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Will Tanner #3

Powder Burn

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From America’s greatest storytellers comes a bold new chapter in the Will Tanner saga, an epic quest for justice at the crossroads of history—in a crossfire of bullets…

DAY OF THE AVENGER


U.S. Deputy Marshal Will Tanner earned his badge the old-fashioned way. He shot the bad guys, saved the good guys, and won the fear and respect of everyone in between. That’s how legends are born. But when he visits a friend at his ranch—and swaps lead with a trigger-happy horse thief—Will earns the wrath of the deadliest, lowlife killers west of the Mississippi. This is how legends die . . .

Turns out the horse thief is a desperate ex-convict fresh out of Arkansas State Prison. His father is the notorious Colorado outlaw, Scorpion Jack Lynch. And Will Tanner is nothing but a moving target on a bloodsoaked trail of revenge. From a bar-room shootout in Texas, to a Chickasaw showdown in Oklahoma, to a dangerous encounter with a hellion named Hannah, Deputy Marshal Tanner has his hands full, his finger on the trigger—and his life on the line . . .

Also Available in Audiobook

297 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2017

110 people are currently reading
133 people want to read

About the author

William W. Johnstone

1,040 books1,390 followers
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.

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5 stars
321 (54%)
4 stars
194 (33%)
3 stars
57 (9%)
2 stars
9 (1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Jean.
1,815 reviews802 followers
April 23, 2019
This is book three in the Will Tanner Series. Tanner is a U. S. Marshall working out of Fort Smith, Arkansas. Tanner usually ends up chasing bad men into the Oklahoma Territory. This book is a typical old-fashioned western. Everything is black and white with no shades of gray. The book is well written and researched. There is humor, action, suspense and a sense of the old west.
This book makes a good change of pace and a get-away-from- it-all book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is eight hours and forty-one minutes. Eric Michael Summerer does a good job narrating the book. Summerer is a voice actor. He has won the Audiofile Earphone Award and has been nominated for an Audie Award.
Profile Image for Gilbert Moreno.
387 reviews1 follower
May 21, 2022
4.5

Will Tanner kills a man who just got out of prison who stole one of his horses from Miss Jean’s place just outside Fort Smith. Dan Stone sends him on an assignment to bring a prisoner from Jim Little Eagle; when he finds the prisoner hung himself, he heads to Texas to visit the J-Bar-J.

He walks into the saloon to see his old ranch hands about to get shot by Ike Cheney’s sons Levi and Buck. Will shoots Levi and heads back to the ranch.

Ike Cheney’s three other sons set out to kill Will Tanner, but Will kills Buck and Luke, leaving Rubin as the only son left. Ike seeks revenge, with his daughter Hannah willing to help. They decide to ditch town, and Ike dies of a heart attack on the way.

Will Tanner goes back to Fort Smith and is sent out to capture [Scorpion] Jack Lynch (referenced to in book #2). On his way, he stops with Perly Gates. Jack and his crew ride into Lem Stark’s old trading post, where Hannah and Rubin had moved into. Jack finds out that Tanner killed his son who was freed from jail; his crew and the remaining Cheney’s team up against him.

Will Tanner tracks them and captures Hannah, Jack Lynch, and Tater. The rest he killed. He lets Hannah go after feeling sympathy over her, and later kills Jack for trying to escape/kill him. He takes Tater back to stand trial, who gets a life imprisonment rather than a hanging. Hannah almost kills Sophie after following Will, but he guns her down. Sophie didn’t end up marrying Garth, and is now waiting for Will to make his move for her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1,249 reviews23 followers
June 20, 2019
OUTLAW TRAILS INDIAN TERRITORY

The Scorpion Jack Lynch gang and Ike Cheney and his minions are all after U.S. Deputy Marshal Will Tanner has orders to bring in Scorpion Jack Lynch and his gang who've plundered Kansas, Colorado for the pass twenty years and escaping to the Indian Territories to avoid the law.
Ike Cheney and his four sons plus a daughter Hannah who was as tough as her not smart brothers who did nothing but rustle cattle and push people around, bunch of bullies starting with their father Ike.
Will Tanner is a loner, but he's street smart, maybe
I should he's frontier smart, aware of the tricks of the trade of the wooly wolves who make a living off of hard working folks.
Action lots of it, feeling sorry for a woman who doesn't deserve Will's turning her a loose so that she can return to her poor mother to take care of her. Of course feeling compassionate for someone who proves she isn't worthy, especially when she turns up at his Boarding House to seek REVENGE, by killing someone he cares for, was a bad decision Hannah made when she attempted to murder Sophie, Will's heart ❤throb throb..
Sort of a western love story mixed in with drama and dilemmas..Hi Yo Hi Yo everyone ENJOY
Profile Image for Elwin Kline.
Author 1 book11 followers
July 15, 2022
"I really liked it." - 4 out of 5 stars.

By far the best Will Tanner book in the series yet. Classic revenge story of a father avenging his son's death in this one.

While the other ones were good, this one really outshines them. Damn good writing across the board, really great characters that you are truly vested in now that you are 3 books deep, and just such a good world William Johnstone has created. Super impressed with this one.

One additional comment that I want to bring up... you'll notice a very peculiar emphasis on coffee in the Will Tanner series. He (Johnstone) really romanticizescoffee in these books a lot, and it is reoccurring event that happens very consistently. It almost makes me wonder if the author has investments in coffee fields or something, lol. Or more likely, he just loves his bean water and passionately writes about it naturally.

Again, best Will Tanner book thus far. On to the next!
Profile Image for Sean Furey.
51 reviews
November 20, 2024
Will Tanner #3 was an improvement over its predecessor. The story finds Tanner giving chase to Mike Lynch, a horse thief and Marshal murderer. Along the way, he fights the Lynch gang along with another outlaw family, the Cheneys. It was probably the most straightforward chapter in the Tanner saga to date, and it carried plenty of action and some good dialogue.

I liked the villains in this one, but I feel like they weren’t used to their full potential. It’s a good reminder though that these books are pure escapism and not to be taken too seriously.
Profile Image for RICHARD STENTON.
283 reviews5 followers
March 5, 2021
WILL IN HOT PURSUIT

I have now read three of the Will Tanner series and each has been a page turner for me. This was the best so far and had lots of twists and turns but they essence of Will's compassion and naivety comes through as well as his wonderful treatment of others even though his job causes him to do violence he would rather avoid.
354 reviews4 followers
November 20, 2022
A Good Western

Not Mr. Johnstone’s best and not his worst. I wasn’t so enamored with the main character, Will Tanner. There didn’t seem to be much depth to the man. And like most of the authors main men, they seem to be unusually celibate. The plot was okay; but I could used a little more in scene settings.
Profile Image for Darrin Greene.
10 reviews
July 5, 2020
Very good book I always like William johnstone books they are always exciting to read different one

William johnstone books are always exciting to read I can't wait for new series to always begin you will be tied to the end
1 review
August 13, 2017
Good read

Took a chance on a new series , by an old author and loved it. Enjoy seeing new series by an author that I already enjoy
862 reviews2 followers
December 31, 2017
Great Tale!

This is another fine book written by the best Western author in existence! Again good wins over evil and the story is well written and edited!
Profile Image for Maxine Douglas.
Author 34 books51 followers
July 6, 2018
An Old West Novel

I bought the paperback on a wimp and needed up borrowing the ebook from my local library to read on my Kindle.
3 reviews
July 20, 2018
Another good read about Will Tanner!!

Always keeps you wondering whats up next and how is he going to handle it but, you find out he handles it the Will Tanner way.
40 reviews
June 13, 2019
Great

Very good western read. Lots of good action, and realistic as well. Hard to put it down. Caint wait till the next Will Tanner
Profile Image for Larry.
93 reviews5 followers
September 19, 2019
Great ride with Will Tanner....on to #4 Evil Never Sleeps...
Profile Image for E. Franmklin.
Author 1 book3 followers
October 27, 2020
Shots and Heart Beats

Excellent story filled with action and emotions. Hidden feelings, good and bad, leave the reader wanting more. Looking forward to it.
755 reviews
February 8, 2021
Will Tanner delivers again. I just enjoy his character. I look forward to him 'learning' to be the marshal. This one introduced some 'lessons', so hopefully we see that along the books progression.
30 reviews
May 7, 2022
An excellent read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This particular book had a few slow parts, but it was still a wonderful read.
1,478 reviews4 followers
June 14, 2023
Just like the first two books in this series, another good western read.
2 reviews
October 6, 2024
Another great story

Action packed that leaves. You wondering whether the main character will be triumphant or not. William Johnstone is a wonderful story teller
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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