atop the Rockies, a blizzard’s white hell sets the stage for the final showdown with Tatum’s bloody gang, as the mountain man unleashes an avalanche of destruction. Now his enemies are about to learn that the only thing Smoke Jensen sells is death…wholesale.

#29

Trek of the Mountain Man

2002

It didn't matter that the warrant was years old, or that Smoke Jensen had been cleared of all charges. A Texas bounty hunter named Bill Pike believed he could still collect a $10,000 reward for killing Jensen-and he intended to do just that. But when Pike and his men came calling, Jensen was nowhere to be found. So they took the next best thing—Smoke's woman—left behind a ransom note, and headed up into the Rocky Mountains. Now, Smoke is going after a gang of vicious shootists. With time running out, and Sally's life hanging in the balance, he is returning to the high country where he came of age and built his legend. But this time, the mountain man won't come back down until he's stopped a bounty hunter bearing a worthless piece of paper and a mother lode of greed. It's kill or be killed, and Smoke Jensen intends to be the last man standing, no matter how many people—or guns—he has to face.

#30

Quest of the Mountain Man

2003

A visionary has a dream: to drive a railroad across the North American continent and through the vast Canadian Rockies. A thousand miles of rugged land stand in the way. So do hostile Indian tribes and outlaws who the see the railroad�and the men building it�as easy prey. But the project has a guardian angel of its own�Smoke Jensen. Smoke knows that this is one job he can't do himself, so he heads to Canada with some hard-fighting mountain men from the Colorado Rockies at his side. By the time the railroad passes through Vancouver, Smoke needs every gun he can get. An army of cross-border outlaws who call themselves The Midwesterners is wreaking havoc on the tracks. Now, with a dream turning into a nightmare of steel ribbons stained with blood, Smoke Jenson knows there's only way to run this railroad: over mountains, though clouds of choking gun smoke�and straight into one hell of a fight.

#31

Ambush of the Mountain Man

2003

THE GREATEST WESTERN WRITER OF THE 21ST CENTURY Smoke Jensen never wanted to kill, but fate had other plans, and the Mountain Man has left plenty of blood, tears and fury in his wake. Angus MacDougal, the father of one of Smoke's victims, wants revenge. Riding up to Big Rock, Colorado, MacDougal has decided that killing Smoke won't be enough. He intends to bring him back to Pueblo and hang him before a crowd. It's a bloodthirsty plan that might have worked, except for a beautiful young woman, and the small knife she slips into Smoke's hand. Suddenly Smoke is on the run in the Colorado wilderness with no gun, no supplies, and twenty armed men in pursuit. Once, a man named Preacher taught Smoke how to survive in this wilderness. Now, as a brutal winter bears down, the Mountain Man will use those lessons well—not only to fight his way out alive, but also for vengeance of his own. . .

#32

Wrath of the Mountain Man

2004

Shoot A Mountain Man In The Back… On the frontier, a man’s word is his bond, and only fast guns and good friends can save your life. So when Smoke Jensen trusts his gravely injured comrade to the care of a small town doctor, the last thing he expects is an act of betrayal—and a call for revenge… And Get Ready To Look Him In The Eye. Somewhere in his past, Smoke crossed paths with a lowlife who has now built a little kingdom as a frontier sheriff. For the corrupt lawman, holding Smoke's friend hostage is the perfect way to lure Smoke into a deathtrap. Now there’s no choice for the mountain man. He knows how many guns are waiting up ahead. But he won't ever leave a brother behind. And this time, there won't be an enemy left standing—or a bullet left in Smoke's gun… Over 10 Million Johnstone Books In Print!

