DEADFALL: A High Country Frontier Prequel

by Josh Jensen

A prequel to No Easy Way Back — winner of the Best Indie Book Award and a finalist for the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award.
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Summer 1994.

Jack Hillman is divorced, missing a leg, and feeling like a stranger in his own hometown.

When word comes that his childhood friend vanished while chasing work in Idaho's Panhandle, Jack doesn't hesitate. He loads up the Silverado, dusts off his Special Forces training, and heads west looking for a man he hasn't spoken to in a decade.

He tells himself he's looking for a friend in Deadfall County. But really, he's trying to see if the man he once was is still in there.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 7, 2026

About the author

JOSH JENSEN is a former NCAA wrestler, an outdoorsman, and a marketing professional. He is the award-winning author of No Easy Way Back, Rough, Rough Country, and the short story Sojourner. He lives in Utah.

You can contact him at jmjensenauthor@gmail.com or on Instagram @jmjensenbooks

BestThrillers.com Review of Rough, Rough Country

https://bestthrillers.com/rough-rough...

Reviews

[AleciaReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much, Josh, for gifting me this audiobook! WOW! This was such a fun read! It really showcases what a talented author he is. Even though this novella was only a couple of hours long, it still packed a punch! The writing was descriptive without being overwhelming, and, of course, the action scenes were amazing. Sometimes, a short story is all you need to leave an impression, and this one definitely delivered!

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this novella! It was definitely outside my usual reading, but I loved it all the same. It serves as a prequel to a series I haven’t started yet, but I’m now looking forward to diving into it soon.

I loved the main character, Jack, the action-packed scenes, and the nostalgic 90s atmosphere.

[Trad Leatherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks (again) to @jmjensenbooks for gifting me a copy of Deadfall, A High Country Frontier Prequel, featuring Jack Hillman. This is a short novella, 185 pages, but don't let the shortness of this sway you. Like the other books from Josh, it is packed with descriptive settings, action-packed fighting sequences, and is very well written. This author is quickly becoming one of my favorites and this one doesn't disappoint. Another 5 stars from me.

[Joshua Lavigne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great insight into Jack. I thoroughly enjoyed his presence in No Easy Way Back. This made me love the character even more. A strongly written flashback to the 90's. My only issue with the book was, I wish It was longer! I wanted the story to keep going. Excited for the next book, definitely keep the Jack Hillman books coming as well!

[C. William Phillips · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

This is a super fun prequel novella. As always, Jensen’s prose is snappy and sharp, and his characters leap off the page.

[Justin Ward · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

It was a fun fast read. I love the ending and epilogue how it tied into meeting Graham and his dad Dan. Very nice. A must read for this genre.

[Cameron Hadley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadfall is perfect as a novella. We get to see a beloved character from No Easy Way Back in a very neo-western story of his own. In this "stranger comes to town" story of Jack Hillman, Jensen flexes his writing skills even further and gives us a prequel that uses tropes of old westerns and spins them to a 1990s neo-western!