Imposter

The Last Gunfighter #6

by William W. Johnstone

When Frank Morgan, who is searching for a place to call home, arrives in Northern California to start a new life, he is unexpectedly immersed in a case of mistaken identity that results in him being falsely accused of a crime, forcing him to escape from jail and find the real culprit. Original.

Genres: Westerns, Action, Fiction

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

William 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.

Reviews

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mentioned earlier that I have run across a series of books that have seemed sort, blah to me. I think I'm just burned out. So I've moved to an old standard, westerns.

This is the 6th in William W. Johnstone's Last Gunfighter series. I have decided I'll give in and give them 5 stars, I have been going 4. But I must admit that for simple enjoyment these are reliable and after all, isn't enjoyment what we rate most of our reads on. In that I mean fictional and genre fiction reads.

Here Frank discovers that he is apparently almost a double for a vicious outlaw. Or...is the outlaw his double? Oh well, which ever.

We will get involved in the search for slavers who sell women and children for perverse reasons.

This is not a youth book.

Of course these is a lot of action. Frank can't seem to stop anywhere without running on to someone who's brother, father or riding partner he shot. Then he shoots them.

All in all I like these books for simple action. The character of Frank is actually a well drawn one. Of course we've had several books to establish that character.

That is to me good news...lots more books to look forward to when I burn out.

[Malum · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.
"You're not a decent man, Morgan."
"Probably not, Jack."

How the hell do I rate this book? It is both a jumbled mess and an incredible piece of pulp Western fiction. It is simultaneously my least favorite and most favorite Last Gunfighter book so far. What the hell is going on here????

Ok, first things first. The plot of this book is everywhere. It's about a criminal that looks like Morgan, a spurned lover with a shotgun, an asshole scaring people away so that he can take their land, an abused wife, a kidnapping plot, and it even has a romance. It's like Johnstone had about three or four ideas for a novel and just threw them all together, with none of them getting the attention they deserve.

Next, the tone is all over the place. The first half of the book is hilarious. I even began to think that this volume was basically a lighthearted comedy. Then the second half happened, and it literally got as dark as Cormac Mccarthy's Blood Meridian. Also, Frank Morgan (who is usually pretty much a Boy Scout that is always forced to fight despite his best intentions) becomes a vicious anti-hero that would make Eastwood's Man with No Name proud.

Despite all of the strangeness in plot and tone, I am still going high with the rating on this. It takes a lot to shock me, and my mouth was literally hanging open by the end of this novel. If you are a fan of Westerns but are the least bit sensitive to graphic violence and rape, stay miles away from this one.

[Dean Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like William W Johnstone writing style. His books are fast moving, interesting, and exciting. Great book!

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best of the couple hundred Johnstone Clan books I've read. There's a standard Johnstone plot that's been done many times before. This one has a sprawling story that has a lot of levels and various bad guys that roam in and out. There are even good guys that also come and go. There's a love interest. Actually two. Reading this had me very uncertain as to which direction the story would go. It seemed to be going in different directions at different points. I figure the good guy would have to triumph. But how and would some characters also be with the initial bad guy or the later bad guy or would some team up. Would earlier good guys team with the good guys? Maybe there would be crossings from one side to the next. I didn't know what would happen the as the book went along. That made this quite a page turner. All marks of a great book.

The writing is also better than most. The vast of array of characters are excellent. I did find the sheriff and doctor in the book to be nearly identical to similar characters in the book before this one in the series.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.

[Geoffrey Lessel · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, the descriptions of all the sexual violence was too much for me and took the star rating down considerably. On top of that, I couldn't quite understand the tone the book was going for. There were some scenes where it was incredibly grim and revenge-focused. Other scenes were supposed to be funny like a comedy? There were characters who swung one way then another as quickly as the batwing door in the saloon.

To be fair, I actually quite enjoyed the first half-ish of the book. But it got hard to push through to the end.

I realized _after_ the book was done that this is #6 in a series. Perhaps I should have started on #1. Or perhaps my enjoyment of western titles is pretty narrowly-scoped to Louis L'amour.

[Bill Shupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another very good novel (imposter) written by William Johnstone. Frank "the drifter" Morgan is mistaken for his look alike Val Dooley who is a criminal, gunslinger, and womanizer. Oh well, nobody is perfect. So, he ventures into the town of Chance where he is hassled because they think he is Dooley. Along his journey, he meets up with characters like: Big Ed and Little Ed Simpson, "crazy" Alberta who rides into town on a mule firing a shotgun, and other notable characters. Meanwhile he still has to deal with wannabe gunslingers who try to test his speed of the draw. I enjoyed the adventures.

[Heath MacNeil · Rating 5 out of 5]

The lore

Have you ever watched a movie or read a book and been so into it and the characters. That you could form emotions towards them? This is a book where you will. The way Mr. Johnstone writes this book will have you disliking characters. Also feeling a sense of what the main character Frank Morgan could have been feeling. Well written as always but this one will get you hooked for the vengeance.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty standard for this series, by which I mean enjoyable, solidly written, plenty of action and Western scenery, although **SPOILER WARNING** it doesn't exactly have a happy ending. But another good entry in the Last Gunfighter series.

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frank Morgan comes close to having a regular girlfriend again. However, there is a nest of outlaws to be cleaned out. This time it's a particularly mean outfit with raping and pillaging as they go. Frank cleans up the mess and moves on.

[Derrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I was intrigued by the look alike going on as this was also done in the Loner, the rest of the story was way to foul mouthed and disturbing for me to truly enjoy. The cast did a great job, and I love the change of Frank being just like Batman and the slow drawl, but the language was awful.

[Truitti · Rating 4 out of 5]

24-47 the last half of the book is pretty gruesome. Even though the violence and rapes are not intricately descriptive, the innuendo of human damage is enough. I borrowed this e-book from the Sacramento Public Library through the Libby app.

[John Meitner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the better westerns that I've read. I'll read more of his stuff.

[T hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this it made me laugh and cry at the same time I wish that I could have been in the western time like Frank

[E. Franmklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Story

Enjoyed this book very much. Good plot, tension, action, and heart brea!I g. Re range was sweet. The story moved along well.

[Eric Mayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending of this book was incredible. Very intense. Had the feeling of the Punisher on the hunt.

[Cody Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. I have to say the ending was lackluster, but hey not all of them can be good!

[Tori · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a graphic vendetta, and as much as I may enjoy the Drifter ridding the West of the scum of the earth, this was just a straight forward vengeance hunt with very little plot to it. The bad guys were really bad, and by the end, you've read of most if how bad they were to women and children. I hope this was the worst if the series- I won't keep reading them if the next is this way.

[Larry O.Erichsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revenge the best medicine

told the story of the brutality of man and how cruel even women can be. Unfortunately even in our society today this happens. I don,t feel our judicial system prosecutes man for their crimes. maybe vengeance is justified.