#33

Destiny of the Mountain Man

2005

A gunfighter faces off against a brutal Civil War captain in Texas in this western by the USA Today –bestselling author of Wrath of the Mountain Man . In the bush country of South Texas, Captain Richard King built a sprawling ranch called Santa Gertrudis. But at the end of the Civil War, while King was in Mexico, his ranch was raided by Union troops led by a sadistic killer who burned Santa Gertrudis to the ground—and slaughtered everyone on it. Thirty years later, King’s land is about to run with blood once more. Former Union Captain Jack Brant has gotten out of prison and is raring to pick up his rampage where he left off. Called to Texas, mountain man Smoke Jensen is ready and willing to help King fight fire with fire. Brant isn't worried about Smoke Jensen—after all, what can one man do? Well . . . he’s about to find out!

#34

Betrayal of the Mountain Man

2006

There's Nothing A Man Won't Do To Clear His NameThey called him fastest gun alive, but Smoke Jensen is determined to stay on the right side of the law. That is, until he's jumped by six low-life robbers who steal his shirt—and his identity. Smoke's tried for robbery and murder, and sentenced to hang in morning. Someone's out to frame the Mountain Man . . . someone who's made a big mistake. Justice—Mountain Man Style Barely managing to escape on the morning of his hanging, Smoke's going after the desperados who've set him up. The gang thinks they have nothing to fear; they've already divided up the loot and gone their separate ways. But Smoke's going to hunt them down one by one. Because nobody frames the Mountain Man. Nobody who plans on staying alive, that is . . .

#35

Rampage of the Mountain Man

2007

LOOKING FOR BOUNTY Mountain man Smoke Jensen lives by the rules of the frontier. The first rule the strongest survive. But when bad breaks, bad weather and bad bovines back Smoke into a corner, he needs something to go right. Instead, he faces the kind of tough luck only a gun can beat. . . NOT A BOUNTY OF BLOOD A contract to deliver 3000 head of cattle might just do the trick. But a renegade Cheyenne warrior uses an early winter blizzard to attack Smoke and his out-gunned cowboys. Too bad it's only the first step in a journey built to test Smoke's mettle, because some people are hunting a payday of their own—for killing Smoke Jensen. Soon the streets of Laramie will run with blood. . .

#36

Violence of the Mountain Man

2008

A band of outlaws has chosen the wrong man to mess with in this gritty Western in the New York Times bestselling series . . . Deal with the devil Smoke Jensen has seen the worst that men can do on a lawless frontier. But even the mountain man is not prepared for what happens while he's away from his home. An outlaw band strikes as two women are visiting at Smoke's ranch. Now, the women are gone and a ranch hand and his young daughter are dead. And pay the price in blood . . . Outlaw Reece Van Arndt is the mastermind behind the attack, and he thinks he has Smoke where he wants Van Arndt will give back the women if Smoke is willing to cut a deal. It's a ploy no sane man would ever attempt. One of the kidnapped women is desperately trying to give Smoke one last chance to find her and the killers. And when he does, no words, no money and no promises will be only bullets—and lives . . .

#37

Savagery of the Mountain Man

2009

USA Today bestselling When a vicious cattle baron crosses him, Smoke Jensen aims to take the bull by the horns . . . Santa Clara, Colorado, is twenty-four hours by train from the land where Smoke Jensen found peace and prosperity on his Sugarloaf Ranch. But somehow, Smoke can't stay away from Santa Clara—and from an evil cattle baron hiding a murderous past. And where there's smoke—there's justice . . . For Smoke, it starts at a high-class auction for a pureblood Hereford bull. Smoke wins the bidding—and earns the hatred of Pogue Quentin, Santa Clara's leading citizen and a man living on bloodshed and lies. Then Smoke's friend Pearlie drifts to Santa Clara. And when Pearlie runs afoul of Quentin, all hell will break loose. Now Smoke Jensen is heading to Santa Clara to face a man who already wants him dead—but Pogue Quentin never met anything like the fire of a mountain man . . .

