The Morgans

The Morgans #1

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

THE MORGANS
Like Father, Like Son, They're Deadly . . . and Deadlier.

In this explosive new series, William and J.A. Johnstone bring together two of their greatest legends. The Drifter and The Loner. A gunslinging father and prodigal son, united at last, they are the Morgans. And the only thing thicker than a Morgan's blood is a Morgan's bullet . . .

FAMILY FIRST. EVERYBODY ELSE DIES.

There's nothing particularly unusual for a legendary gunman to be summoned to the lawless, bullet-riddled territories of Arizona. But when Frank Morgan, aka The Last Gunfighter, rides into Tuscon, he finds himself ambushed and kidnapped by a ruthless Mexican bandit named Ramirez and his army of thugs. The only way out is for Frank's son, Conrad Browning, heir to the vast Browning fortune, to ransom his father free. But Conrad isn't giving up one cent. He's got a far deadlier currency in mind . . .

Disguised as a hardluck drifter, Conrad heads down to the border and scouts the Ramirez stronghold. It isn't long before he infiltrates the compound. But to prove himself, he has to hold up a train with the rest of the gang. When the robbery fails, Ramirez catches on to Conrad's ruse, and the only way out is for Frank to come to the rescue. It's a wild turn of events for sure, but for the Morgans, when it comes to killing their enemies, it's all in the family.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction

348 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 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

[Abibliofob · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Morgans by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone is supposed to be a new series where we get both fater and son Morgan but as far as I can tell there's only one available and it is only ok. Don't get me wrong, it is a good western and the characters are true to form but it's not much more. The more books the authors puts out the worse they seem to be.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my! This is a new author for me and boy could you tell the experience behind this author. I won this book in a giveaway and thought I should r4ead it right away. I absolutely loved it. It is a western but the writing is outstanding. Conrad and Frank are father and son and gunslingers that work the good side. Frank gets kidnapped and held for ransom. Conrad, or Kid Callahan, works at rescuing him without paying the ransom. There is plenty of action and a twisting plot that keeps you engaged right to the very end. i would highly recommend checking out this author. You too, will find he is a fine author.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by this author as well as my first western. I won this book in a giveaway and was pleasantly surprised by the story.

Frank Morgan is kidnapped by Diego Ramirez and held ransom. Conrad, Frank's son, comes to the rescue but not to pay the ransom in money but in gunpowder and lead.

What a wonderful, quick read. I look forward to reading more books in the series.

[Kris McCracken · Rating 1 out of 5]

"The Morgans" is the literary equivalent of being cornered by a man in a cowboy hat who wants to tell you why the unions ruined everything and why his dog, “the cur”, understands liberty better than the Democrats ever will. It’s not just a Western. It’s a patent Western, the kind that seems to think clichés are a moral obligation.

The characters are so thin, I kept mistaking them for setting descriptions. Amazingly thin. Spectrally thin. They drift in and out of scenes like bad cosplay - one-dimensional shootists, virginal women with no agency and a gang of villains that appear to be made up entirely of scowling union members, foreigners with accents, and men who just look a bit unmanly. The Mexicans come off like something dredged from a 1950s cereal box, and the Native Americans are entirely absent, which I assume was a narrative decision and not just a catastrophic oversight fueled by cultural ignorance.

The plot? If you've ever watched a six-year-old play with plastic cowboys, you’ve experienced more complexity. One calamity after another, strung together with the sort of tension you get from watching someone butter toast. I kept hoping for a twist, or even just a vaguely interesting wrong turn. Instead, it plods along with the grim determination of a hungover horse. Simple? Try insultingly simple. It’s structured like a picture book but with more blood and considerably worse dialogue.

Speaking of which: the dialogue. Jesus. You’ve got rough-hewn ranch hands using words like “magnanimous” and “misapprehension,” as if someone accidentally shuffled in the script from a Dickens adaptation. It’s like they hired Oscar Wilde to ghostwrite the gunfights. Nothing says ‘gritty realism’ like a drifter waxing lyrical with ten-dollar words in a saloon shootout.

Also, the dog. I swear on all things unholy, if I read the word “cur” one more time, I was going to hurl the book into a canyon. The dog has maybe five lines total, yet is referred to as a “cur” approximately twenty times. Not even a name. Just cur. As if the author made a bet with himself to see how often he could use the word before readers cracked. Get a thesaurus. Better yet, set it on fire and never write a dog again.

And then, the exposition. Endless. Characters explaining their entire life stories mid-scene, guns getting full biographical treatments, backstories delivered like Wikipedia entries read aloud by a man with a head injury. It’s exhausting.

I did finish it, if only so I could be certain it wasn’t going to get better. It didn’t. One and a half stars. One for effort, and the half just because I enjoy being annoyed sometimes. Like a scratch you can’t stop picking. Or this book.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good read.

[Shelle Mondon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my 1st William Johnstone book and I really enjoyed it. In fact read it in one day. Just a good ol western. The Morgan's are a couple of men I would like to meet.

[Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read.....I hope this is a series in the makings, really enjoyed the story of Conrad and Frank Morgan...

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Western.

[Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good story.

[Diogenes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tediously predictable patent western. While the historical setting may be valid, the plot is one calamity after another with stereotypic two-dimensional characters.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much that could've been done here! Instead it's just another western. Even the Johnstone tradition got skewed as the characters were cardboard instead of richer characters almost always presented. The story line has been written in many other Johnstone Clan novels so much better.

I kept expecting a twist or an altered avenue of the tale. But the story was as simply plotted as a young child's book. This volume is a far, far cry from 'The Loner' series.

Something that most disturbed me was how far this wandered from the plotting William Johnstone originally had his books plotted decades ago. One trick Johnstone employed was ridding the story of characters at any point. A reader never knew when, what appears to be an important character, was suddenly blown away. Here the poor writing clearly saves various characters from death for obvious plotting purposes. One, in particular, is saved early on that was a clear indicator of the rest to come.

The dialogue is also poorer than usual. With, so called, drifters using cut off prases and then ten dollar words.
All in all a sloppy effort.

Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.

[Paula Ackley · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Morgans is the first book that I have read by William W. Johnstone. Looking him up on the internet (wanting to know the connection between the two Johnstones) I found that he died in 2004 and after his death his nephew J.A.Johnstone continued the legacy. The Morgans reads litle a western movie from the 1940's. You have the good guy with his sidekick (in this book I feel they are equals), your bad guy with his band of thugs and the oppressed townspeople. There is the train robbery, escape from kidnappers, the desert that takes days to cross and the whole town joining together to fight off the bad guys. It's a typical western but if you have the time and want an easy read that you don't have to think about The Morgans is a pleasant way to pass the time. This is the first in a new series but both of the heroes appear in other series. There is enough of a backstory but if you like The Morgans you might want to read the earlier books.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I would like to state that I received this book through the Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank the author for giving me this opportunity and honor in being able to read this book. When I received this book I began reading it at once. I really enjoy the authors writing style, pulls you into the book from the very beginning and you don't want to put the book down. It kept me on the edge of my seat reading from cover to cover. All the characters are very well portrayed though out. When you are finished you wish you weren't. A most wonderful read and I highly recommend this book.

[JL Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not the genre that I would normally read from but I will say that it was enjoyable and a good "escape" book. It didn't require any hard thinking and it afforded the opportunity to just get away for a bit. I don't believe that it will ever be confused with classic literature but there is definitely a place for it and in it's genre it is very well written and maintains the interest throughout. I have had occasion to read this author before and he is consistent in what he gives to you - a fun and interesting read. I was given a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story brought 2 words to mind: Unfettered Testosterone. There’s a brawl in just about every chapter. Even the female characters who appear…same testosterone problem. Haha. It reminded me of the first Jack Reacher novel but old school with saloons and boots and dust and train heists.

This was my first true western and it was pretty good. Not my favorite genre but I’m committed to sampling all the genres. The Johnstones have been prolific western writers and I’ll easily recommend them for anyone looking for action packed cowboy plots.

[Pj Gaumond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love these the Johnstone's books and this one absolutely met that bar. The interactions between the characters is always spot on and always interweaves the story in a way no one else does. With abductions, murders and some very shady characters the action doesn't end until the last page of the book. I highly recommend this book to anyone that likes a really good story. I did win this book through Goodreads. Thank you to Kensington for the great read. I'm on the hunt for more books by the Johnstones.

[Gabrielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book free in exchange for my honest review. My dad liked to read westerns so I let him read this one and give it a review for me. His review is as follows: " This book was very enjoyable in the beginning. However, towards the middle it started lacking and their were to many characters to keep track of. Book started lacking towards the middle and didn't stop until the end which was lacking." My personal review to come soon.

[Truitti · Rating 5 out of 5]

24-32. If anyone thinks that they would like to time travel back to the old west, just read a gritty western. And this western wasnt that detailed. Boy howdy. I felt the desert, the heat, and the unwashed bodies. The characters had some interesting back stories and the villians were pretty disgusting. The more i read the more i know there isnt "a good old days". Each era has its own heroes and villians. I borrowed this audio book from the Sacramento Public Library through the Hoopla app.

[Grover · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Morgan’s” satisfied my hankering for an exciting western read

This book was hard to put down! It had all the elements of previous best selling Johnston tales. I wasn’t disappointed — and I can’t wait to read upcoming releases.
Grover Rutter

[Phillip III · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Johnstone read -- won't be my last.

This one looks like the start to a new series??? Not sure. But I loved it.

Now - because these 2 have so many series published - I have no idea where to start. I will figure it out!

[Sherry Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love western. You will love “The Morgans”!!
When Frank Morgan is Kidnapped everything chances! This book is full of adventures and a page turner!!! Very very good!!!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An estranged father and son brought together in an explosive and brutal quest for survival. Wish "dog" had been featured more in the story. Oh well! The pages kept me reading.

[Dennis F. Hyde · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Last Gun Fighters Epic Story

An exciting and nail biting story. This is really a bang up shoot 'em up. All you Western fans will get a charge out of this read. So,Giddy Up.

[Carolyn Seeliger]

Haven't gotten to read it yet, have a new grandchild, will read asap and send a review.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway. It was my first Western.
All I can say is meh…. It wasn’t bad, wasn’t great.

[Maryellen Fricke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book from start to finish

[Kent Dallmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thrilling Western - will want to read all the novels in the series.

[Staci Suhy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free as part of a first reads promotion.

[Michelle Pulignani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love reading Westerns and this one did not disappoint.

[Sara Dirham · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extremely good read! Action packed, thrilling, VERY well written! I look forward to reading more by the author!