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Perley Gates Western #2
A Reason to Die
From bestselling authors William W. and J.A. Johnstone--the explosive adventures of Perley Gates, who's carving out his own legacy in the violent American frontier . . .
Restless cowpoke Perley Gates wanted nothing more than to track down the grandfather who abandoned his family years ago. What he found was the crazy old sidewinder barely hanging on after a Sioux massacre. The old man's dying wish was to make things right for deserting his kin--by giving his strong-willed grandson Perley clues to the whereabouts of a buried fortune in gold.
Finding his grandfather's legacy will set up his family for life. But it won't be easy. The discovery of raw gold in the Black Hills has lured hordes of ruthless lowlifes into Deadwood and Custer City--kill-crazy prairie rats, gunfighters, outlaws, and Indians--armed with a thousand glittering reasons to put Perley six feet under. All Perley wants is what was left to him, what he's owed. But with so many brigands on his backside, finding his grandfather's treasure is going to land Perley Gates between the promise of heaven and the blood-soaked battlefields of hell . . .
Live Free. Read Hard.
www.williamjohnstone.net
Restless cowpoke Perley Gates wanted nothing more than to track down the grandfather who abandoned his family years ago. What he found was the crazy old sidewinder barely hanging on after a Sioux massacre. The old man's dying wish was to make things right for deserting his kin--by giving his strong-willed grandson Perley clues to the whereabouts of a buried fortune in gold.
Finding his grandfather's legacy will set up his family for life. But it won't be easy. The discovery of raw gold in the Black Hills has lured hordes of ruthless lowlifes into Deadwood and Custer City--kill-crazy prairie rats, gunfighters, outlaws, and Indians--armed with a thousand glittering reasons to put Perley six feet under. All Perley wants is what was left to him, what he's owed. But with so many brigands on his backside, finding his grandfather's treasure is going to land Perley Gates between the promise of heaven and the blood-soaked battlefields of hell . . .
Live Free. Read Hard.
www.williamjohnstone.net
329 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 28, 2018
444 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,040 books1,390 followersWilliam 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
January 10, 2024
4.75 stars ...
This'un was a good'un!
Fun series! 👍😁👍
This'un was a good'un!
Fun series! 👍😁👍
January 11, 2024
Perfect!
Perfect ending to an awesome book! Both books in the series have been excellent! I can’t wait to dive into the next one! 5 stars!
Perfect ending to an awesome book! Both books in the series have been excellent! I can’t wait to dive into the next one! 5 stars!
January 10, 2024
Great characters (both MC and secondary) and lots of non-stop action. Looking forward to reading this entire series.
November 11, 2019
Having completed the task he set out to do in the first volume, Perley Gates heads for home. Of course, he finds no shortage of wrongs to right and damsels in distress to rescue along the way.
February 6, 2023
better than the other one, less weird scenes with women
December 28, 2019
I'm trying to catch up with some of my westerns. This time Perley is on his way home with a couple of sacks with golddust and he runs into trouble!!! His brothers always say that if there is one cow chip on the prairie then you can count on our hero to step in it. This is another nice humor filled western with a humble hero.
August 29, 2021
Perley is one of those fellows you want on your side!
*There is some outlaw language. Perley Gates was known for how he was just a draw to trouble and this time he didn't know he was bringing trouble back home with him. Lots of action and Perley most definitely found trouble everywhere he traveled. Good story with Perley as a guy you just want to know and root for!
*There is some outlaw language. Perley Gates was known for how he was just a draw to trouble and this time he didn't know he was bringing trouble back home with him. Lots of action and Perley most definitely found trouble everywhere he traveled. Good story with Perley as a guy you just want to know and root for!
February 8, 2022
Another great tale from a master yarn spinner!
Perley steps in it once again, but the boy he recovers from a couple terrible tragedy is one to count on! Serious page turner if you love Western stories.
Perley steps in it once again, but the boy he recovers from a couple terrible tragedy is one to count on! Serious page turner if you love Western stories.
