Margins
Tim Colter book cover 1
Tim Colter book cover 2
Tim Colter book cover 3
Tim Colter
Series · 3 books · 2016-2024

Books in series

Colter's Journey book cover
#1

Colter's Journey

2016

THE GREATEST WESTERN WRITERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY In this thrilling epic of the American West, bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone capture the human side of the frontier experience in all its glory, grit, and grandeur—through the eyes of one remarkable teenage boy... Leaving their Pennsylvania home to forge a new life in the untamed Oregon Territory of 1845, the Colter family is ambushed by a kill crazy gang of cutthroats on the Oregon Trail. Fifteen-year-old Tim Colter manages to escape and hide—only to return and find his parents butchered, his sisters Nancy and Margaret missing, and one last killer waiting for his return. Forced to fight for his life, the young Colter embarks on a perilous journey across a lawless frontier, hoping to save his sisters and salvage the dream they lived for. But first, Tim has to figure out how to survive. Luckily, he finds a new friend in Jed Reno, a grizzled one-eyed trapper who’s lived in the Rockies since the 1820s—and who was attacked by the same gang that ambushed Tim’s family. Together, the mountain man and the greenhorn set out after the marauders, blazing a trail of vengeance that leads them to one of the deadliest men in the territory. With danger at every turn, and death just a heartbeat away, Colter has no choice but to grow up fast—one bullet at a time...
The Edge of Violence book cover
#2

The Edge of Violence

2017

THE GREATEST WESTERN WRITERS OF THE 21ST CENTURY Bestselling authors William and J.A. Johnstone continue the wild, epic saga of Tim Colter with the building of the transcontinental railroad—and the making of the American Dream . . . Twenty-two years have passed since Tim Colter and his family were ambushed on the Oregon Trail, forcing the young boy to find an unlikely ally in one-eyed mountain man Jed Reno. Now a widowed deputy U.S. marshal and Civil War veteran, Colter is finally ready to remarry and settle down—until a dangerous new assignment becomes a life-or-death struggle for the soul of a town and the heart of its people . . . The Union Pacific Railroad is laying down tracks connecting the great northwest to the rest of the country. But two rival factions have set their sights on the town of Violet—aka Violence—to gain control of the rails. It’s Colter’s job to tame the rampant greed and rising tensions. But to do it, he’ll need to deputize his trusted old friend Jed Reno—and wage a savage new war that will determine the fate of the Dakota Territory and the future of a nation.
While the Town Slept book cover
#3

While the Town Slept

2024

The latest blazing, breakneck adventure in the Tim Colter Western series by the bestselling legends of historical Westerns in which the assassination of President Grant is on the line. Wyoming Territory, 1873. Tim Colter and his trusted guide, mountain man Jed Reno, are on the trail of a vicious gang of train robbers when they happen upon a bloody and shocking scene. Lying on the ground, barely breathing, a Secret Service agent has been left for dead in the wake of a brutal ambush. His final “President Grant . . . assassination . . . Dugan . . . trust nobody.” It’s a message that chills Colter and Reno to the bone. President Ulysses S. Grant is scheduled to arrive soon in Cheyenne. Dugan is a former Confederate guerilla who leads a notorious gang of cutthroats. And the agent’s last words—“trust nobody”—suggest this conspiracy could reach to the highest levels of American power. Colter and Reno are determined to stop the assassins by any means possible—even if they have to enter hell itself, better known as Dugan’s Den. But to get there, they’ll have to bust a lady outlaw out of prison then convince her to take them to Dugan’s hideout—with a lunatic killer on their tail and the president on a collision course with death . . .

Authors

William W. Johnstone
William W. Johnstone
Author · 533 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.

548 Market St PMB 65688, San Francisco California 94104-5401 USA
© 2026 Paratext Inc. All rights reserved