Blood Valley

Cotton Pickens #1

by William W. Johnstone

Immune to death and war, Cotton accepts the job of sheriff in Doubtful, Wyoming, despite the threat of a range war between the ranchers and homesteaders. Reprint.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

303 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

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

[abbey · Rating 2 out of 5]

bruhh I have too much to say so I’m doing bullets:

- not sure why or when this ended up on my bookshelf but my goal for the year is to clear out most of my unread fellas so….one more down. but man this took way too long to get through because the plot is a straight line and the characters are so flat. boring.

- so many conflicting thoughts on western as a genre. I want to like/consume it so bad but unfortunately it sucks because it’s so glaringly obvious that it was created BY MEN, FOR MEN, and is rooted in such misogyny and racism and glamorization of violence and hero worship of a west that never truly existed. can someone please recommend me a western something that is actually interesting and not stuck in the 19th century?? literally I’m not asking for much even the mandalorian qualifies. the wild west is already so fictional I don’t care if it’s in space or if they are vampire cyborgs. I’m desperate.

- who the fcckkkk wants to read about a protagonist that is so awesome and manly and shows up somewhere and is immediately given a position of power and respect and wins every single fight easily and gets the girl and gets promoted for no reason and saves the day like it’s nothing. infuriating and so uninteresting. HAVE YOU NOT HEARD THAT STORY A MILLION TIMES ALREADY. DOES IT NOT GET OLD. this story has the depth of a piece of lint.

- literally doctor who has done westerns better and its not even an american show.

- I will say that the conversational and slang-heavy narrative voice is one thing this story has going for it. that at least brought some level of fun.

- gotta love the slutshaming!! can’t have a western without whorehouses! even though it’s sure as hell not female customers keeping those businesses running!!! keep one eye open I will find where you live!!

- miss maggie and miss jean are so obviously Partners and this man really had the audacity to make one of them pursue the stupid evil lawyer in the last 10 pages you can’t be serious. embarrassing.

- yes I’m repeating myself but I just can’t get over the narcissism like this is essentially a huge circle jerk of men thinking they’re so amazing. oh yes the character you think is just a random wandering man in the beginning actually happens to be the best gunfighter in the west even though no one has ever heard of him and there’s no discernible backstory for his skills. he’s simple just gifted! every other man is obsessed with him. soooooo true.

[Winder Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Western I've read, and it was great! I love that it's grammatically incorrect; it felt more authentic that way. The time period descriptions and the way Wyoming Territory was described was really interesting. Cotton is funny, in a dry way. Good read, and I'm sure I'll enjoy others in this series.

[Bill Shupe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have in the past read western novels by other writers but have really enjoyed books written by William W. Johnstone. Blood Valley is the 4th book I have read of his. I enjoy his characters and how they interact with one another. I would highly recommend his books for enjoyable reading.
Bill Shupe

[Violet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining read would make a great movie. Cotton lands in the middle of a land feud (common theme of westerns) and the small town of Doubtful has a hard time hanging onto a sheriff, so he kind of falls into the job ... shows a lot of common sense and grit; even ends up getting married. A lot of action from beginning to end. This author sure comes up with great plots.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Western at its best

I haven't read a western in a good long while. This one reminded me of how much I enjoy them. It was top notch in all areas, characters, action, and plot. Very nice read

[Mike H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the fact that Blood Valley is written in first-person. The main character is very engaging, and even though the plot is a typical Western range war, it's more complex and interesting than many others I've read. I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I do enjoy the voice acting for Cotton, I really enjoy the character himself. Something to do with the voice though makes it difficult to possibly listen to any more, but the story itself was a good one.

[Jean Salvas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like Cottons sense of humor.

[John H. Parmenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Valley

As I read this tale, I stopped over and over again to laugh and laugh. Johnstone certainly can turn a phrase. The story line is certainly well developed.

[Richard Guerrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun and silly western read. One thing I didn’t care for is how this author kept naming all these gunfighters throughout the book. I noticed he does that even more so as of late.

[Bob Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit long and boring, so many times I wanted to stop and put it back on the shelf, but told myself I had to finish it before I shelved it.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book in the Cotton Pickens western series.

[Kenneth Kushlan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good old time western white hat against black hat story told in an antiquated style of prose. Although the white hats win, there are far more losers than winners in this tale.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Blood Valley' is the only series of the Johnstone Clan that is written in the first person. It's a different style with a different rhythm to it than the 50 or so I've read so far. I liked it for a bunch of reasons and i didn't for a few others.

With the first person narrative the book has a more western feel as broken english is interspersed into the text and explanations are done in a more forthright manner. It makes the story that much more realistic and fun.

The down side to this is that the hallmark, I see, of the Johnstone Clan is the rich characters. That dims here as the perspective comes from the main character. For some reason I also found the characters too typical of a western novel.

The story is good, if over long at times.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 6 out of ten points.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cotton Pickens was a new character for me. I was introduced to Johnstone through Smoke Jensen and didn't think Johnstone could top, or even equal, him. He may not have topped Smoke but Cotton is an equally well developed, great western hero. I Loved Blood Valley; it was a suspenseful, engaging page turner for me.

[Ratforce]

Another Western title filled with outlaws and gunfights is William Johnstone’s Blood Valley. Not only is it available as an ebook, it’s also set in nearby Wyoming and pits a young sheriff against a corrupt and violent rancher.

[Richard Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

A long trail

I have enjoyed all the Cotton series. we took the ride with Cotton and the town of doubtful all the way. I think bringing in a family member was good. something to think about.

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the very best Westerns that I have ever read.

[JR · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very Good

[Kevin Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent story. Good plot and memorable characters.