Dark Night in Big Rock

The Jensen Brand #5

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Johnstone Country. Guns and Money. And Sometimes, Lawyers. The long-awaited return of Smoke Jensen’s son ignites a powderkeg of problems for the town of Big Rock, Colorado. This time, it’s personal—and definitely fatal. . . .DARK NIGHT IN BIG ROCK Smoke Jensen is mighty proud of his son Louis for finishing law school. But he can’t help being a little disappointed that Louis isn’t returning to the Sugarloaf Ranch. Instead, he’s setting up his own law practice in nearby Big Rock—a career choice that turns out to be every bit as dangerous as fending off cattle rustlers. The boy’s first case lands him smack in the middle of a heated dispute between two riled-up ranchers over water rights. If Louis can’t settle them down, the whole thing could blow up into a bloody range war. Then a scheming con man shows up in town to stir up trouble—and ends up dead. Now Louis has to defend his sister’s boyfriend on murder charges. What’s worse, the real killer is still out there. And he’s ready to slaughter again . . . Smoke Jensen’s son may be a lawyer now. But if there’s one thing he learned from his daddy, it’s that in places like Big Rock, men live and die by one law the law of the gun. . . .   Live Free. Read Hard.  

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 29, 2022

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 4 out of 5]

Dark Night in Big Rock by William W. Johnstone and J. A. Johnstone is the latest in the series about the Jensen family. I really like the fact that these books generally is set around the year 1900 it gives a new dimension to the classic western and it's so damned well done. We see the differences between the older and the younger generations as times move on. We also get to see how the older folks deal with new inventions, such as telephones, automobiles, elevators and new weaponry. I just love this stuff. In this book we have some of the usual western stuff bad guys on the path of revenge, a range war and some shady characters swindling people of there money. We also get some real good shootouts and some fisticuffs. I had a blast reading this book that hits the bookstores in the end of March. I am thankful that @kensingtonbooks @netgalley and #Pinnacle gave me this advance copy and @williamw.j.a.johnstone for writing it. #NetGalley #Kensington #DarkNightInBigRock #WilliamWJohnstone #JAJohnstone #Western #TheJensenBrand

[Sue Plant · Rating 5 out of 5]

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

a smoke jensen book..whats not to like....but this one centres around his children louis and denny

louis is a newly qualified lawyer and he wants to start his new practise in big rock and not at his fathers homestead

its a slow start but when a fight breaks out outside of his practise louis goes to investigate

two neighbouring outfits are about to go to war over the fencing around a waterhole...each claiming its on their land...tension is high and louis has his work cut out for him trying to settling it all down

and along with denny help louis tries his best to help both ranchers

brilliantly written, love how the story flows and with smoke jensen making guest appearances throughout the storyline but love how this one centred around louis and denny and their talents

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Standard Johnstone Western.

Smoke Jensen plays a very little part in this. The main characters are his son daughter and the two guys who are sweet on his daughter.

US Marshal Bryce and Kid Morgan.

As typical the villains are villains the good guys are good guys, they clash and a good guys win.

Always a quick read

Standard 1940s b Western Fare. And those were some of the Best Westerns.

[Jacqui]

All of the original Smoke Jensen books are excellent. So often, when an author tries to move from the original character to their relatives or kids, it loses the momentum of the original. I'm happy to say, that isn't the case here. Dark Night in Big Rock (Pinnacle Books 2022), Book 5 of the Jensen Brand, deals with Smoke's two twin children, Louis, a newly graduated lawyer who's returned to Big Rock to set up a practice, and Denny, the heir apparent to Smoke's ranch, Sugarloaf. Louis is eager for new clients, but doesn't want to rely on his famous father's law work or his friends. He becomes involved with two men with ranches that border each other who are fighting over their property lines. Louis is not a seasoned lawyer but feels by applying his prodigious and Harvard-honed mental power, he can unravel the mystery of who owns what before a full-blown range war breaks out. You'll have to read this book to see if he manages to do that before too many innocent folks are killed.

This is a typical excellent Johnstone Old West book--fast, feel-good, and with characters you like. And, if you like a little romance in your Western, you'll find that here, too.  Highly recommended for those who love a good Western. 

[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.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smoke is proud of his son, Louis, finishing school with his law degree. Now, though, Louis and his family want to live in town and not on the ranch, and he also wants to open his business in town. That is the easy part for Louis gets in the middle of a range war and works at solving that with the help of his sister Denny. There are also two other stories going on, one has an outlaw who escapes and wants to come back to Big Rock for revenge, and the second is Blaise and her bar, which really adds to the story. Overall, a good book with excellent characters.

[Nolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank the Great Phoenix Library to have got this as an eBook so I could read it. Best Johnstone book I read in a while. Has three different stories in the eBook. Pretty predictable on what's going to happen with Conrad Morgan. The story is mostly of Smoke and Sally’s kids, Denny and Louis. I enjoyed it.

[mark ames · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark night in Big Rock

Great book. Need more books and s th pride about the next generation of Jensens. Jensen and Morgan's make a great team and awesome crime fighting machine along with Brice the US marshall.

[Laura L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding story, I had a hard time not reading the whole story at one sitting.

I found the entire story quite riveting. I haven't checked yet, but I hope there is at least one more book in the series. Thank you so much for my enjoyment.

[LeeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. The apples didn't fall far from the tree in the case of Louis and Denny Jensen. But then they are Smoke Jensen children and where there's a Jensen, trouble never fails to show up. A fun read with a multi-pronged plot that all comes together on a dark and stormy night.

[Dirk Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a good read

This book was awesome to read. There was lots of action and plenty of mystery. It kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book. I received many surprises while reading the book. I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to Louis L'Amour it has a very good story line. The characters will keep you wondering where the story will go.

[Frank Bottego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read, always enjoy reading Johnston's western


Enjoyed the book very much. A little converluted. Always enjoy a good western. Hope to read more concerning Smoke Jensen and family.
Still wondering what happen to the Drifter, seems to have drop off the face of the earth.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of stories going on with this one. Crazy. All worked together in a way, but wow, a bit much for me to follow when doing something else.

[Richard Guerrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, fun, simple western read.

[RickParker]

Morgan

Great climax to another Jensen story. The apple does not fall far from the Jensen tree with Denny and Louis

[Robert W. Kuhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Jensen name

Always has the reader anticipating Smoke to dominate the action. A well received change of pace but still written in a style that keeps you riveted throughout.