#38

Shootout of the Mountain Man

2010

Out of the gallows, into the gunfire . . . A fast, furious Western from the USA Today bestselling author. They're hanging Billy Ray Cabot in Cloverdale, Nevada on Friday. Or so they think. Thursday brings Smoke Jensen to town. In another life, Billy Ray was almost kin to Smoke, and guilty or not, Smoke will blast Cloverdale sky high if that's what it takes to set his old friend free. By midnight, Smoke and Billy Ray are riding hell-for-leather out of Cloverdale, and into a war between cunning railroad robbers and the organization sworn to stop them. Billy Ray was working for the railroads until he was betrayed. Now, both men are pursued by deadly enemies on either side of the law. For a former mountain man who's tried to make a peaceful life back in Colorado, there's only one way back He's going on the attack. And this attack won't stop until the bitterest, bloodiest end . . .

#39

Assault of the Mountain Man

2011

USA Today bestselling With a gun, a badge, and a thirst for vengeance, Smoke Jensen goes after a band of brutal bank robbers . . . Smoke Jensen stands as a force of will in the lawless west. Messing with his wife is a bad idea . . . Into the Valley of Death Sally has traveled to the silver-mining town of Goth, Colorado, to open a restaurant with a friend. That's where she crosses paths with five bank robbers in a hurry to strike it rich. With the local sheriff lying dead in a pool of blood, Sally fights for her life while a frontier surgeon tries to work a miracle. Burning with fury, armed with a gun and a badge, Smoke Jensen goes on the hunt—a posse of one against a gang of outlaws more dangerous than he can know. Soon, Smoke is being lured into a trap at a place called Black Canyon—a deep, dark valley of death, from which only one man will emerge alive . . .

#40

Strike of the Mountain Man

2012

A young man has inherited a ranch—and a whole lot of trouble—in this Western in the New York Times bestselling series. In Colorado Territory, Smoke Jensen is trying to live at peace with the big, beautiful world around him. Then a tinhorn named Puddle enters his valley—and unleashes a hellstorm of a range war. Then the shooting started Malcolm Theodore Puddle is a twenty-one-year-old shipping clerk—from way back East. What is he doing out here? The Mountain Man's former neighbor, Humbolt Puddle, has died and left his crumbling six-hundred-acre ranch to his only living heir, just as a greedy and ruthless cattle baron is circling the Humbolt ranch like a ravenous vulture. Poor, unsuspecting Puddle is walking into a death trap. Smoke is the not the pitying kind. But any enemy of Smoke's neighbor is his enemy, Kill-crazy hired gunmen are threatening the whole valley and good men are dying. Puddle may not be much, but he's all Smoke has—as a take-no-prisoners mountain man and a timid tinhorn make for an army of two . . . in one hell of a fight.

#41

Butchery of the Mountain Man

2013

Smoke Jensen is caught in a spiral of violence and vengeance in this Western thriller by the USA Today bestselling “A masterful storyteller.” — Publishers Weekly In Montana Territory, one name above all others strikes fear and hatred in the hearts of the Crow Indians—John Jackson, better known these days as Liver-Eating Jackson. Consumed by grief and rage, the mountain man has brutally killed ten braves so far in his one-man war of vengeance against the Crow, who murdered his beloved wife. Smoke Jensen knows Jackson by another name—“friend.” He's not sure to what extent the stories of Jackson's exploits are true—devastating loss and frontier savagery have certainly driven lesser men mad. While doing some trapping in the territory, Smoke hears that twenty of the Crows' most fearsome warriors have banded together to hunt down their nemesis. Without a second thought, he rushes to his old friend's aid. But even with Smoke Jensen at his side, the fierce and fearless Liver-Eating Jackson may not be able to beat the odds this time . . .

