
Part of Series
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.
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.