September 1, 2018
PERLEY HAS THE GOLD
Perley Gates has finally located his grandfather who Perley was named after died but not before he told him about the gold he mined and where
he had hid the gold. Well Perley, located the ten sacks of gold dust. Now Perley has to get back to Texas with the gold and this is a DANGEROUS trip. Perley encounters a person named Tuttle who had met Perley while he was camping during the night, Perley being a cautiously soul invited him in to share his fire and so offered food and coffee. While partaking Perley's offering a couple of nere-do wells cowboys approach the camp site demanding the return the sack of gold that the three had ambushed a miner for. Now Tuttle of course denied that he had the gold. Perley killed the two ambushers and told Tuttle he needs to move on down the trail. So Tuttle does, but he's wondering what's really in those sacks of corn, what's is Perley really carrying...gold maybe. Because they were coming out of the Black Hills were anyone who had a shovel and a sieve could pan for gold. Tuttle follows Perley hoping to see what's in those sacks corn, which leads to Tuttle's death. He tried to get Perley by ambushing him at his campsite by shooting Perley in his bedroll, but Perley knew not to sleep so open, he had slept in a different spot, so Tuttle ended up shoot by Perley, and that was the end of Tuttle trailing Perley. Perley knew Tuttle wasn't any good so he became fodder for the desert and sky creatures.
A good reading, lots of soul, characters are scary...you know the kind you cross street so there's no problems, and you can see where he's going. Who can't love the name "Perley Gates"
Perley Gates has finally located his grandfather who Perley was named after died but not before he told him about the gold he mined and where
he had hid the gold. Well Perley, located the ten sacks of gold dust. Now Perley has to get back to Texas with the gold and this is a DANGEROUS trip. Perley encounters a person named Tuttle who had met Perley while he was camping during the night, Perley being a cautiously soul invited him in to share his fire and so offered food and coffee. While partaking Perley's offering a couple of nere-do wells cowboys approach the camp site demanding the return the sack of gold that the three had ambushed a miner for. Now Tuttle of course denied that he had the gold. Perley killed the two ambushers and told Tuttle he needs to move on down the trail. So Tuttle does, but he's wondering what's really in those sacks of corn, what's is Perley really carrying...gold maybe. Because they were coming out of the Black Hills were anyone who had a shovel and a sieve could pan for gold. Tuttle follows Perley hoping to see what's in those sacks corn, which leads to Tuttle's death. He tried to get Perley by ambushing him at his campsite by shooting Perley in his bedroll, but Perley knew not to sleep so open, he had slept in a different spot, so Tuttle ended up shoot by Perley, and that was the end of Tuttle trailing Perley. Perley knew Tuttle wasn't any good so he became fodder for the desert and sky creatures.
A good reading, lots of soul, characters are scary...you know the kind you cross street so there's no problems, and you can see where he's going. Who can't love the name "Perley Gates"
May 16, 2025
A fun western about a cowboy named Pearley Gates who has various adventures while discreetly transporting bags of gold back to his home, hundreds of miles away.
I skipped book 1 and began here with book 2 and understood well enough.
After reading a couple westerns, it seems that the genre are typically Road Trips that traverse the wild expanse of the Wild West and its colorful characters.
This book begins with a few small adventures that deviate Pearley from his journey home. He means well but somehow always finds himself in the middle of trouble. Pearley is honest and helpful, but also quick on the draw which catches his enemies by surprise.
Unlike The Sisters Brothers, I liked the various short adventures here because they were developed and conclusive enough to add to the main story.
I think halfway through the book begins the exciting Main Story where Pearley discovers a young boy whose parents had been cruelly murdered by a gang of outlaws. The outlaws themselves are interesting and fun. Clementine is a clever and mean SOB, and her gang each has their own quirk, it was fun to see them be dastardly.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more.
I skipped book 1 and began here with book 2 and understood well enough.
After reading a couple westerns, it seems that the genre are typically Road Trips that traverse the wild expanse of the Wild West and its colorful characters.
This book begins with a few small adventures that deviate Pearley from his journey home. He means well but somehow always finds himself in the middle of trouble. Pearley is honest and helpful, but also quick on the draw which catches his enemies by surprise.
Unlike The Sisters Brothers, I liked the various short adventures here because they were developed and conclusive enough to add to the main story.
I think halfway through the book begins the exciting Main Story where Pearley discovers a young boy whose parents had been cruelly murdered by a gang of outlaws. The outlaws themselves are interesting and fun. Clementine is a clever and mean SOB, and her gang each has their own quirk, it was fun to see them be dastardly.
I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more.
September 18, 2022
Amazing adventure! This wild storyline takes Perley Gates from Texas, travels with the cattle drive; and heads to Deadwood looking for Grandpa. There’s so much going on with finding gold, seeing devastation that leaves a nine-year-old boy behind, and traveling home, that there is never a dull moment. I love that this author fills every page with adventure and never a dragging chapter in these books. Now for Book 3.
September 21, 2018
Good read!
This is the second 'Perley' book I have read and I must rate this series right hip there with the Mountain Man series. I think I have read about every Smoke, May and Preacher book Mr Johnstone has written. Keep 'am common Bill, you have a true fan here!
This is the second 'Perley' book I have read and I must rate this series right hip there with the Mountain Man series. I think I have read about every Smoke, May and Preacher book Mr Johnstone has written. Keep 'am common Bill, you have a true fan here!
October 23, 2018
I picked up this book as I was waiting in the Walmart checkout line. It just happened to be on the endcap. I've never read a western before and I'm glad I picked this novel up! I'm definitely going to try to find some more Perley Gates Westerns.
December 5, 2018
An old fashioned western. I liked the honesty and forthrightness of Perly and while the troubles he bumbles into seem a bit contrived I just couldn't help seeing how he would get out of each one. The ending I saw coming, but still I just liked this story because how I was pulling for 'ol Perly.
July 23, 2019
I enjoyed it, the first book I felt was better. Good storyline bud just went around on a little too much for me and kept going to many different places. I will complete the series, anxious to see what happens with the new kid, Lincoln.
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August 25, 2019With a name to like Perley Gates,some one is always looking for trouble with you.That's just what happened.Traveling across the country he needs to try to stay out of trouble.And not let anybody know what in his sacks.But trouble always finds him.
January 3, 2021
An Action Packed Western
J.A. Johnston has once again captured my complete attention in this Perley Gates saga. I could not put it down and was totally in armoured with the characters and the story line.
J.A. Johnston has once again captured my complete attention in this Perley Gates saga. I could not put it down and was totally in armoured with the characters and the story line.
August 14, 2021
Great Western
This book, 2nd in the series, was very enjoyable. Lengthy but easy read, it held my interest all the way through. I have to admit that I am now addicted to Perley Gates!
This book, 2nd in the series, was very enjoyable. Lengthy but easy read, it held my interest all the way through. I have to admit that I am now addicted to Perley Gates!
November 30, 2021
What a exciting storyline!
I think we've all come to love Perley and now we get to as Linc to the list! Loved this story and couldn't believe how stupid Billy was! If only the next one was free too! Maybe one of these days.
I think we've all come to love Perley and now we get to as Linc to the list! Loved this story and couldn't believe how stupid Billy was! If only the next one was free too! Maybe one of these days.
November 7, 2023
A wonderful series
Book two was everything I expected from the author as he has become one of my favorite authors. The tale is well written and loaded with action and adventure. I'm offto start book three.
Book two was everything I expected from the author as he has become one of my favorite authors. The tale is well written and loaded with action and adventure. I'm offto start book three.
July 30, 2018
I liked this second installment from Perley Gates Western series. I give A Reason to Die 5 stars.
December 13, 2018
Just a fun shoot 'em up.
February 5, 2019
Another good western. Fun reading a out towns in Texas.
December 29, 2019
Perley is just a young Smoke Jensen....great read , on to #3..
June 16, 2020
Good solid western with such good values.
November 28, 2020
Good read and enjoyable
May 14, 2021
Fabulous
I love his books! I can’t wait to read the next one! I love western books. Good job well done.
I love his books! I can’t wait to read the next one! I love western books. Good job well done.
July 13, 2021
Can't wait to read more tales of Perley Gates
Boy can Perley get himself into some crazy situations. Very entertaining and great to see people standing up for friends and family.
Boy can Perley get himself into some crazy situations. Very entertaining and great to see people standing up for friends and family.
August 19, 2021
A good read!!
I like these stories the John stones produce! Plenty of good action and mostly believable without a lot sex and cruelty
I like these stories the John stones produce! Plenty of good action and mostly believable without a lot sex and cruelty
September 28, 2021
Better than the first--not too unusual as authors of a series often improve
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews