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Matt Jensen: The Last Mountain Man #6
Dakota Ambush
The Greatest Western Writer Of The 21st CenturyThe adopted son of mountain man Smoke Jensen, he has carved out his destiny in the rugged American frontier. His name is Matt Jensen. He lives by the gun--and surrenders to no one. . . Dakota AmbushTwelve years ago, newspaperman John Bryce saved an innocent man from the hangman's noose. That man was Matt Jensen. In gratitude, Matt gave Bryce four gold nuggets and told him, "If there's ever anything I can do, just let me know." Now, that day has come. As editor of the Fullerton Defender, Bryce has become the target of a powerful--and ruthless--English lord. A feared master duelist, his aim is fixed on the Dakota Territories. His weapons are intimidation and violence. And his hired guns are the most sadistic and deadliest prairie rats Matt Jensen has ever known. . .
348 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
58 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,040 books1,390 followersWilliam W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling Western writer in America and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over 50 million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the Greatest Western writer of the 21st Century." Visit him online at WilliamJohnstone.net.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 2, 2016
Standard troubles for the Jensen boys, but with a more involved setting and cast. After now reading over two dozen Johnstone Clan stories, this plot is being revisitied again. Usually the town takeover is covered in the Smoke Jensen series. This time, loosely connected Matt Jensen gets a swing at cleaning things up.
The bad guy is again British, which I find curious. The British have often been the rub in a Johnstone Clan book. This one is much like the others, with just a whole lot more land and money. There's a lot familiar with this book. Except for the town's people. Here this book veers from other Johnstone books and well fleshes out the townspeople and the setting of the small city. The hero doesn't even arrive to the location to save the day until more than half way through the book. Though Matt Jensen is chronicled through the book, the characters of the town take more of a center stage as we learn of their troubles before Jensen steps in.
Further complaint involving the cover and the title. Neither are good representations of the actual book.
Though familiar if you have read other Johnstone Clan books, it's still a very good and more involved story.
Bottom line: I recommend this story. 6 out of ten points.
The
The bad guy is again British, which I find curious. The British have often been the rub in a Johnstone Clan book. This one is much like the others, with just a whole lot more land and money. There's a lot familiar with this book. Except for the town's people. Here this book veers from other Johnstone books and well fleshes out the townspeople and the setting of the small city. The hero doesn't even arrive to the location to save the day until more than half way through the book. Though Matt Jensen is chronicled through the book, the characters of the town take more of a center stage as we learn of their troubles before Jensen steps in.
Further complaint involving the cover and the title. Neither are good representations of the actual book.
Though familiar if you have read other Johnstone Clan books, it's still a very good and more involved story.
Bottom line: I recommend this story. 6 out of ten points.
The
December 5, 2022
In the book Deadly Trail, Spirit, Matt Jensen’s horse get shot and dies. Matt gets a new horse, he calls Spirit. In this story, Smoke Jensen tells Matt he would know Spirit anywhere because he raised him. How could he? That first horse is dead.
In this story, two of Matt Jensen’s friends are killed in a bank robbery. Matt trails and kills the two outlaws, gets the money back. The second Spirit breaks its leg in a prairie dog hole and Matt has to kill it. He takes off the saddle and carries it for two hours. Why didn’t Matt take the dead outlaws' horses with him? Could have sold them for money, but also could have ridden one back to the bank that was robbed. Rather dumb don’t you think?
Matt Jensen goes to a stable to buy a horse, finds one he likes and takes it for a ride, gets ambushed. But after the shooters run away, he sees the horse a quarter of a mile away and whistles to it. It doesn’t come to him. So, he has to walk to it. Decides not to buy it because it didn’t come to him.
He gets Spirit number 3 from Sally Jensen. Interesting thing is, he never rides the horse, nor does he whistle to see if it will come to him. If that is all so important to him, why not test it out?
Overall, this book is okay, but I did get tired of it around 72%.
In this story, two of Matt Jensen’s friends are killed in a bank robbery. Matt trails and kills the two outlaws, gets the money back. The second Spirit breaks its leg in a prairie dog hole and Matt has to kill it. He takes off the saddle and carries it for two hours. Why didn’t Matt take the dead outlaws' horses with him? Could have sold them for money, but also could have ridden one back to the bank that was robbed. Rather dumb don’t you think?
Matt Jensen goes to a stable to buy a horse, finds one he likes and takes it for a ride, gets ambushed. But after the shooters run away, he sees the horse a quarter of a mile away and whistles to it. It doesn’t come to him. So, he has to walk to it. Decides not to buy it because it didn’t come to him.
He gets Spirit number 3 from Sally Jensen. Interesting thing is, he never rides the horse, nor does he whistle to see if it will come to him. If that is all so important to him, why not test it out?
Overall, this book is okay, but I did get tired of it around 72%.
April 24, 2019
I started reading Westerns to get a feel for a new genera. Don't know enough about them to attempt to write them with any authority. Thought I'd read writers like Louis L'Amour and William W. Johnstone in order to see what a good author can do with them.
William W. Johnstone knows his stuff. I like his ability to write good historical fiction.
Wish I had that talent if I ever attempted to write a full blown western manuscript. I played around with a piece of flash fiction. Don't have the stomach to attempt something like The Last Mountain Man: Dakota Ambush. I know enough American history to be dangerous. I don't know enough specific frontier history to be believable, especially with fire-arms.
Johnstone is a craftsman. His work is believable. He's an excellent story teller. I enjoyed his characters. The action flowed. Dakota Ambush was an easy read. Guess that's why he has several hundred books to his name!
William W. Johnstone knows his stuff. I like his ability to write good historical fiction.
Wish I had that talent if I ever attempted to write a full blown western manuscript. I played around with a piece of flash fiction. Don't have the stomach to attempt something like The Last Mountain Man: Dakota Ambush. I know enough American history to be dangerous. I don't know enough specific frontier history to be believable, especially with fire-arms.
Johnstone is a craftsman. His work is believable. He's an excellent story teller. I enjoyed his characters. The action flowed. Dakota Ambush was an easy read. Guess that's why he has several hundred books to his name!
July 26, 2019
I did enjoy the characters and storyline. I notice on at least three of the books in the series you know there’s going to be a knife fight with Mat and to assailants with Matt getting sliced on his side and taking one of them out with the other one running away. He passes out and comes through a few days later naked with the girl laying with him. They just add that segment into each of these books, could’ve change it up a little bit. Compare it with somebody that wakes up every morning and drinks his coffee and has his morning rituals, the books rituals is for him to be in a knife fight and be cut on his side. Still enjoyed it.
February 9, 2021
I grew up in North Dakota so as I read this I had a map of ND & SD and the towns that were talked about are real towns yet today. As for the author I have 178 paper backs of theirs that I have read before my talked me into a Kindle (witch I love) so when I order new ones I go thru my list to make sure I have not already read it. I had already read one of this series but I bought the 11 series and reread it. I have read a lot of Louis L'Amour as my father knew him in Jamestown ND but I believe I like these guys (William W. & J.A. Johnstone) a bit better. So far Preacher and Mac Callister are my favorite.
May 28, 2021
The fight for good vs evil continues in this saga following the life of Matt Jensen. Here an old friend needs Matt to come help fight and English Gentleman who has settled in town with a group of bad cowboys. He sets himself up and the Lord of the manor and wants to create a fiefdom with the other ranchers being his serfs. He terrorizes the town and creates a toll for anyone entering and leaving the town and continues to harass the ranchers wanting to enter the saloon. The owner of the newspaper is a friend of Matt's and calls for his assistance which is provided. Of course this leads to lots of encounters with the English Lord and creates a wonderful story not to be missed.
August 6, 2018
Book 6 of the Matt Jensen Mountain Man Series. Two chapters in already there are cross-piles of bad guys just like a Shakespearean Tragedy. A man, a horse and his guns.
This e-book has frequent editorial errors and a mathematical error in chapter 24: 5+4+6=15 not 17 horses. The book ends as one might expect with a shootout though possible not the one we expected.
This e-book has frequent editorial errors and a mathematical error in chapter 24: 5+4+6=15 not 17 horses. The book ends as one might expect with a shootout though possible not the one we expected.