#42

Terror of the Mountain Man

2014

Borders Of Blood Smoke Jensen has come to Corpus Christi, Texas, to take delivery of five hundred horses he purchased from an old friend. That's when a Mexican revolutionary, Colonel Bustamante Keno, brazenly crashes the border, slaughters twenty-two innocent U.S. citizens in cold blood, and steals a thousand head of cattle—along with two hundred of Smoke's horses. Going where the U.S. Army and the Texas Rangers cannot, Smoke crosses the border in hot pursuit of Keno. The Mexican Federales capture Smoke and the others and place them under arrest. But as soon as the banditos take something near and dear to a Federale commander, the Mexicans decide that Smoke and his fellow prisoners might come in handy after all. They'll fight a fierce and secret little war the only way the Mountain Man knows fierce, relentless, and unforgiving to the bitter, bloody end. Because no man steals from Smoke Jensen and lives to enjoy the ill-gotten goods. Not ever.

#43

Bloodshed of the Mountain Man

2015

Where there's fire, there's Smoke . . . In this thrilling Western by the USA Today bestselling author, Smoke Jensen takes on a savage outlaw gang in the Rockies . . . Smoke Jensen has journeyed up to the Colorado Rockies to a sell a prized bull to a local rancher. But the rancher and his wife have been mercilessly slaughtered by outlaws only moments before Smoke's arrival. In a hail of bullets, Smoke pulverizes two of the murderers and drags two others to the town of Brown Spur for justice. Come hanging day, the two killers are on the way to the gallows when a thundering gang of raiders crashes into town and rescues them from the jaws of death. When the bloody onslaught is over, dead bodies litter the streets, and Smoke Jensen is a man on a mission. Calling themselves the Ghost Riders, a savage gang of outlaws has stealthily moved in from Wyoming Territory. Smoke now has a personal motive for going up against the Ghost Riders. No matter how many they are, no matter how many guns they have, he'll hunt them down—one killer at a time . . .

#44

Brutal Night of the Mountain Man

2016

USA Today bestselling Smoke Jensen is out to save a saloonkeeper's son from a bloodthirsty band of outlaws . . . On the run from the law Kate Coldane has sweated blood for this saloon, and she won't let it go down without a fight. Silas Atwood may be the richest rancher in Hudspeth County, but that doesn't give him the right to push her around. When Atwood sends one of his goons to cause trouble at her watering hole, Kate's son Rusty guns him down. It may have been self-defense, but Atwood is the law, and that means Rusty has to run. The law's got nothing on justice Rusty flees to the home of his uncle, Pearlie, who straps on his six-gun, intending to return to Hudspeth County and clear his nephew's name. But Smoke Jensen, the mountain man, won't let his friend ride into certain death. With a handful of brave souls, Smoke storms the town, ready to wage war against more than two dozen of Atwood's blood-hungry killers. Drunk with power and afraid of no man, Silas Atwood believes Smoke Jensen can be stopped with brute force alone. Problem is, Silas Atwood doesn't know Smoke Jensen . . .

#45

Venom of the Mountain Man

2017

Johnstone Justice. What America Needs Now. A TRAIN RIDE TO HELL When Smoke Jensen sees a gang of outlaws holding up a stagecoach, his gunfighter instincts take over and he storms in with guns blazing. He kills one of the gunmen, the rest scatter like the rats they are. Another notch on the sharpshooter’s weathered grip. But the dead man is the brother of the notorious outlaw Gabe Briggs, and Briggs will want revenge . . . Tired of the savagery of the lawless countryside, Smoke’s wife Sally heads back east for a spell, only to find the big city choking in filth, violence, and corruption. Before Sally can head back home, though, she’s snatched right off the street. When Smoke gets word that Sally’s been kidnapped, he hops the first train east. But Gabe Briggs and his ruthless bandof bad men are along for the ride. Unless Smoke can punch their ticket to hell first, they’ll blow this train sky high . . .

