The Whip Hand

Hunter Buchanon #4

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. THE ULTIMATE KILLING GROUND.

There a million ways to die in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory—but only one way to make it out alive if your name is with guns blazing . . .

THE HILLS HAVE EYES

The Buchanans are no strangers to hard times—or making hard choices. After losing a hefty number of livestock to a killer grizzly, Hunter Buchanan is forced to sell a dozen broncs down in Denver for some badly needed cash. Everything goes smoothly—until he’s ambushed on the way home. The culprits are a murderous bunch of prairie rat outlaws, as dangerous as any Buchanan has ever tangled with. But Hunter is hell-bent on getting his money back. Even if means pursuing the thieves into Dakota Territory—where even deadlier dangers await . . .

Meanwhile, Angus Buchanan has agreed to guide three former Confederate bounty hunters into the Black Hills, on the trail of six cutthroats who robbed a saloon and killed two men in Deadwood. This motley trio of hunters are as cutthroat as the cutthroats they’re after. And it doesn’t take long for Angus to realize they mean to slaughter him as well at the end of the trail . . .

One family of ranchers. Two groups of cold-hearted murderers. So many ways to die.

Genres: Westerns

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published June 25, 2024

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

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Whip Hand refers to how fast a draw someone is, and in this case, Hunter Buchanon.

Pretty good story that has Hunter's wife kidnapped by a one-eyed bandit name Saguaro Machado, which has me picturing the actor Danny Trejo being cast to play. Saguaro is to take Annabelle to the slave traders on the Missouri river in Dakota territory. Hunter, his coyote Bobby Lee, and a young sidekick named Powwow are on the trail, running from the high plains of eastern Wyoming/Colorado to the Badlands of SD.

The other story, has Hunter's father, Angus being hired on to take 3 supposedly Pinkerton agents up to Ghost Mountain in search of 3 outlaws. Nate, the adopted farmhand of the Buchanon's, tags along. This got good, with a grizzly involved in the process, which takes place in the previous book.

All in all, a good read, even with some editing issues, especially toward the end.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, the title fits the book. The cover is different for a Johnstone book and I like it. Thing is, someone didn't know what the book was about. The 'Whip hand' is about the main character's ability to pull gun, not handling a whip.

This book, via access through NetGalley.com, is really 3 books in one. This direction does solve contractual obligations to reach a page count and works better than the more and more fluffed out books coming out of the Johnstone Clan. I really think a better direction is to have the books be a collection of stories. Basically as is being done collecting the Smoke Jensen and Preacher earlier books. I propose taking this Buchanon book and make it 3 separate stories. I believe these would also sell better. Shorter for today's readers and the "3 books in one!" tag.

The three tales are solid and well woven together. The three breakout from the beginning. One at the start and the another breaks out a bit further in. All 3 reconnect in the end with a lot that unfolds in 3 entirely different ways. This works well do to the typical strong Johnstone characters.

Bottom line I recommend this book. 8 out of ten points.

[Dirk Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good read

I enjoyed reading this book. Suspenseful, kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. I feel other Johnstone fans will enjoy it also. I would recommend this book to every one.

[Pierre Borlase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast as lightning

Well written, one of the best Western books I've read. Action, suspense, love, humor all combining nicely to make this story an epic Western.

[Ernest L. Hand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am fan of johnstone and really liked the book.Lots of suspence.My one critasisum would be the ending.There needed to be one more chapter.The ending just left you hanging.

[Scott Mcleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent western, two stories at once and in one of them a pet coyote called Bobby Lee! Really enjoy these westerns!

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Whip Hand is the fourth book in the Hunter Buchanan series by William Johnstone and Jay Johnstone when the book starts Hunter in Annabelle who are now married we’re going to sell 10 gently trained horses to a Mr. Scanlon and when they arrive Hunter is a bit hesitant because of the state of the man’s desert ranch. He decides to proceed with caution but when his fancy English educated daughter comes out he and Annabel feel a bit better about it and in the morning they set out to the head back to the B Bar ranch. It is when they are on the way home and stop to stay at the yellow hotel that he runs in to a man he knows to be cautious of and ugly outlaw named Machado he was in town with his gang and later that night while Hunter and Annabelle were going to their hotel room that they jumped him stole his money and took Annabelle and the man was known to sell women into prostitution so Hunter was not only angry when he woke up with broken ribs but anxious to find her and get her back. Wild this was happening Nate and grandpa Buchanan we’re at home on the B Bre ranch with a group of men claiming to be Pinkertons wanted to hire him to take them up into the mountains looking for train robbers. He told them to come back the next day and let him have a think on it and dreaming of his days of old he decided he and Nate would do it. It was while going up into the mountains that he started thinking these fellas ain’t Pinkertons at all but what they were he knew was up to no good every now and then I read a book by the Johnstones that makes me think the John stones either didn’t write it or maybe it’s Jay on his own since William passed away but having said that almost every woman has red hair and green eyes and it seems the ending always comes a bit too abrupt not to mention there’s always a humongous bear in the mix now having said that this book was really good a definite Johnstone novel but again the ending was a bit too abrupt for my taste but it is still a book worth reading I really like Hunter Buchanan he is one of the few Johnstone heroes that takes a hit in rise is broken and battered to still turn out the hero. I have never met a John Stone novel I haven’t loved but the ones like this one on as good as a lot of the other ones I know this makes no sense… Lol! Either way it’s still a great book and the one I totally recommend. I want to thank Kensington publishing for my free art copy via NetGalley. Please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review..

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

In William Johnstone's Whip Hand (Pinnacle 2024), Book 4 of Hunter Buchanon Black Hills Western, readers meet one family of ranchers, two groups of cold-hearted murderers, with so many ways to die. As the tagline suggests, this is really two stories in one book. Hunter Buchanan and his wife, Anna, take ten premium horses they have raised and trained to sell to a new horse ranch a distance from his ranch. After the sale, the couple is ambushed, Hunter left for dead, and Anna kidnapped by a Mexican bandit. Buchanan manages to survive and takes off to rescue his wife and maybe retrieve his money, funds critical to his ranch's survival. While he wrestles with this set of problems, his father remains back at the ranch to keep the business going and look  after an adopted son. Father is old, one-armed, and doesn't see well, so when Pinkerton agents hire him to find two bad guys who have holed up in the mountains, he says yes, wanting a taste of the youth he left behind, knowing he probably won't have this sort of chance ever again. He takes his grandson with him, using the opportunity to teach him about surviving in the wild. Being as old and experienced as he is, it comes as no surprise to him that nothing he has been told about the job is true.

A good story that kept me engaged the entire time. It lost a point because there were a lot of mixed themes to these two plots and at times, the logical leaps weren't quite believable. Still, I will keep reading this classic Western author. 

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no such thing as a bad Johnstone western. Each series is built around main characters whose belief in the law and family is absolute, even if they've had to be reformed to get there. From Preacher, the original mountain man to the Jensen family to Perly Gates, to.....well, you get the point. Many times, characters from one series will show up in another as supporting hands. The communities are true to the era, clothing, guns, food and troubles are all what you'd find if you looked them up in the history books. No two stories are the same, each character or set of characters is unique and so are their stories. The writing is skillful, readers are pulled into the story and you will laugh and cry right along with the characters. I made the mistake of picking up a Johnstone western my uncle was reading. Ive been hooked ever since. Now I share them with my reading family and will continue as long as new Johnstones are released.