The Man from Blood Gulch

Ghost McCoy #1

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

In this blazing new series from the bestselling Johnstones, the sole survivor of a bloody massacre turns his rage to bounty hunting—and a new Western legend is born . . .

They call him Ghost. A hard man with a hard past, Garret “Ghost” McCoy will never forget the day his family was brutally attacked by vicious marauders. It forced him to grow up fast, get tough even faster, and sharpen every skill to survive—by gun, by knife, or by fist. A true loner and silent stalker, Ghost is the kind of no-nonsense bounty hunter who always gets his man. Dead or alive. But it’s only a matter of time before his reputation catches up with him—in a dusty dead-end town called Coyote Flats . . .

It starts with a killing. Three murderous cattle rustlers with a bounty on their heads reach the end of the line on the streets of Coyote Flats—where Ghost guns them down in a shootout. Impressed by the bounty hunter’s gun skills, the leader of a local outlaw gang makes Ghost an offer he can’t refuse. But Ghost refuses anyway. Which ticks off the outlaw—and draws the attention of another leader of another outlaw gang. Like it or not, Ghost is stuck in the middle of a gang war between two fierce rivals. But there’s something about the second gang that’s different. Something familiar . . .

They’re the marauders who killed Ghost’s family. And now they’re about to get Ghosted.

Genres: Westerns

400 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

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

Typical oater with a few more double crosses and such than usual. The survivor of a massacre becomes a bounty hunter, and finds himself in a spaghetti western situation with a town controlled by two factions, but he's not really nihilistic enough for A Fistful of Dollars type action.

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

The Man From Blood Gulch by William and J Johnstone is the first book in the “Ghost” Garrett McCoy Western. After watching the brutal slaying of his brother and father Garrett McCoy at the age of 12 left blood Gulch Texas and swore never to return. It’s years later he is battle weary from the Civil War And has led a life of bounty hunting that leads him to the small town called Coyote Flats in search of his latest target. his plan is to get in get his man and be on his way but something about a town being run by two men who both want to be king of coyote Flatts and wants Garrett on the payroll has him returning after a trip to Austin. He knows something isn’t right about this town and learned even more while in Austin but it will be when he cozies up to one of the bosses that he realizes coyote Flats should’ve been his target all along. Once again we have a man up against I wanna be Kingpin and although he cannot do it alone he will find many allies in the small town. I couldn’t help but realize the similarities between Garrett McCoy in the new series by the same author Texas lightning but to say I didn’t enjoy it would be wrong, I love a good western and although I was a little letdown that the story wasn’t new I still absolutely enjoyed it and recommended to any real western fan. There’s so much I loved about Garrett ghost McCoy not just his sensor humor but his sense affair play and he is definitely someone to root for. #NetGalley, #KensingtonBooks, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestreview, #WilliamJohnstone, #JEAJohnstone, #TheManFromBloodGulc,

[Laur · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st in a new series (GHOST McCOY #1) is a welcome addition to Johnstone westerns)!

Garrett (Ghost) McCoy is a hard man with a hard past. Never wanting to settle down anywhere, he would just disappear (like a ghost) and no one would be the wiser to what happened or where he had gone.

But there’s more to the story than that! Where the past, meets the present, envisions the future. The story plot is wonderful and moves along at a pleasant sturdy pace.

The characters are colorful, bold and interesting - (it was good to see a few female characters in strong roles!)

Nothing put praise for the start of this new series- I hope future books are in the works and will be just as good.

[Jorden Melson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great western, great characters.

[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.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Johnstone's The Man from Blood Gulch (Pinnacle 2025) is another in a long line of excellent classic western by this author. Garret McCoy, aka the Ghost, is a bounty hunter who is one of the best at this job, his success partly due to a deep pain in his soul that doesn’t go away. His family was killed when he was young and many in the small community where he grew up were killed by a madman and his gang looking for gold. Once a happy, uplifting town, it became known as Blood Gulch in honor of the devastation suffered by so many. McCoy learned to shoot, to kill, with the specific goal of bringing justice to those who killed his parents. He used his incomparable skill to help many find justice for their losses. The job paid his upkeep but brought little satisfaction until he came to the town of Coyote Flats where he ran smack into his past. The story is well paced. The characters likable. I would recommend it to all those who enjoy this genre.

[Gerald Matzke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garrett McCoy is a bounty hunter. As his latest search concludes, he finds himself in the middle of a power struggle in Coyote Gulch between two powerful men who seek to control everything in this small town. Each one would like to recruit McCoy to fight for his side. When McCoy realizes that one of the men was the one who murdered his father, he makes plans to get his revenge while also ridding the town of his rival. It is a fast moving story that has some surprises as everything unfolds. The characters are well developed and you really feel for the people of Coyote Gulch and hope with them that someday they can live in a peaceful and quiet town. McCoy is a great character who is able to survive the worst abuse but yet come back with wit and resolve to accomplish his mission.

[Sean McKenney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid, entertaining western with plenty of grit and suspense. The story follows a mysterious bounty man whose journey is filled with action, twists, and enough intrigue to keep the pages turning. While it leans more on adventure than deep character development, it delivers exactly what you’d want from a western: atmosphere, danger, and a hero you want to keep following. For me, it was a fun, engaging read. Worthy of 4 stars.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ghost McCoy, who is a bounty hunter now, has arrived back at the town where his life took a turn as he saw his family being gunned down. Now tracking a man back to the town where it all started, he has to deal with his past to move forward. A good book with excellent characters.

[Truitti · Rating 5 out of 5]

25-37 great gritty western, full of bad guys, good guys, soiled doves, gunfights, and saloons. I enjoy this author so much. I borrowed this e-book from the Sacramento Public Library though the Libby app.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spaghetti western

This story centers around a familiar theme of a bounty hunter showing up in a town riven by two warring factions that are prospering through extortion. Very much like Sergio Leone’s A Fisrful of Dollars in some respects.

[Mike Calabrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good, Old Western Tale

I believe that this is the 2nd book that I have read from this author. Typical good guy beats the bad guy story. But what makes this one interesting are the details that Johnstone weaves into the story along the way. Good read.

[Daphne Gallardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am absolutely in love with the story! This is how I wished RDR2 ended: a happy ending.

[Debbie Ruark · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like westerns, this was pretty good. Somewhat predictable in parts but it kept me interested until the end.

[papasteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most telling line in this book is, “But it was a serious thing ending another man forever” ( page 33). It was such a “serious thing”, it happened over and over and over again, beginning to end.

[JacqueLine Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good western, and this sure did not disappoint. 👍🏾

[Cb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exciting read! Especially with Joshua Saxon reading.

[Michael Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

another winner

JA keeps turning them out, great read good story. And a few surprises.
Thanks for the entertainment!
Cannot wait for the next in series

[Timothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my personal favorites! I enjoyed the darkness and the fact that the main character wasn't invincible, which is a difference compared to some of his other characters.

[Steve Ring · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good western. Lots of action and many interesting characters.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of My Favorites

I really enjoyed this new series beginnings. I liked McCoy and all the rest, and I look forward to the rest of the upcoming books!
Four and a half stars