#46

Torture of the Mountain Man

2018

From the bestselling authors of Venom of the Mountain Man, a rugged frontiersman must rescue a small Texas town from an onslaught of bandits. A gunshot wound has robbed Audubon, Texas, of its top lawman at the worst possible time. Clete Lanagan and his band of outlaws have hatched a scheme to plunder the town bank of a small fortune in railroad money. When the acting sheriff, Dalton Conyers—half-brother of Smoke Jensen’s niece Rebecca—is unable to raise a posse to hunt down Lanagan’s gang, he calls on Smoke for help. But with so much cash at stake, Lanagan won’t go down without a fight. With a bounty on his head, Smoke finds himself marked for death by a legendary gunslinger, a wrathful ranch hand bent on revenge for his brother’s death, and an army of trigger-happy recruits with nothing to lose but their lives.

#47

Bloody Trail of the Mountain Man

2019

Johnstone Country. Mountain Man Justice. If there’s one thing Smoke Jensen hates, it’s a man who fights dirty. And no one fights dirtier than a politician. Especially a lying, cheating, no-good grifter like Senator Rex Underhill. Luckily, with another election coming up, this senatorial snake in the grass has some serious competition: Smoke’s old friend, Sheriff Monte Carson. Carson’s an honest man, and he’s got Smoke’s full support. But Underhill’s got support, too: a squad of hired guns ready to hit the campaign trail—and stain it red with blood . . . Swapping bullets for ballots, Underhill’s henchman make it all too clear that Sheriff Carson is not just a candidate on the rise, he’s a target on the run. But with Smoke’s grassroots support—and lightning-fast trigger—he manages to stay alive in the race. That is, until Carson’s righteous campaign takes a near-fatal turn when the Senator Underhill tricks his opponents, traps them in a mine, and literally buries the sheriff’s political ambitions. When the going gets tough, Smoke gets even. When this game turns deadly, it’s winner kills all . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

#48

Texas Kill of the Mountain Man

2020

A New York Times Bestseller 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

#49

Slaughter of the Mountain Man

2021

In this action-packed western from national bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, mountain man Smoke Jensen sets his sharpshooting sights on an unhinged outlaw who’s carved out his own kingdom in the West—and declared war on the United States . . . Johnstone Country. Come visit. He calls himself The King. Once a respected professor, he was ruined by scandal. Now, he rules his own “country”—an area of western territory where an army of outlaws enforce his laws. Any town he claims as his own must pay “taxes,” collected from bank, stagecoach, and train robberies. When he learns that President Rutherford B. Hayes and General William Tecumseh Sherman are venturing into the far west on a tour of the nation, The King devises a plan to kidnap America’s leaders and expand his empire. But The King didn’t reckon that Smoke Jensen had already staked his claim on the frontier. Traveling with the president’s entourage, the mountain man is not about to let this bloodthirsty, evil tyrant endanger his commander-in-chief and threaten American liberty . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

#50

Cruel Winter of the Mountain Man

2022

The latest action-packed installment in the national bestselling Western authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone’s long-running Mountain Man historical series. The 50th Book in the Bestselling Mountain Man Series! A cold day in hell descends upon Texas when mountain man sharpshooter Smoke Jensen pins on a tin star to tackle a wild bunch of bloodthirsty outlaws in this gun-blazing novel from national bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. Johnstone Country. A Glorious Land. Jonas Madigan is dying. He spent his life taming towns and upholding justice across the west with no regrets. Along the way, Madigan took the measure of good men like Smoke Jensen, who has traveled to Salt Lick, Texas to pay his respects to the lawman. But when bandits gun down the small town’s current marshal—and Smoke sends the killers to Boot Hill—Madigan asks his friend to wear the badge and keep the peace until a permanent replacement is sworn in. Turns out the bandits were members of Bishop’s Mauraders, a twenty-man gang of trigger-happy thieves led by the vicious and venomous Snake Bishop—and they’ve set their sights on Salt Lick. They’re due to arrive at the same time as a monstrous blizzard that’s covering up the countryside. Now, it’s up to Smoke to turn the townspeople into a posse to defend their lives and land from both mother nature and man’s worst nature . . . Live Free. Read Hard.

Authors

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.

J.A. Johnstone

Author · 51 books