Bloodthirsty

Buckhorn #3

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

From the masters of American frontier storytelling, another chapter in the Buckhorn saga--a blood-pounding tale of one man's sacred mission to bring justice to the American west, the only way he knows how... In all the horrific corners of the Civil War, there was no hell worse than Andersonville, the Confederate prison camp. Less infamous but equally inhumane was a Yankee prison camp run by General Thomas Wainwright. In the war's aftermath, a survivor of Wainwright's cruelty summons Joe Buckhorn to New Orleans, and asks the gunslinger to kill the general--not simply for revenge, but to stop another atrocity. Wainwright has seized control of Wagontongue, a township on the edge of the Arizona desert, and he rules it as brutally as he once ran the prison for Rebel POWs. With an iron grip on the town's only source of water, he keeps the locals cowering under his cruel heel. Buckhorn rides on Wagontongue to overthrow the merciless despot, and finds that Wainwright has plans for a bloody revolution, which Buckhorn will shoot through Hell and back to stop...

Genres: Westerns

378 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published December 1, 2016

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]

From the first page of J.A. Johnstone's Bloodthirsty (Penguin Random House 2019), Book 3 of A Buckhorn Western, Joe "Buck" Buckhorn attracts trouble. First, he gets attacked on the boat taking him down the Mississippi to his next gunslinger job, then again debarking the boat, and another time during his job interview in a stately estate of his rich employer. All of these criminals underestimate the graying cowboy who dresses like a dandy, not realizing that his no-nonsense no backup attitude smells deceit before it's close enough to do any danger. The job, which he accepts, is to stop the violent and criminal takeover of an Arizona town by a vicious former Union officer who is buying up all the farm-  and ranch land by any means necessary. He has quickly become the largest and most powerful landowner in the area, kept in power by an army of gunslingers who defend his interests. What those are is part of what Buck must figure out. All he has is himself and his cleverness, which he figures will do fine.  How it works out is vintage Johnstone with can't-miss twists and turns that keep readers turning the pages.

I’ve enjoyed all of William Johnston’s nephew's books as J.A. fills the big shoes left by his legendary Uncle, a Western storyteller without equal, but in Buck Buckhorn, J.A. has found a character to own. I wish there were more than three books in the series.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bloodthirsty, the third installment from the Buckhorn series. I thought it was a great read and am giving it five stars.

[James Frenkz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the previous two Buckhorn books, and for the most part I think the quality in this one remains the same. I actually really enjoyed the opening action sequence and the scenes that followed, good sense of atmosphere and place, I think the deep and dirty south, with swamps, gators, and rednecks a-plenty is always a good locale for a seedy Western tale, one of those slightly more 'off' settings where the tropes feel a bit fresher than usual because the scenery is different, like snowy mountaintops.

But despite what my review history might lead you to believe I didn't resonate with the rest of the plot. The Lost Cause apologia that seeped into a lot of Western media kind of infuriates me, and I always wind up rolling my eyes when the stereotypical tropes appear in anything that aligns with that particular brand of southern dindu propaganda.

"Oooh I'm a poor ol' southern boi who was jus' fightin' fer muh freedum! Ya see I was one o' them good ol' slave mastahs who dindu nuffin' bad. Ah even gots me a little black boi and a fat Aunt Jamima under mah employ! She works in mah kitchen (And I am VERY happy to pay her now that she's a free whoman I tells ya hwat!) and there's actually an EEEEVIL yankee general who hates the black folx more than mahself, Ah only used them as free labor for the bettah part of a centurah. Yeeessssiree!"

Like don't get me wrong I think the inverse is stupid too, the Django Unchained level of Tarantino revenge porn where the south is depicted as entirely evil and without any redemptive qualities whatsoever, stocked full of generic white good ol' boys to gun down absent any remorse, including the women. It's a personal gripe, and if it doesn't bother you then that's fine, just remember Southern boy, nobody likes a sore loser.

(I maintain that Cullen Bohanon from Hell on Wheels, and that show in general, is one of the best Westerns to tackle this subject matter. You should watch it if you haven't yet.)

I kid. Outside of that, it winds up being a pretty generic 'evil ranch man' story that I've read a million times and I appreciated the previous two books for steering a bit further away from that intensely generic setup.

Still, you could do worse.

[Doug Yonce · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the worst of all - a corrupt, warden from the Civil War’s Andersonville Prison - sets up shop in an Arizona town, he tries to rule the town and its people just like he did the prison. And we meet Joe Buckthorn, a no-nonsense gunslinger who seems to attract attention, wanted or unwanted wherever he goes. When he takes on the task to rid the Arizona town of its nemesis, the action is nonstop, as we’ve come to expect in all Johnstone books. I received an advanced digital copy from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dotty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by these authors. I plan to go back and buy the first two books in the series.
Buckhorn has a job to do. A former General is running roughshod over a community and is getting property not always in a legal way. So Buckhorn accepts the job to take the General out. He said only if it comes down to General Wainwright trying to kill him first. Buckhorn goes to Wagon Wheel to find out more. He definitely needs to help the town and Wainwright"s wife.
I gave it 4 stars only because of one scene in the book having sexual overtures.

[Ron Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another super fun, quick Joe Buckhorn read. I hope there's more stories to come, even if it's just one, a longer tale about how Buckhorn spends his golden years, maybe reminiscing about the years after the events of Bloodthirsty till his end of days. I've really enjoyed all 3 novels, as they have great visuals of the old west landscapes, and are filled with gritty characters and loads of action. I'm almost scared to try more Johnstone novels, expecting I can't like them as much as I've enjoyed the trio of Buckhorn novels.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

As this is the last one in the series, it's a bummer. This definitely was the best one in the series. We've seen Buckhorn become a true fast gunslinger. This was a decent story and again, great acting. Hoping that Johnstone writes more.

[Bailey Balls · Rating 3 out of 5]

its alright, but i would rather read something else.

The plot is interesting, character design struggles, and every woman has a description of her breasts. (at least deacribe the guys balls too then)

fight scenes are awesome, theres some sick ass deaths and fights

[Dennis O'Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written story- fast paced and great characters

[Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just another mad and crazy rancher wanting all the land around him and more. Been done many times before in Johnstone books. Story had a lot of worthless filler.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Johnstone series read like a family tree of heroes. Not all are cowboys but they all believe in justice and taking care of business. This book continues that legacy. As our hero works to stop the bad guy from terrorizing a townspeople and much worse, he'll fight off those who would stand against him. Johnstone books always contain a definite good and bad guy plus a cast of characters that make the stories realistic. The back story includes enough history that you feel as if you can see the dusty streets and hear the gun fights. I've read many, many Johnstone books and I'll keep reading them as long as JA keeps writing them.