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Matthew Johnson, US Marshal
They sing songs about Matthew Johnson. The hero of dime novels, Matt won national fame during a range war in Idaho when he shot and killed an outlaw—and former saddle pal. But the past seventeen years have been an alcoholic blur rather than a heroic journey. Gone are the days when he was a free-wheeling cowboy, swapping poems with his best friend on the cattle ranges. The West has modernized—and practically disappeared—when Matt arrives in Denver in 1894 as the newly appointed US marshal for the state of Colorado.
The cowboy turned lawman inherits a state on the brink of collapse. The silver crash has ruined the economy, railroaders are striking, a range war is looming, corruption is rampant, and a rumored gold strike on the Southern Ute reservation threatens to turn into a bloodbath. Slowly, Matt realizes why he got the job. His supporters figure that the man who killed Jeff Hancock will either stay too drunk to realize what’s happening or take their bribes and look the other way. After all, the songs being sung about Matthew Johnson these days are more insulting than glorifying. Instead of the hero who stopped a range war, he is usually thought of as a man who murdered his best friend in exchange for the appointment as Idaho’s US marshal. And he hasn’t been sober in years.
What no one has counted on is the love of a woman who has had her own share of hard times and bad decisions. Or the fact that there’s a special breed of man who will fight with his last breath to regain his dignity and self-respect. If Matt can overcome his demons and past, schoolkids might start singing a new verse to an old song.
The cowboy turned lawman inherits a state on the brink of collapse. The silver crash has ruined the economy, railroaders are striking, a range war is looming, corruption is rampant, and a rumored gold strike on the Southern Ute reservation threatens to turn into a bloodbath. Slowly, Matt realizes why he got the job. His supporters figure that the man who killed Jeff Hancock will either stay too drunk to realize what’s happening or take their bribes and look the other way. After all, the songs being sung about Matthew Johnson these days are more insulting than glorifying. Instead of the hero who stopped a range war, he is usually thought of as a man who murdered his best friend in exchange for the appointment as Idaho’s US marshal. And he hasn’t been sober in years.
What no one has counted on is the love of a woman who has had her own share of hard times and bad decisions. Or the fact that there’s a special breed of man who will fight with his last breath to regain his dignity and self-respect. If Matt can overcome his demons and past, schoolkids might start singing a new verse to an old song.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2020
14 people are currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
Johnny D. Boggs
106 books83 followersJohnny D. Boggs is a Spur- and Wrangler Award-winning author of the American West and frontier. Born in 1962, Boggs grew up on a farm near Timmonsville, South Carolina, around the old stamping grounds of Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion (chronicled in his frontier novel The Despoilers). He knew he wanted to be a writer at an early age. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Lisa Smith; son, Jack Smith Boggs; and basset hound, June.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 20, 2022
This is a quite good novel. The protagonist is 52, struggling with his demons (yeah, I know: modern trope) and attempting to keep the peace in Colorado, with various strikes, corruption and a nascent gold strike.
Set around 1898 or so, it is a good fictionalization of a history of the 'old west' that most people don't know or hear about.
If you want a more or less non-fiction account pick up The Cowboy Detective by Charlie Siringo.
Set around 1898 or so, it is a good fictionalization of a history of the 'old west' that most people don't know or hear about.
If you want a more or less non-fiction account pick up The Cowboy Detective by Charlie Siringo.
December 15, 2022
a waste of time
Disjointed and filled with gaps with subplots unfinished. The writer showed some promise at times, but never followed through leaving the reader to wonder if the book was just a showcase for questionable poetry. Hard to like!
Disjointed and filled with gaps with subplots unfinished. The writer showed some promise at times, but never followed through leaving the reader to wonder if the book was just a showcase for questionable poetry. Hard to like!
January 9, 2023
worth reading!
Starts out slow, then set stage for the next few characters in the story. Moves slow in about the middle of the book, then you can’t stop reading till the end, Good read.highly recommend.
Starts out slow, then set stage for the next few characters in the story. Moves slow in about the middle of the book, then you can’t stop reading till the end, Good read.highly recommend.
March 10, 2023
Redemption
Johnny Boggs is my new Elmer Kelton. A story of a man running from his past but rediscovering his soul. Really liked this book.
Johnny Boggs is my new Elmer Kelton. A story of a man running from his past but rediscovering his soul. Really liked this book.
November 10, 2022
I enjoy reading this author's work!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews