The Legend of Perley Gates

Perley Gates Western #1

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Perley, restless like his grandfather before him, heads west to the untamed frontier. To track down his grandpa with news of his father's death, Perley finds dead ends and near-death encounters. Hostile Indians, wanted outlaws, and bloodthirsty killers are just a few of the dangers waiting for him. The closer he gets to answers, the closer he comes to meeting his Maker at the fabled gates they're named for . . .

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Audiobook, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Action

339 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 27, 2018

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

[Ethan’s Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one sadly didn’t do it for me. I started with the third book in the series so I back tracked to read book one. The story meandered forever. Perley is a cool character though so I will read book two.

[Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Perley Gates Western series, featuring the GRANDSON of the legendary and famous mountain man, Perley Gates. But Young Perley is just the son of a cattle rancher, not raised in the ways of the fear inspiring mountain man like his grandfather.

However, young Perley’s father’s dies, and a fire grows in his belly to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather seeking adventure, excitement and freedom on the wild frontier, most of which is a lawless frontier. The journey will be fraught with hostile Indians, outlaws, and other blood thirsty killers.

Do those bloodlines run deep from his grandfather? Just how much in common does young Perley have with his grandfather besides the same name? The farther young Parley goes in his quest to find his namesake, the closer imminent danger comes to reality.

[Malum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A naïve, quick-draw savant is tasked with searching the wild west for his long lost grandpa and ends up getting into more than a few misadventures. A good example of cowboy as knight errant.

[Ken W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! I give it a strong 4.25 rating! I won’t get into any spoilers, but Perley is an awesome character and I will definitely read more books in this series!

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Western books aren't typically the type of books I read but I loved this book. I enjoyed the main character Perley very much. He was really witty with lots of wholesome charm. Loved following him on his adventure. Hopefully there is more to come!!

[Jim A · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's okay. For a short read, Johnstone took a long time developing it.

[Abibliofob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally got time to read book number one in this series. It's a great main character, I like the way he is so humble and peace loving. But boy can he shoot. If you like westerns this could be something for you. I had fun reading it.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Loved The Legend of Perley Gates. What a fabulous read. I give it a well deserved 5 plus stars.

[Martha Peebles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perley Gates

Awesome! Wow, I truly enjoyed this book on the young Perley Gates. But was real sorry grandpa got killed before he could be with his family again. Looking forward to more books on Perley in the future. Thank you Jo Johnstone for a awesome read.

[Judy Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Promising myself to branch out to other genre’s led me to this gem. Never having read a Western before I chose it at random. Reading about Perely and his mission to find his Grandfather was most entertaining. I will now proceed to read the entire series. This is another one that I just couldn’t put down. As I read I became proud of this young man and also developed an appreciation of how dangerous those days were. Wether you like Westerns or not (coming from someone who hasn’t read or watched Lonesome Dove) don’t miss this one. By the way I am going to change that soon as LD is now on my TBR.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Within the pages of this book, I found a man of honor, quick to draw his gun but not kill, and, the story of Perley looking for his namesake grandfather Perley Gates, Sr. I think Senior is a stretch except he was the first and a wanderer by reputation. After grandma died, he left to wander, meet people, mine a bit and move on. That’s the way his grandson, Perley, would find him. It’s a good story and one that will leave you smiling about the old west days that not only brought hardship but also good people.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually a very good book. It was a fun story, a little light-hearted, and has a very likeable hero.

Sort of reminded me of the guns of Will Sonnett somewhat. The grandson is looking for the grandpa, to let him know Dad is dead. During his journey finding his grandfather, he has a number of Adventures, and of course he saves a few damsels in distress.

Really worth the read I hope there's a second book to come

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding action, great characters, and plenty of surprises

A young Texas rider is sent by the family to find his namesake grandfather to tell him his son is dead from an accident, the family has totally forgiven his dissertation of years past, and proof is the 20-year-old grandson with his name. Page-turning action as the trail leads west and north, passing Denver, through Cheyenne, and eventually to the gold-strikes in Deadwood. Well worth the time.

