Calamity James

Calamity James #1

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

The unbelievable, untold story of Jesse James’s other brother…

In this rollicking stand-alone novel from the bestselling Johnstones, fact and fiction collide in the jaw-dropping story of Jesse James’ little-known, disaster-prone brother. They call him Calamity—for a reason.

Calvin Amadeus James, aka Calamity, isn’t an outlaw like his notorious brothers Jesse and Frank. He’s worse—due to the bad luck that follows him everywhere he goes. Every job he takes—from army scout to gambler to cowboy and rail worker—ends in catastrophe. No matter what he does, Calamity James always seems to be on the wrong side of history . . .

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871? Calamity placed the lantern next to the cow that kicked it over. The gunfight at O.K. Corral? Calamity stirred up trouble in Tombstone right before it all went down. The fateful saloon shooting of Wild Bill Hickcock? Blame it on Calamity James. Some folks say he’s even responsible for Custer’s last stand at Little Big Horn—but Calamity swears it ain’t true. He’s just a magnet for bad luck who’s trying to find his good luck charm—a pretty little dancehall girl known as Clumsy Catherine. But somehere along the way, he foolishly joins the James-Younger Gang with his outlaw brothers. And that’s when Calamity’s infamous bad luck gets a whole lot worse . . .

Genres: Historical

416 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published July 1, 2025

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

[Paula Ackley · Rating 1 out of 5]

No one has left a review for Calamity James yet so I don't know why the ratings go from 1* to 5*. I do know why I gave it 1*. I didn't like the book. There was just too much. Too many places. Too many characters. Too much that Cal got caught up in. The places, characters, time frames and incidents were constantly changing. Sometimes they even changed on one page and then the page after that. When Cal meets any real historical figure it seems that they were just put into the story so the book could be called historical fiction. There wasn't much to the chance meetings. He falls in love with a girl and searches for her, going from town to town where he was told he'd find her. For over 15 YEARS he searched ALL OVER. The 400+ page book ends with a letter from his girl with her address. We're left not knowing whether they finally got together. With everything this guy has been through you really don't know. Cliffhanger! Mr.Johnstone, I didn't find your novel "rollicking'

[Erin Gibson Zercher · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was slow, but I enjoyed it because it was a made up character (with bad luck) who ran into all these famous people from the Old West. His bad luck “helped” start the Chicago Fire. He was there when Wild Bill was killed. He talked to Abe Lincoln and then helped start the Pony Express, as well as many other things. It was fun to see how the author wove fact around this character.

[Beverly Kee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness what a great tale!

I can't imagine how the author came up with this story but it was awesome and so different from other books by them! I hope this turns into a series!

[Bill Lents · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mixed history and a fun read..

The u luckiest character left his world in a mess as he struggled to find his lost love. Humor abounds throughout this outstanding tale that kept me cheering and laughing. Enjoy.

[Melinda Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read!

[Ericka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read

Entertaining to read. Kinda silly but with some history thrown in. Just a nice break from today's grim reality. A few good chuckles too.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF. NOT bad but not worth finishing either.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great beginning but then the story just got long. Cal is likeable and he has many adventures. If you like westerns, I think you will enjoy this.