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Shadow of a Dead Man
The top dogs of bestselling western action thrillers hit the bullseye with Shotgun Johnny, a disgraced lawman whose quest for vengeance becomes a legendary fight for justice.
Shotgun Johnny Greenway thought he’d hit rock bottom when he lost his wife and son, hung up his badge, and hit the bottle. But a pretty young woman gave him a second chance. Offered him a job riding shotgun for the Reverend’s Temptation Gold Mine. Gave him a reason to live. But even she can’t save him when the Starrett gang tries to rob the gold—and Johnny kills their leader . . .
When the dust clears, Shotgun Johnny is wanted for murder. The dead man’s father has powerful friends, including a town marshal who’s Johnny’s personal enemy. One wants the gold. The other wants the girl. Both want Johnny dead. With a $1000 bounty on his head—and half the county trying to kill him—Johnny’s got to prove his innocence. Not in a court of law. In a trial by shotgun . . .
Shotgun Johnny Greenway thought he’d hit rock bottom when he lost his wife and son, hung up his badge, and hit the bottle. But a pretty young woman gave him a second chance. Offered him a job riding shotgun for the Reverend’s Temptation Gold Mine. Gave him a reason to live. But even she can’t save him when the Starrett gang tries to rob the gold—and Johnny kills their leader . . .
When the dust clears, Shotgun Johnny is wanted for murder. The dead man’s father has powerful friends, including a town marshal who’s Johnny’s personal enemy. One wants the gold. The other wants the girl. Both want Johnny dead. With a $1000 bounty on his head—and half the county trying to kill him—Johnny’s got to prove his innocence. Not in a court of law. In a trial by shotgun . . .
- GenresWesterns
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published October 24, 2023
94 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,041 books1,393 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 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 20, 2025
Raw and gutsy, a great western with plenty of action. Strong male and female characters. Well paced. Sprinkled with just a touch of humor. Recommended for those who like the western genre.
November 1, 2020
#2 in the Shotgun Johnny series. During a gold run, Johnny is accused of murder. Now the town marshal, federal officers, the powerful local rancher and land baron, as well as half the town are out gunning for him. Full of mountain shootouts, double crossing, and typical gun blazing action. The relationship with Sheila Bonner, his employer and love interest does seem a bit cliched and predictable in this entry but it doesn’t diminish this enjoyable western thriller.
November 20, 2023
It's a good read
Really enjoyed reading this book. Lots of action. Had me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend this book to everyone.
Really enjoyed reading this book. Lots of action. Had me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend this book to everyone.
January 4, 2024
24-01 A good Western. No explicit sex or gory details. I bought this paperback.
September 26, 2025
Very good story!
I really liked this one! Also one of first by this new author that had a ending that seemed finished!
I really liked this one! Also one of first by this new author that had a ending that seemed finished!
November 29, 2025
twists and plots were well written, chapters were spread out good, every 7-10 pages were long enough to keep my ADHD attention span of 4 minutes invested.
May 30, 2024
Interesting story. Although there are some areas, I just shook my head on how stupid the author makes some the characters.
The main character, Johnny is accused of killing a rancher’s son. Johnny goes to the rancher to tell him he didn’t do it. Gets himself beat up by two heavyweight employes. But wait. Johnny survived. No brain damage. Amazing!!
Johnny also can kill lots of the rancher's employees with two sawed off shotguns over the rancher’s employee’s rifles. Amazing!!
Why is it in movies and also this story that women do stupid things? Someone knocks at the door of a woman’s house at night. She looks out, doesn’t see anyone, so she grabs a lantern and goes outside. Seriously?
Then there are two women fighting one guy. Have blown off one of his ears with a shotgun and hit him in the head with a tea kettle. He is down on the floor and what do the women do? Run away. 🙄
The main character, Johnny is accused of killing a rancher’s son. Johnny goes to the rancher to tell him he didn’t do it. Gets himself beat up by two heavyweight employes. But wait. Johnny survived. No brain damage. Amazing!!
Johnny also can kill lots of the rancher's employees with two sawed off shotguns over the rancher’s employee’s rifles. Amazing!!
Why is it in movies and also this story that women do stupid things? Someone knocks at the door of a woman’s house at night. She looks out, doesn’t see anyone, so she grabs a lantern and goes outside. Seriously?
Then there are two women fighting one guy. Have blown off one of his ears with a shotgun and hit him in the head with a tea kettle. He is down on the floor and what do the women do? Run away. 🙄
April 3, 2024
Honestly, in my top 3 favorite books. The plot and twist kept me invested and the brief moments of comedy had me laughing. For anyone who wants a solid western I would 10/10 recommend this one
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews