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Smoke Jensen #3
Outlaw Country
Set in the early days of the Jensen family saga, this gunblazing adventure follows Smoke and Sally from their first year of marriage to the founding of the legendary Sugarloaf Ranch...
For most couples, the marriage vows end with 'Til death do us part. But when Smoke Jensen takes Sally Reynolds as his lawfully wedded wife, it's just the beginning. The tragic deaths of Smoke's first wife and child weigh heavily on his heart. Thankfully, Sally is there to give him the support he needs when they return to Colorado, where it all happened. She's ready to embrace her husband's past--for better or worse--and to welcome his friend Preacher into the family. But when outlaws make an attempt to kidnap a local girl, Sally is forced to use the gun skills she had learned from Smoke to save both of their lives, learning the hard way what it means to be married to a Jensen...
For most couples, the marriage vows end with 'Til death do us part. But when Smoke Jensen takes Sally Reynolds as his lawfully wedded wife, it's just the beginning. The tragic deaths of Smoke's first wife and child weigh heavily on his heart. Thankfully, Sally is there to give him the support he needs when they return to Colorado, where it all happened. She's ready to embrace her husband's past--for better or worse--and to welcome his friend Preacher into the family. But when outlaws make an attempt to kidnap a local girl, Sally is forced to use the gun skills she had learned from Smoke to save both of their lives, learning the hard way what it means to be married to a Jensen...
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
Published April 27, 2021
454 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,034 books1,392 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 54 reviews
May 1, 2024
3.5 stars
November 30, 2020
Besides Johnstone's Preacher character, Smoke Jensen--Preacher's kinda-son--is my favorite. He's strong, moral and just, and not afraid to stand up for what's right. He became a man under Preacher's tutelage, not in schools but in life. As Preacher says:
“I live in the high lonesome.” “Where is the high lonesome?” “It ain’t so much of a where as it is a thing. It’s whistling wind and the silence of the mountains."
Johnstone's Outlaw Country (Pinnacle 2021), a Smoke Jensen novel, is a collection of memories shared by an older Smoke Jensen while traveling with his wife Sally across the ocean to Paris. Their first night aboard the ship, they have dinner with a journalist who persuades Smoke to share stories about how he became a legend of the Old West. These include:
How Smoke got his name
How he avenged the death of his father and brother
How he met his first wife and then his second and last wife, Sally
Sally's story of her early life with smoke
How Smoke started the town of Big Rock
How his close-as-family cowhand, Pearlie, came to work for Smoke.
If you're a Smoke Jensen fan (like I am), this is an essential book for your collection. Highly recommended also for those who love tales of the Old West and how it was won.
“I live in the high lonesome.” “Where is the high lonesome?” “It ain’t so much of a where as it is a thing. It’s whistling wind and the silence of the mountains."
Johnstone's Outlaw Country (Pinnacle 2021), a Smoke Jensen novel, is a collection of memories shared by an older Smoke Jensen while traveling with his wife Sally across the ocean to Paris. Their first night aboard the ship, they have dinner with a journalist who persuades Smoke to share stories about how he became a legend of the Old West. These include:
How Smoke got his name
How he avenged the death of his father and brother
How he met his first wife and then his second and last wife, Sally
Sally's story of her early life with smoke
How Smoke started the town of Big Rock
How his close-as-family cowhand, Pearlie, came to work for Smoke.
If you're a Smoke Jensen fan (like I am), this is an essential book for your collection. Highly recommended also for those who love tales of the Old West and how it was won.
September 1, 2021
I have really enjoyed the western tales William W. and J.A. Johnstone have written. The Outlaw Country has been no exception! Loved it!
The story takes place as in an interview setting while traveling on a ship with Smoke, Sally, and a journalist, the later whom desires to be filled in on some details of Smoke and Sally’s life so he can write about it.
Well paced, interesting, humorous, smart...page after page, I enjoyed it all! Most especially learning more about Sally’s character- she is indeed a woman who is not to be trifled with, nor underestimated. Smoke still seeks peace, but he will not tolerate evil, and when justice needs to be done, he aims in that direction to get it done! A well balanced plot with colorful characters, held my attention from first to last page.
This is my favorite Johnstone novel to date (it’s on my favorites shelf too). But I realize it’s just the tip of the iceberg with many more to read. I sincerely look forward to each and every one of them. This is an absolute solid 5 Stars. Appealing to those who enjoy Western genre, and books by William Johnstone.
My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this outstanding ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
The story takes place as in an interview setting while traveling on a ship with Smoke, Sally, and a journalist, the later whom desires to be filled in on some details of Smoke and Sally’s life so he can write about it.
Well paced, interesting, humorous, smart...page after page, I enjoyed it all! Most especially learning more about Sally’s character- she is indeed a woman who is not to be trifled with, nor underestimated. Smoke still seeks peace, but he will not tolerate evil, and when justice needs to be done, he aims in that direction to get it done! A well balanced plot with colorful characters, held my attention from first to last page.
This is my favorite Johnstone novel to date (it’s on my favorites shelf too). But I realize it’s just the tip of the iceberg with many more to read. I sincerely look forward to each and every one of them. This is an absolute solid 5 Stars. Appealing to those who enjoy Western genre, and books by William Johnstone.
My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this outstanding ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
May 26, 2021
Pretty good continuation story of the Smoke Jensen saga. The story is being told while Smoke and Sally are on a ship, bound for Paris. Story being told to a fictional Ernest Hemmingway.
March 27, 2021
Don't read this book. Instead, gather the original novels, with more actual involvement by William Johnstone. Buy those first Mountain Man books and be prepared to the great enjoyment of reading.
'Outlaw Country' (An odd title) gathers a number of those books into one volume. Just rewritten. Those earlier books are well written and exciting. Less the endless droning on of excessive dialogue, watered down action and poorly rewriting of the earlier books. Why on earth this was even attempted is beyond me.
There is an excuse given a number of times throughout the book as to how this book is inconsistent with the original novels: Poor research and memories created earlier tellings of Jensen. That's too bad, because those original books are worth reading. This one is not.
Also, the reference basically kicks William Johnstone to the curb for these unknown ghost writers to cement the back story of Jensen.
The story is told in a massive flashback that makes no sense as the story is written that Smoke Jensen is remembering the story, yet written in the third person, with much written from outside the ability of Smoke Jensen to know what happened. Especially in that so much over-done dialogue is included.
Again talk, talk, talk is the bulk of the entire book. Instead of focused, concise storytelling, needless talk is throughout that doesn't move the story along.
Most of the characters are underdeveloped or assumed to be known. I'm still surprised how a Johnstone book could under-write who Louis Longmont is(!!!!). This does appear to be another Johnstone Clan novel with multiple authors writing parts and then still another assembling and attempting to link it all together.
Something that really angered me was the misspelling of Ernest Hemingway's name. Was that intentional? Why on earth do that? The ghost writer's got Hemingway's wife's name, Hadley, correct. I'd understand if the name was a quick reference. But Hemingway appears throughout as Hemingford, as are references to Hadley, his trip to Paris, his writing plans. Moreover, is the silly fiction of Smoke's wife tagging Hemingford with the "Papa" moniker. I'm scrapping an entire star off for this.
Now for the problems of the meat and potatoes of the book: For whatever reason this book was constructed, the construction starts off poorly for reasons mentioned above and the tales are oddly truncated. The Preacher & Smoke interaction in the original books shine. This one there is a bunch of banter and little of the teaching and effort to know the ways of a Mountain Men. It's almost all yapping about this and that. A big who-cares. The heart is lost in this poorly written part.
Then there is a robbery leaving one half-dead that is left hanging.
There is a massive battle that the book heads towards and written in an original novel some 35 years ago. In this, the story's direction ends in a one sentence line that there was a massive battle with many dead. That battle was significant to so much that happened later, but basically left out here.
Something similar happens in the re-writing of the ending battle of the city of Fontana. This version is winnowed to a simple gun exchange. The original version jarred me when i read it a few years ago. I'd not read before a book where so many that seemed central to a story were wiped out. Daring and original for a writer to take such chances. This version is a safe version.
That does seem to be the actual overall alteration of the original novels: To make the Smoke story safe. If I had started out reading this and not the first Mountain Man novel (Which was entirely by chance), I would not have continued on the past 6 years and now have more than 300 of Johnstone novels.
I know there are good writers in the Johnstone clan. 'Firestick' is an example of that. The Preacher series is still well done. But, more and more, the books are losing a sense of plotting and character development. Seems to me the problem there is the incessant starting of new Johnstone Clan series and not concentrating on the original series.
I could write more, but this should cover the bulk of my problems with this book. Since I'm writing this of a yet-to-be-published novel, via Net Galley, I hope the Clan can reapproach this book and work to fix it.
Bottom line: I don't recommend this book (the early version i read). 2 out of ten points.
'Outlaw Country' (An odd title) gathers a number of those books into one volume. Just rewritten. Those earlier books are well written and exciting. Less the endless droning on of excessive dialogue, watered down action and poorly rewriting of the earlier books. Why on earth this was even attempted is beyond me.
There is an excuse given a number of times throughout the book as to how this book is inconsistent with the original novels: Poor research and memories created earlier tellings of Jensen. That's too bad, because those original books are worth reading. This one is not.
Also, the reference basically kicks William Johnstone to the curb for these unknown ghost writers to cement the back story of Jensen.
The story is told in a massive flashback that makes no sense as the story is written that Smoke Jensen is remembering the story, yet written in the third person, with much written from outside the ability of Smoke Jensen to know what happened. Especially in that so much over-done dialogue is included.
Again talk, talk, talk is the bulk of the entire book. Instead of focused, concise storytelling, needless talk is throughout that doesn't move the story along.
Most of the characters are underdeveloped or assumed to be known. I'm still surprised how a Johnstone book could under-write who Louis Longmont is(!!!!). This does appear to be another Johnstone Clan novel with multiple authors writing parts and then still another assembling and attempting to link it all together.
Something that really angered me was the misspelling of Ernest Hemingway's name. Was that intentional? Why on earth do that? The ghost writer's got Hemingway's wife's name, Hadley, correct. I'd understand if the name was a quick reference. But Hemingway appears throughout as Hemingford, as are references to Hadley, his trip to Paris, his writing plans. Moreover, is the silly fiction of Smoke's wife tagging Hemingford with the "Papa" moniker. I'm scrapping an entire star off for this.
Now for the problems of the meat and potatoes of the book: For whatever reason this book was constructed, the construction starts off poorly for reasons mentioned above and the tales are oddly truncated. The Preacher & Smoke interaction in the original books shine. This one there is a bunch of banter and little of the teaching and effort to know the ways of a Mountain Men. It's almost all yapping about this and that. A big who-cares. The heart is lost in this poorly written part.
Then there is a robbery leaving one half-dead that is left hanging.
There is a massive battle that the book heads towards and written in an original novel some 35 years ago. In this, the story's direction ends in a one sentence line that there was a massive battle with many dead. That battle was significant to so much that happened later, but basically left out here.
Something similar happens in the re-writing of the ending battle of the city of Fontana. This version is winnowed to a simple gun exchange. The original version jarred me when i read it a few years ago. I'd not read before a book where so many that seemed central to a story were wiped out. Daring and original for a writer to take such chances. This version is a safe version.
That does seem to be the actual overall alteration of the original novels: To make the Smoke story safe. If I had started out reading this and not the first Mountain Man novel (Which was entirely by chance), I would not have continued on the past 6 years and now have more than 300 of Johnstone novels.
I know there are good writers in the Johnstone clan. 'Firestick' is an example of that. The Preacher series is still well done. But, more and more, the books are losing a sense of plotting and character development. Seems to me the problem there is the incessant starting of new Johnstone Clan series and not concentrating on the original series.
I could write more, but this should cover the bulk of my problems with this book. Since I'm writing this of a yet-to-be-published novel, via Net Galley, I hope the Clan can reapproach this book and work to fix it.
Bottom line: I don't recommend this book (the early version i read). 2 out of ten points.
April 1, 2021
Outlaw Country is a great summary of how Smoke met Sally and started the Sugarloaf. Most of the content is available in the early books about Kirby "Smoke" Jensen by William W. Johnstone. In this book set in 1926 they are on a boat to France where they meet a young journalist who persuades Smoke to tell the story how they met. As usual a great tale from the past. I must thank @kensingtonbooks @pinnaclepublishers and @netgalley for giving me this advance copy. Great western.
June 14, 2021
Smoke Jensen
Another winner by the Johnston's. Love these books on the Jensen family look forward to many more. Thank you for a great read.
Another winner by the Johnston's. Love these books on the Jensen family look forward to many more. Thank you for a great read.
June 8, 2025
Good book
April 7, 2023
There is no such thing as a bad Johnstone western. Each series is built around main characters whose belief in the law and family is absolute, even if they've had to be reformed to get there. From Preacher, the original mountain man to the Jensen family to Perly Gates, to.....well, you get the point. Many times, characters from one series will show up in another as supporting hands. The communities are true to the era, clothing, guns, food and troubles are all what you'd find if you looked them up in the history books. No two stories are the same, each character or set of characters is unique and so are their stories. The writing is skillful, readers are pulled into the story and you will laugh and cry right along with the characters. I made the mistake of picking up a Johnstone western my uncle was reading. Ive been hooked ever since. Now I share them with my reading family and will continue as long as new Johnstones are released.
