Biscuits and Gravy

Chuckwagon Trail #4

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Dewey “Mac” Mackenzie is no ordinary chuckwagon cook. He’s a marked man on the run who works cattle drives to stay one step ahead of his enemies. If these hired killers catch up to him, he’ll be slinging guns instead of hash—with a side order of revenge that’s best served cold . . .

HOT BISCUITS. COLD GRAVES.

A hot meal, a hard drink, and maybe a friendly hand of poker is all Mac Mackenzie wants when he drifts into the small town of Harcourt City, Montana. When he defends a saloon girl from the unwanted advances of some local toughs, he earns the wrath of the town’s powerful namesake, Oscar Harcourt. Harcourt rules this place with an iron fist, ugly greed, and an even uglier gang of thugs. Now he has his eyes on a ranch belonging to the saloon girl’s brother—a ranch they won’t give up without a fight. To raise funds, the siblings arrange a cattle drive to Rattlesnake Creek, and they want Mac to join them. But with so many devils ridng on their tails, Mac is ready to turn up the heat—and send them back to hell . . .

Live Free. Read Hard.

Genres: Westerns

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 28, 2021

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

[Laur · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mac” MacKenzie, lover of justice, but himself, is just a drifter on the run, being falsely accused of a murder he didn’t commit.

After shortly arriving in a new town, Mac saves a Becky (A woman working in a saloon) one afternoon from being mishandled and beaten, only to find himself later ambushed and severely beaten by hidden thugs waiting in his hotel room. Thus starts a chain of events that includes Mac, Becky, Marcus (Becky’s brother), and a handful of their friends, verses a very corrupt and greedy individual (Oscar Harcourt) who throws his pompous reputation around, and can pay lots of cash for a tirade of thugs to cause extreme trouble. At the end of the hard working cattle drive, a plot to take over the entire herd of cattle is hatched by Harcourt, and he intends to scoop up all the cash generated from the sale.

The cattle drive will be momentous, and Mac, along with the few in the chuck wagon party, will be serving up a heck of a lot more than biscuits and gravy, with a couple of surprises and an ending I didn’t quite expect.

As a side note: I love the cover choice for this book!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - highly recommended to those who enjoy the Western genre.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main character of William Johnstone's Chuck Wagon Trail series, Dewey 'Mac' MacKenzie, drifts from town to Western town trying to escape charges for a crime he didn’t commit. He works what jobs he can find and is pretty good as the chuckwagon cook for trail drives. He is between jobs, having a beer in a western bar owned by an Irishman while he tries to figure what to do next when he rescues a barmaid about to be clocked by a drunk patron. The patron doesn't like being interrupted and attacks Mac later with several of his buddies, leaving Mac severely Injured. The barmaid--Becky, and also the owner of a local ranch--takes him to her ranch and nurses him back to health. As a thank you, Mac agrees to run her chuck wagon on her first-ever cattle drive. But his past is chasing him as is the present. He must take care of his obligations as cook while avoiding the men chasing him. Mac is always clever in how he solves problems which makes for an interesting story with lots of old west mixed in. 

The only part that annoyed me was the high volume of introspection on the part of the characters, constantly pondering their ideas, examining decisions, evaluating choices. They’re interesting but in this case, so frequent they slowed the action down. Still, I'd recommend it to those who enjoy good ol' Western stories. 

[Abibliofob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biscuits and Gravy by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone is another great western with Mac Mackenzie in the lead. Once again he gets involved in a cattle trail and has to avoid getting caught up with the troubles that started in New Orleans. This adventure has all the parts that make up a traditional western, good guys and bad guys and shootouts. What I found good in this series is the weight on the chuckwagon driver. It is always great when a new angle on the old west is presented. As always I must thank @kensingtonbooks @netgalley #Pinnacle for giving me this advance copy and @williamw.j.a.johnstone for writing it. #NetGalley #Kensington #BiscuitsAndGravy #WilliamWJohnstone #JAJohnstone #Western #ChuckwagonTrail

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Gerald Matzke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title of the book by William and J. A. Johnstone caught my attention because biscuits and gravy is a personal favorite for breakfast. The real significance of the title is revealed on the last page of the book. Dewey (Mac) Mackenzie is a man on the run. He had been falsely accused of murdering his fiancé’s father in New Orleans and we find him in Montana. When he steps in and defends an attractive waitress in a local saloon, he makes an enemy who will hound him throughout the book. Add to that a hired detective who wants to bring him to justice and some troublemakers who want to steal a herd of cattle that he is helping to take to market and you have a complex Western story that has a lot of action, a little romance, and a climax that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Even if you don’t care for biscuits and gravy, you will enjoy this yarn, partner.

[Richard Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written book in this series, showing how J. A. Johnstone has enhanced the characterizations by mentor William W. Johnstone. It's the solid western genre going all the way back to "Shane" so many years ago of the drifter, the lady in distress and Dewey, the guy who can stand up for her rights and put the ruler of the town, Harcourt, and all his gunmen in their place. The cattle drive is well written up and has enough exciting moments both for Dewey and Becky, the girl he has fallen for, as they battle the elements, stampede and rustlers. I especially like some of the feminine twist to the river scene, the end of the trail scenes and the final showdown that make this a fast and friendly book that could very well be made into a cool movie.

[Jacquie · Rating 4 out of 5]

After protecting a young woman’s honor at the local watering hole, Mac gets bushwhacked in his hotel room and ends up on the wrong side of a powerful man.

Harcourt is after the land owned by the rescued woman’s brother, and he won’t quit until he gets it. Surrounded by his band of no-good thugs, and with the town in his pocket, the siblings have no choice but to raise funds with a cattle drive. They ask Mac to come along, and soon the trio are fighting more than the heat and sweat of the ride.

This was an engaging read. I would have liked the settings to be described with more depth, and some of the dialogue felt contrived, but overall, a good read!

[Loretta Miles Tollefson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biscuits and Gravy is part of the Chuckwagon Trail series that I haven't read before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But it was Johnstone, so I had some idea of what I might find within its pages--a kind of "ah shucks" Western that leaves a good feeling behind, even though it doesn't move any Western boundaries forward. And that's what I found. This is an enjoyable, if somewhat predictable story that moves its primary character a little farther west on his quest to reach California. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys this particular subset of the Western genre.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up on a whim because of the tag line "Eat now, die later". I have not read the other books in the series and I felt like I didn't need to. Johnstone does a great job of filling in the blanks from what I missed. I'm only giving it 3 stars because I felt like he overfilled, too. So many chapters and character conversations felt so winded. It took me a minute to get through it because I would get bored through the middle. I think having so many separate groups of characters was too much. Maybe condense some of antagonists down a bit.

[Kenneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again a formulaic story, like a Republic Western.

These Chuckwagon stories are much like thesrc. 1940’s Westerns. The lone gunman or 2 or 3 friends waltz into, land grabs, rustlers, horse thieves, etc, and save the day, there is always a young lady. Into this, the landscape is plugged in. Like a Republic Western, you know where the story going. Never the less like these old Westerns these books are still very interesting.

[Tanya R · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the thought of Western books and movies but I rarely find one that I actually enjoy. I’m not sure what the disconnect is for me, still trying to figure that out.

Jumping into this story, being in the middle of a series, probably wasn’t the wisest decision but here we are.

This was just an ok read but what I loved about this story was that this is exactly the kind of western my Dad loved!

[Mark Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Typical entertaining Johnstone and that's the way I like them. Love the detail. Steel dust horse, Smith & Wesson Model 3, a paint, chuckwagon, "who hit John?", Albert Running Horse, Rattlesnake Gulch and a "Yellow boy." You may not know what or who those things are but you will as you turn the pages of this "oater." You can almost smell the beans, bacon, biscuits and gun smoke!

[John Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book

I'm just amazed at how much action and adventure the author is able to pack in one story. His plots and storylines keep on getting better and better. I'm kind of sad to start book five as it is the last one in this series but yet look forward to the adventure it will take me on.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best written story in the series. It suffers from getting bogged down in places.

Generally a decent story with some odds and ends being tied up.

Mac goes on another cattle drive, drama and gunplay occur.

[Ron Sellers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rcsva13

I have read every book in this series and greatly appreciated each one. Looking forward to more in this series and also the other series that are from this author

[Karrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome fast read

I really enjoyed this and I'm a huge fan of Dewey (Mac) Mackenzie. Great action and Adventure. Lots of surprises.

[David VanHoogstrate · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read, Loved it!

A very great ending for a long term problem for Mac. Glad to see someone get their just desserts. Until next time Adios!

[David A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just did not enjooy this book, so I quit reading it.

[William Crisp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Read

Don’t know how Mac survives. Seems like he is always situationally unaware and has the bumps on his head to prove it! A great continuation of the series.

[Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of talking in this story. Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk. Dewey “Mac” Mackenzie gets hit in the head so many times I'm amazed the dude is still alive.

[Louis Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Western Story

Plenty of action with just a little bit of a love story. Excellent reading to keep you from setting it down.

[Brad Harju · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable western. Entertaining throughout.

[Randy Robison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another One

Good book I always love reading anything he writes
He keeps me on my patio sometimes long after dark
Thank you again

[Mike Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

The story was a good time. You have good guys and bad guys and it was a great read😀 worth the time

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just okay.

[THOMAS E. TONEY · Rating 4 out of 5]

Biscuits and Gravy

Action packed adventure of a cattle drive to a town where gold had been discovered and other men who were trying their best to stop them!

[Truitti · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am curious as to what Dewey will do next. I borrowed this e-book from the Sacramento Public Library through the Libby app

[Danielle Schutte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read. Kept me interested. Ended in a different way from most. I enjoyed the read. Had just enough action to keep me interested.

[Mendi Morris · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is my first type of book like this and I did not like it

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this author.
Quick reads and enjoyable plots.