Trigger Happy

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Accompanied by his Crow partner, Moses Red Buffalo, the famed army scout Nathan Stark takes on a mission in Montana Territory that forces him to choose between duty and honor in this action-packed frontier adventure from the Greatest Western Writers of the 21st Century.

Steely-eyed. Quick as a rattler. Unforgiving as the desert sun. The stories of Nathan Stark’s grit and determination as a manhunter across Indian territory are legendary. He stalks the wild western frontier on behalf of the army, pursuing hostiles to avenge his slaughtered family—and redeem his own failure to protect them.

Once again reluctantly partnered with Crow scout Moses Red Buffalo, Nathan has been assigned to assist the U.S. cavalry in escorting a large band of Blackfoot Indians across Montana and into Canada. Refusing to leave, Chief Thunder Elk threatens to wage war if his tribe is not left alone. Wealthy rancher Bennett McGreevey wants the land the Blackfoot call home, and he’s powerful enough to ensure the army does his bidding.

But Nathan Stark is not a soldier. And no cattle baron is going to give him marching orders. It’s a perfect storm for bullets to rain sheer hell across the land . . .

NATHAN STARK—A MAN TO RIDE THE RIVER WITH.

343 pages, Kindle Edition

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

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Johnstone's Trigger Happy (Pinnacle 2025) is an unusual story from start to finish that won’t fail to capture the imagination of those who enjoy post civil war classic westerns. Nathan Stark and the Crow Moses Red Buffalo are an odd paring for scouting partners who must travel endless days in each other's company and rely on their instinct to avoid capture, death, or worse. Stark hates Indians because they took the life of his entire family. Red Buffalo tolerates Whites but hates Blackfoot Indians because its in his blood, since he was a youngster. But when thrown together on multiple tasks, they find a respect for each other's scouting abilities and moral compasses that ends in a reliable friendship that allow them to almost read each other's minds. In this case, the US Cavalry tasks them to chase the Blackfoot Indians out of an area of Montana where rogue elements have escape the areas where they should be living. Added to the problem is a power hungry rancher who wants to rid the area of sodbusters and farmers or anyone who doesn't live by cows.

If you’re looking for a clever story with lots of action, this is for you.