Thunder of the Mountain Man

The Last Mountain Man #53

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

In this pulse-pounding western from national bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, Smoke Jensen welcomes a new rancher to the valley—whose intentions are deadly, especially when his …arrival brings a wild bunch of merciless killers in his wake . . .

Thaddeus Bolton sees himself as a cattle king. His ambitions are as big as the land and stock he just purchased near Smoke Jensen’s Sugarloaf ranch. Bolton and his family are friendly enough, although in the case of his wife Emmaline, perhaps too friendly. While her husband stakes his claim with plans to spread throughout the territory, she’s set her sights on Smoke. But fending her off is the least of Smoke’s worries when outlaws sweep across the valley on daring rustling raids—hitting every ranch except Bolton’s.

Fearing it’s only a matter of time before his cattle falls prey to the rustlers, Bolton takes the law into his own hands. Forming a band of vigilantes, he tracks down the men he believes are the thieves and hangs them, despite no evidence linking them to the crimes. Then when Bolton’s ranch is actually rustled, his vigilantes go on an even deadlier, merciless rampage.

To stop the escalating violence, Smoke forms his own posse to bring the outlaws to justice—only to discover that Bolton’s plans are sinister and downright evil.

Now Smoke will have to prove Bolton’s corruption…before the entire valley erupts in a blood-soaked range war . . .

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY.
GOOD GUNS MAKE FOR GOOD NEIGHBORS.

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published November 25, 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

[Abibliofob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thunder of the Mountain Man is the 53rd book in this series once created by William W. Johnstone and continued by J.A. Johnstone. I have always liked the character Smoke Jensen but I feel the quality and timeline are getting worse. I do really like westerns but I feel that you need to keep track of traits of the protagonist and also what happened and when. Still I had a good time reading this but it's not anymore with the same enthusiasm. I thank Kensington Books and Netgalley for this advance copy.

[Brent Towns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thaddeus Bolton sees himself as a cattle king. His ambitions are as big as the land and stock he just purchased near Smoke Jensen’s Sugarloaf ranch. Bolton and his family are friendly enough, although in the case of his wife Emmaline, perhaps too friendly. While her husband stakes his claim with plans to spread throughout the territory, she’s set her sights on Smoke. But fending her off is the least of Smoke’s worries when outlaws sweep across the valley on daring rustling raids—hitting every ranch except Bolton’s.

Fearing it’s only a matter of time before his cattle falls prey to the rustlers, Bolton takes the law into his own hands. Forming a band of vigilantes, he tracks down the men he believes are the thieves and hangs them, despite no evidence linking them to the crimes. Then when Bolton’s ranch is actually rustled, his vigilantes go on an even deadlier, merciless rampage.

To stop the escalating violence, Smoke forms his own posse to bring the outlaws to justice—only to discover that Bolton’s plans are sinister and downright evil.

Now Smoke will have to prove Bolton’s corruption…before the entire valley erupts in a blood-soaked range war . . .

Just when it seems the Smoke Jensen saga has ridden off into the sunset, a new chapter thunders in. Smoke’s got fresh neighbors—Thaddeus Bolton and his kin—and with them comes a storm of trouble.

Rustlers hit Bolton’s spread hard, but that’s just the beginning. His wife sets her sights on Smoke, stirring up tension that cuts deeper than any cattle raid. And then there’s Bolton’s daughter, sweet on Cal—or maybe Cal’s the one doing the sweet-talking.

To clean up the mess, Bolton brings in regulators with orders to string up the rustlers. But the truth’s got more twists than a mountain trail, and when the dust settles, it all explodes in a smoke-choked showdown.

Another gripping tale from the Johnstone camp, packed with action, suspense, and plenty of twists. The writing is sharp, the pacing tight, and the story keeps you guessing right up to the final pages when the truth comes crashing down and the schemers are unmasked.

This time, Cal steps into the spotlight, offering a fresh angle that adds depth and variety to the narrative. His expanded role brings a welcome shift in perspective and keeps the story feeling fresh.


Western fans will find plenty to love here—it's a wild ride from start to finish.

This book will be published in Nov. 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the Arc of this story.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thunder of the Mountain Man is another excellent Smoke Jensen story. This one is from Smoke's earlier days though he is married to Sally and settled on Sugarloaf in Big Rock. A wealthy Easterner--Thaddeus Bolton--takes over the ranch next door to Smoke with his wife Emmaline and almost-adult daughter, intent on establishing the premiere cattle operation in the area. Though the man seems full of Eastern superiority with a wife suspiciously besotted by Smoke, he tries to be neighborly. This is tested early when rustlers attack area ranches and Smoke as well as other owners in the area try to set up a plan to stop the criminals before they cause problems for more of them. Bolton has his own plan to high gunslingers to protect the area and chase down the attacks.  No surprise things get complicated but with Smoke's trademark mix of intelligence and gun fighting skills, we readers are pretty sure it’ll all work out after we’ve had a lot of fun with the story.

Highly recommended for those who love classic westerns in general and the Jensen clan in particular.

[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.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new family has moved into the Valley and a new ranch. Not too long after Bolton, the new owner is saying he had cattle rustled. Smoke does not trust the new family. A good story with Cole having a big part this time in the story. I also always like the Smoke books. A good book with good characters.

[David Burnworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled that this serious was continued. Smoke and Sally gets new neighbors. What starts out as a good friendship quickly evaporates, and all hell breaks loose. Smoke gets hit on by the neighbors' wife, who is not only a slut but 100% pure evil. This one has so much action packed moments that it is hard to keep up.