[Summerfield-Petersburg Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first western that I have ever read and found it surprisingly funny. This is the first of a short series. I enjoyed the books enough that I read the whole series, but it didn't turn me into a fan of the western genre. The main character is named Perley Gates who is trying his best to stay out of trouble, but of course, his name and the circumstances will always end him in a 'cow pie'. You will learn a new cowboy vocabulary in this book also.

[Lutuf Ghantous · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story, smooth flow action, not a lot of shooting and killing. Liked the personality of Perley and his politeness, humanity, and the way he carried his life. The story is compelling and very difficult to put down, however I did not like the ending...killing grandpa after all the trouble in finding him was not the climax I was looking for.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rather slow but not boring story. Not much in the way of normal western gun violence. The main character, Perley, manages to get into one mess after another but usually finds a way out and eventually accomplishes what he set out to do from the beginning. Maybe the next books in this series will allow Perley to be a bit more wild and a bit more grown up.

[john wozniak · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story catches you from the first page. Very well written and is a page turner. I would recommend this book to everyone. Easy read and a great story.

The story catches up from the first page. Very well written and is a page turner. I would recommend this to everyone who is a western buff.

[RICHARD STENTON · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Texas Family Saga

A Texas cattle family sends the youngest son out in search of his grandpa. The adventure is very interesting and the travel is fun to follow. Perley is a different and decent guy who just keeps stepping in cow dung with interesting adventures which make for great reading.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read a later novel of Perley Gates and really enjoyed it. This was an interesting story, but I definitely enjoyed the other one better as this one might not have had me continue reading. It was a good story, but had a bit too much stuff in it and I didn't enjoy the ending at all. Graphic Audio acting did a great job though.

[Clifton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable Western read

Perley Gates is a young man who doesn't look for trouble but it definitely finds him. I enjoyed the first book in the series and look forward to the others. One thing I hope Perley learns quickly is , he can't keep giving the bad guys chances that they wouldn't give him.

[Doris Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down. Parley Gates is a fine young man. However, growing up on a cattle ranch and having two older brothers taught him how to shoot and to handle life-threating situations in mostly non-violent ways. I really fell in love with this character and look forward to reading more of this series.

[Peggy Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book very easy to read it was hard to put it down . Thank at work as always , Johnstone

I chose this book because it was a Johnston book . The story was good and it was easy to read . I rated this book a 5 looking for the next episode of pearly gates

[Allen J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding Read

Excellent read from start to finish. This story kept you full attention all the way. Just wish it had not ended so soon it still had my full attention right up and including the ending. Hope this author keeps these stories coming.

[Richard Guerrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure at first when I started reading the book but then it grew on me and I really enjoyed it. Good storyline. Love my western books. Sad that he did find his grandfather and the outcome. Anxious for the next book and to see how much gold and what it does for him and his family.

[Sam Pauley · Rating 3 out of 5]

If there was a Cozy Western category, this book would fit into it. The main character seems to stumble into and on anything and every incident. This book had good humor and a little fun fighting. A lot less than a typical western, which is not a bad thing. I may read the next ones. Happy reading!!

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Johnstone is a magnificent writer of western lore. Perly Gates is a novel full of action and adventure. Perly is the type of man that I strive to be. He is an inspiration to everyone who reads about him. If you like westerns, you will enjoy this book.

[Bernard Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perley opened up the gates

This was an exceptional book. The humor, the adventure, a little bit of romance made this book so fun to read. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Perley ran into the two prostitutes on the way to find his long lost grandfather!

[Anthony R Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent story

Kerley is a very good man. He goes hunting for grandpa after his dad dies. Many adventures follows him as he heads for the mountains. He always stops and helps anyone who needs it.

[John Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

A different kind of series

This tale is so different from what I expected that I found I was pulled into the tale trying to guess what was going to happen next. Great entertaining read with plenty of action and adventure.

[Matt Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking forward to book #2 when it gets published.