February 25, 2021
Great Tale
Really liked the plot. Just enough romance sandwiched between blazing guns, treachery, and a surprised ending. A must read for fans of a Jensen. One thing that kept it from becoming a 5 star rating. There were too many editing errors. Run-on sentences, misspellings, etc.
Really liked the plot. Just enough romance sandwiched between blazing guns, treachery, and a surprised ending. A must read for fans of a Jensen. One thing that kept it from becoming a 5 star rating. There were too many editing errors. Run-on sentences, misspellings, etc.
June 8, 2023
I truly loved this book. The action was great, the villains were truly evil, and the atmosphere perfect. My only criticism is that in chapter 15 you called Matt "smoke" in the past paragraph, and in chapter 18 you called Sue Fowler by the name of Millie instead. Please keep your characters straight.
December 20, 2025
Hi can’t help enjoying the goodies winning justice over the baddies western style
December 20, 2014
Excellent addition, to the Jensen brand, being the Matt Jensen: the last Mountain Man series, the character was introduced in the legendary Smoke Jensen: Mountain Man series written by William W. Johnstone.
This one, Dakota Ambush is the sixth book in the series, of the newer series it's one by reading it that William W. Johnstone wrote some of the book and the ghost writer just need to polish it off.
It was a good read. Matt Jensen turns in a favor he owed Newspaper Owner John Bryce. Coming to the aid of Fullerton, a small Dakota town, in the Dakota Territories who's held under the thumb of Lord Nigel Cordell Denbigh, the surrounding ranchers and farmers in the Elm Valley are being tolled by the Lord and who plans to turn the entire territory into a Fiefdom.
Matt finds himself up against a Sheriff who won't do anything to the stop the Lord, several shop owners who are too worried the money they'll lose by stopping him and a wily news editor who knows the only way to survive is stop the Lord.
So it's basically good versus evil, typical with Bill's books the good guys win in the end. The only change I make to this one, have Matt stay with Ma Perkins.
This one, Dakota Ambush is the sixth book in the series, of the newer series it's one by reading it that William W. Johnstone wrote some of the book and the ghost writer just need to polish it off.
It was a good read. Matt Jensen turns in a favor he owed Newspaper Owner John Bryce. Coming to the aid of Fullerton, a small Dakota town, in the Dakota Territories who's held under the thumb of Lord Nigel Cordell Denbigh, the surrounding ranchers and farmers in the Elm Valley are being tolled by the Lord and who plans to turn the entire territory into a Fiefdom.
Matt finds himself up against a Sheriff who won't do anything to the stop the Lord, several shop owners who are too worried the money they'll lose by stopping him and a wily news editor who knows the only way to survive is stop the Lord.
So it's basically good versus evil, typical with Bill's books the good guys win in the end. The only change I make to this one, have Matt stay with Ma Perkins.
February 12, 2011
Matt Jensen comes to the aid of John Bryce, a newspaper man that he owed a debt: twelve years before, his article, carefully researched, proved he was innocent of a murder charge.
A British Lord, the black sheep of his family, had set up shop in the Dakotas, intent on carving his own fiefdom by destroying the homes of the people in the valley, charging tolls on a public road that ran through his land, a dollar a head entering the town, a dollar a head leaving. A lot of businesses refused to come into the town, giving the Lord free reign to charge as he saw fit. The town Marshall was on his payroll, the county sheriff couldn't be bothered, the newspaper editor was the only one who bucked the man. That got his newspaper office vandalized and threats sent his way.
So he asks Matt for help and Matt was never one to let a friend down.
A British Lord, the black sheep of his family, had set up shop in the Dakotas, intent on carving his own fiefdom by destroying the homes of the people in the valley, charging tolls on a public road that ran through his land, a dollar a head entering the town, a dollar a head leaving. A lot of businesses refused to come into the town, giving the Lord free reign to charge as he saw fit. The town Marshall was on his payroll, the county sheriff couldn't be bothered, the newspaper editor was the only one who bucked the man. That got his newspaper office vandalized and threats sent his way.
So he asks Matt for help and Matt was never one to let a friend down.
January 5, 2015
You know the good guys win
I love a strong hero. As always good people other than our hero are involved. One will surprise you. Enjoy!
I love a strong hero. As always good people other than our hero are involved. One will surprise you. Enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews