Preacher's Bloodbath

The First Mountain Man #22

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Preacher takes on the last of the Aztecs in his biggest, bloodiest showdown yet. . .

There are a million ways to die in the Rockies--and a million predators, natural or otherwise. But even a seasoned mountain dweller like Preacher is shocked by the latest horror lurking in the hills. Trappers are being hunted down like animals. Captured. Murdered. Mutilated. Their hearts carved out of their chests.

Some of the victims were Preacher's friends. Now two others--Audie and Nighthawk--have gone missing. Preacher is determined to track them down before they end up on the chopping block

And an epic battle that begins and ends--with the ultimate sacrifice . . .

Genres: Westerns

283 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 29, 2015

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

[Bill Riggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was definitely a fun read. Unbelievably, a lost tribe of Aztecs are still residing deep in the Rocky Mountains. When Mountain Men begin to go missing and turn up will their hearts carved out of their chest Preacher is drawn to investigate. What follows is highly entertaining.

[Ken White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preacher's Bloodbath

After reading only 25% of this book, I had a hard time putting the book down. A very exciting book to read. This book is full of action and adventure. I new that Preacher would get out of it but I had no idea how it would happened. Very exciting book. If you are a William W. Johnstone fan than I recommend that you get this book.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preacher is my favorite Johnstone character, which may make me a little biased, but the story was an entertaining read. Stumbling upon an ancient Aztec civilization that has been blockaded in the mountains, Preacher and his mountain man friends must try to keep their hair.. and hearts, while escaping the clutches of the warrior priests. Add a blood thirsty Aztec priestess, disgruntled Blackfoot indians and Audie and Nighthawk, this story makes for a grand adventure if only you'll let yourself be entertained.

[Richard Stover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review

This was a different kind of western. It was more a story of early trappers then add in some science fiction an d it turned out to be a very good story.

[Orville Welch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Yes this is a good book to read and would recommend to anyone who has never read it yet .

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

A rehash of the plot of "Preacher and the Mountain Caeser" except rather than dealing with ersatz Romans he had to fight a long lost tribe of Aztecs trying to conquer the west. Skip this one.

[Simone Pelizza · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid piece of entertainment for western aficionados. The story sees heroic trapper Preacher against some mysterious Indians who are killing fur hunters in the Shadow Valley. Soon Preacher will discover that these assassins are part of a lost civilisation hidden by the nearby mountains - a civilisation directly related to the Aztec Empire and still practising blood sacrifices as those of its ancestors. Will he be able to stop the ritual murders and save his friends Audie and Nighthawk from a gruesome fate? Easier said than done, and Preacher will need all his skills to get away alive from the Valley...
Though sometimes repetitive, the plot is fast paced and very enjoyable, with lots of twists and turns in every chapter. The characters are quite sketchy and the author doesn't spend too much time on their inner feelings or psychological reactions. The focus is always on fierce battles, daring escapes and thrilling confrontations with the villains. And such formula works very well until the end of the story.
If you want an easy read to chill out after work, this is definitely for you. If you love western stories, it's again perfect for your TBR list. However, if you don't like old fashioned adventure tales or politically incorrect depictions of the West (with cruel "savages" and heroic white pioneers), you should better look for something else. Unless you're in for a "guilty pleasure".

[David Burnworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preacher learns that trappers are disappearing from Shadow Vally and two of his close friends might be among the missing. As he goes to find his friends the adventure becomes life and death as he finds out an earthquake has opened an area that nobody knew existed and worse yet the people living inside are Aztecs and live life the way their people always have. This is the reason for the missing tappers. Preacher is in the worst situation he has been in since the Blackfeet was going to burn him alive. Only a miracle and a newfound friend might be able to save him Audie, Nighthawk, and all of the other prisoners.

[Jewell Floyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good adventure for Preacher

The story was very interesting and always exciting. It kept my interest and was hard to put aside, even to go to sleep. I never knew who would still be alive on the next page. The outcome was never assured, there was never a dull moment, but, there was always hope. A very good read for most everybody. Can't wait for the next adventure of Preacher.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've already asked for more in the series. Bloodbath is the right title here. Overload of well-written fights, chases, tragic meaningful deaths. Hidded Aztec sacrificers attack with a vengeance, trapping our hero repeatedly in between. He has loyal friends, and rescues go both ways.

[Kevin Key · Rating 4 out of 5]

Preacher fights the Aztec descendants in a secluded valley which was recently opened by an earthquake. The people had been trapped in the valley for 400 years without any outside contact. Preacher has to fight the ruler which practiced cutting out the hearts of captives.

[Merleen Palmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beware what earthquakes reveal


Human sacrifices have begun just beyond the edge of gloomy, haunted Shadow Valley in the lost outpost of a barbaric empire, and bare hands fight to the death in the face of overwhelming odds.

[Michael Mcfarren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Action, Action, Action

William delivers again. This episode keep moving so fast that the pages turned themselves. This is not your typical TV wester, but a hard-hitting adventure that is unexpected.

[Maynard R. Jerome · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was almost like old west sci-fi. It was interesting and exciting reading, but too far from the realm of actual possibility to be as enjoyable as most of the Preacher sagas. It's certainly still good reading, just not as good as most of Johnstone's Westerns.

[Allison Fannin née Eilers · Rating 4 out of 5]

My breakout into the western genre. Simple, enjoyable story line. Easy read. Enjoyable characters. I could not believe how many fight scenes could be fit into one book, but that's to be expected with this genre, I think!

[larry brashear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good!

Another enjoyable story by Mr Johnstone. Well written and interesting from start to finish. I am looking forward to reading more by him.

[Bob Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

That Preacher is one tough mountain man.

[Ishtiaque Alam Russel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Preacher's books urgently need 6★ option in goodreads as giving 5★ is an absolute injustice, ain't it?

"Umm", says Nighthawk.

[Richard Riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

As usual as DC DC bc BB NJ km !! AA as DC DC by th in OK all we

[Erik Waters · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was almost as bad as the Romans...

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun idea for a story. And as always a good story.

[Kenton Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

You just can’t kill PREACHERS!!!!!!AWSOMM

[Ted Cartier · Rating 5 out of 5]

the preacher novels are always fun

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty fun. Yes it is a Preacher Novel, but it reminded me of an old Tarzan Story I read years ago. Tarzan or Preacher either one and it is the same.

Again it was fun and nice break from the usual recipe fare.

Yes we all know they are basically ''recipe'' books and you can predict what is going to happen next. But they are always quick reads and entertaining.

We need more western writers out there and should be happy that these books are being written.

[Charles A. Belisle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very realistic

I do love Johnstone's writing, and this is well written. Unfortunately the story is highly unlikely. I enjoy Johnstone's fiction, but I like it best when it is a bit realistic and somewhat believable.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read, much better then the Kerrigans the Lawless! But not a great read, certainly not what I would consider a western. I won't be in a big hurry to read any more of Johnstone's books.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent Preacher book. Real page-turner.

[Jeff]

Bloody Great !!!

[Kevin Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good friends.

Wow, what a great story. This was the longest story I've read so far. Preacher always comes through with determination.

[Gerald Pritts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great tale