April 14, 2021
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book
travelling by train with his wife smoke starts to tell his early life to a journalist who wants to know what the west was like back then
its a rough start for young smoke when his dad leaves him with preacher but its a learning curve that will see him through his life
loved this look at smokes life and times during the early western days before civilisation took over many parts...there are many highs and lows in smokes life but how he started big rock a town that grew from his idea...brilliant
baddies and indians also take part in this well written book and for fans of smoke they will love this insight into his earlier life
travelling by train with his wife smoke starts to tell his early life to a journalist who wants to know what the west was like back then
its a rough start for young smoke when his dad leaves him with preacher but its a learning curve that will see him through his life
loved this look at smokes life and times during the early western days before civilisation took over many parts...there are many highs and lows in smokes life but how he started big rock a town that grew from his idea...brilliant
baddies and indians also take part in this well written book and for fans of smoke they will love this insight into his earlier life
October 25, 2022
An old-fashioned Western with good guys vs bad guys, just as it should be. Plenty of action, and it’s kinda fun to read the pronunciation by all the characters. The plot moves right along, with bad guys being replaced by other bad guys, which requires the good guys to kill more and more bad guys. I lost count of the bodies killed, but it was fun reading how they were dispatched. The gunplay scenes are laughably inaccurate, but still, Johnstone tells a rollicking good story. Since most of the scenes aren’t rooted in reality, this book is not really my cup of tea, but if you’re looking for an easy read with lots of action, I can understand why someone would want to read this type of book.
May 30, 2021
While I normally enjoy the Smoke Jensen series, this novel is just a very condensed re-telling of the first three Mountain Man books. Nowhere on the book does it state this. It is advertised as a new story early in Smoke and Sally’s marriage, but it is just a straight up re-telling with a new minor sub plot. The book is not poorly written, but it was a disappointment because I have already read the books this is re-telling. I suppose it would be a good introduction to a new reader, but it is very choppy and lacks a lot of impact.
August 2, 2022
Great story; excellent characters; and we loved every minute of the book. We are partial to historical westerns and a book by these authors is always perfect. There are tough times, gun battles and wonderful people. From the beginning we have adventure, meeting a young gal that brought romance, brutality that cost lives of loved ones, and the perseverance of both men and women to root out a future in the old west. I, personally, dropped tears as I read tender moments and wanted to cheer when special people saved the day. Thanks for a great read!
June 10, 2023
A wonderful story is full of the Western flavor of a family fighting together. Smoke has found a new love in Sally Reynolds and she has helped him get over the death of his wife and child. Now married they have returned to the ranch to start a new. She has met Preacher and the others in his life and has accepted who Smoke is, to the point of learning to shoot herself. Which comes in handy when she needs to shoot later. This is a very good story. I received this book from Netgalley.com
January 9, 2025
Don't understand the purpose of using over 1200 pages of a book at the beginning to re-hash the stories you told in the previous books...complete waste of space and time and almost made me quit reading. Also the portions of them telling to story to Ernest Hemingway on the ship is total bullshit. For someone who has written a lot of books, the authors seem not to have any more original ideas to write about.
January 16, 2025
Another Good phage Turner
W. Johnstone tells great stories. This one almost lost me at the beginning. Just finishing Johnstone’s ‘This Violent Land’, ‘Outlaw Country’ started with a disappointing rewrite of the ending to ‘This Violent Land’. I was so disgruntled by the changed ending that I almost put the book down, not planning to pick it back up. It did turn out worth reading after all.
W. Johnstone tells great stories. This one almost lost me at the beginning. Just finishing Johnstone’s ‘This Violent Land’, ‘Outlaw Country’ started with a disappointing rewrite of the ending to ‘This Violent Land’. I was so disgruntled by the changed ending that I almost put the book down, not planning to pick it back up. It did turn out worth reading after all.
February 1, 2021
Smoke Jensen is now an old man telling his life's story to a writer along with his wife Sally aboard a ship headed to Paris. He tells how he met Preacher of his first wife and son and their murder at the hands of outlaws. How the Sugarloaf Ranch came to be and how he met Sally. A good book and easy to read.
December 24, 2023
The retell was awful
You retold the story of smoke in books 1 and 2 for the author but changed much of original story and not for better. Ill only use 1 example that bothered me the most. Handy and smoke had a tender reunion and reconciliation in book 2. In 3 it became terrible things said to each other. I was so pissed off I quit the book and the series!
You retold the story of smoke in books 1 and 2 for the author but changed much of original story and not for better. Ill only use 1 example that bothered me the most. Handy and smoke had a tender reunion and reconciliation in book 2. In 3 it became terrible things said to each other. I was so pissed off I quit the book and the series!
May 18, 2024
Jensen
Smoke and Sally Jensen were taking a rare trip on board a ship when they encountered a reporter to who Smoke related some of his adventures. As a young man he had meet and was trained in ways of how to live in the West by a mountain man named, Preacher. Hard work helped to build there ranch, a railroad and a town.
Smoke and Sally Jensen were taking a rare trip on board a ship when they encountered a reporter to who Smoke related some of his adventures. As a young man he had meet and was trained in ways of how to live in the West by a mountain man named, Preacher. Hard work helped to build there ranch, a railroad and a town.
May 14, 2021
Good read
I am a big fan of Smoke Jensen series. It is a fast read and great adventure. The only thing I wish is that some of it would of been more consistent in smoke Jensen's story because some of it was change.
I am a big fan of Smoke Jensen series. It is a fast read and great adventure. The only thing I wish is that some of it would of been more consistent in smoke Jensen's story because some of it was change.
August 7, 2022
Another Johnstone Adventure
I never quite tire of reading the Johnstone westerns. The unique way they are written always Leaves me feeling Like I'm experiencing A real part of the old west.
I never quite tire of reading the Johnstone westerns. The unique way they are written always Leaves me feeling Like I'm experiencing A real part of the old west.
August 8, 2022
Karma is Smoke Jensen
This saga makes for some exciting reading. Hard to put down. Well written character lines. Several stories in one. Preacher is also a treasurer. Exactly what a mountain man should be in this story.
This saga makes for some exciting reading. Hard to put down. Well written character lines. Several stories in one. Preacher is also a treasurer. Exactly what a mountain man should be in this story.
December 9, 2022
captivating
As usual I was engaged from start to finish. I have great respect for J A Johnstone as a writer. The stories are realistic, captivating, and extremely interesting and entertaining. He is rates along with the other great writers.
As usual I was engaged from start to finish. I have great respect for J A Johnstone as a writer. The stories are realistic, captivating, and extremely interesting and entertaining. He is rates along with the other great writers.
December 11, 2022
wonderful book
I just finished this book, and as always the author William W. Johnstone has written another great book, I will read this again in the future. Thank you Mr. Johnstone for the books you write.
I just finished this book, and as always the author William W. Johnstone has written another great book, I will read this again in the future. Thank you Mr. Johnstone for the books you write.
May 29, 2023
This book was so repetitive. It also kept jumping around. I mean the first 50 pages were good but then that’s where the author just kept repeating the same thing over and over. Don’t waste your time with this one.
October 9, 2023
Good Story
I'm a fan of the Smoke Jensen books. Very well written as usual but I was a little disappointed because I realized that I had read some of these stories in other Smoke Jensen books, but still entertaining.
I'm a fan of the Smoke Jensen books. Very well written as usual but I was a little disappointed because I realized that I had read some of these stories in other Smoke Jensen books, but still entertaining.
November 24, 2023
A enjoyable series
This series is really great reading with plenty of action and adventure with just the right touch of romance. The characters are a rich mix with each totally unique. Looking forward to book four.
This series is really great reading with plenty of action and adventure with just the right touch of romance. The characters are a rich mix with each totally unique. Looking forward to book four.
February 6, 2024
Repetitive at the beginning
I am seeing a theme of the exact same stories being copied & pasted into the first chapters of each new book in this series so far. It's becoming a bit tedious & very disappointing as a fan of the authors for many years.
I am seeing a theme of the exact same stories being copied & pasted into the first chapters of each new book in this series so far. It's becoming a bit tedious & very disappointing as a fan of the authors for many years.
January 7, 2025
BeTrue to book 2
Enjoyed the last part of the book. But why did you retell the story of book 2
Which for those of us who read book 2 was a waste of time and then you came up with completely different ending for book 2
Enjoyed the last part of the book. But why did you retell the story of book 2
Which for those of us who read book 2 was a waste of time and then you came up with completely different ending for book 2
August 5, 2025
This one is basically a flashback to the beginning, with Smoke telling the story to a writer whose name is Ernest Hemingford. Smoke tells the story of Bury, meeting Sally and so much more. This is an awesome read, especially if you have read the series or even thinking of starting it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews