Disturbing the Peace

Jeremiah Halstead #2

by Terrence McCauley

“McCauley's Westerns move at a pace that leaves readers sweating and out of breath. Blood on the Trail is one wild, entertaining ride.” —Johnny D. BoggsDeputy U.S. Marshal Jeremiah Halstead keeps the peace in the mining town of Silver Cloud, Montana. But an old enemy has declared war against him. Ruthless and clever, Ed Zimmerman would have become the leader of one of the west’s deadliest and hell-bent outlaw gangs. Zimmerman has offered a generous bounty to every desperado willing to put a bullet through the U.S. Deputy Marshal’s heart.   A death sentence won’t stop Halstead from enforcing the law. The sheriff of Battle Brook needs a hand dealing with some hell-raising badmen in the surrounding hills, threatening to take over the frontier town. Joined by Deputy Sandborne, Halstead rides hard for Battle Brook only to discover manhunters aware of the price on his head are in town, guns cocked and ready to collect the reward.   And Zimmerman has joined the outlaws in the hills, waiting to catch Halstead in his sights. . .  Praise for Terrence McCauley’s Where the Bullets Fly  “Imagine a spaghetti Western with flawed characters and nonstop action. OrRooster Cogburn, without the eyepatch and a whole lot meaner.” —Roundup Magazine“Blood on the Trail  is one action-packed, western . . . and Jeremiah Halstead is a lawdog to fog the outlaw trail with!” —Peter Brandvold, author of The Cost of Dying    

Genres: Westerns, Action

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 26, 2022

About the author

Also writes as Terrence P. McCauley

Reviews

[Abibliofob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disturbing the Peace by Terrence McCauley is the second book in the new series with Deputy U.S. Marshal Jeremiah Halstead as the main character. This series is somewhat connected to the one about Aaron Mackey. Both good westerns but in this second book in this new series it felt a little lacking in the telling of the story. The first one was really great and I expected more from this one but still, it is a good western and we do like those. I find myself wanting to go back and read the other books related to the characters because it sounds like one hell of a story happened in the past that explains alot of the state of mind of young Halstead. I will without a doubt continue reading this series and thank #Netgalley #Pinnacle and #KensingtonBooks for giving me this advance copy of #DisturbingThePeace and #TerrenceMcCauley for having the fantasy to make this stuff up.

[HornFan2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to netgalley.com and Kensington Publishing for an advance ARC copy for my honest review and I purchased also purchased it from amazon.com.

One of my favorite niches in the Western genre are the lawman ones, this one definitely checks off all the boxes you would want with that theme and then some.

You can't help but like Deputy U.S. Marshall Jeremiah Halstead, he's tough, damaged, smart, good with his guns and when he gets on your trail, your in trouble.

'Disturbing The Peace', is set in Montana close to the territory becoming a state, has Jeremiah partnered with Deputy US Marshall Jerry Sandborne, they follow a lead in the hunt for outlaw Ed Zimmerman and head out for Battle Brook, a new mining town near Hard Scrabble.

Mix in winter, a wily town Marshall McBride, a pretty Lady, a clever scheme by Zimmerman, then outlaw Rob Brunet and his gang, add a lawyer, banker, mix in suspense, add a few twist and turns, a bunch of mine payroll robberies, a inside bank robbery job and it leads to one bizarre conclusion. Or the perfect set-up for 'The Revengers', the forthcoming 3rd book in the Jeremiah Halstead series.

The Author Terrence McCauley, is one of my favorite Western authors. If you're itching to give the genre a try, you can't go wrong starting with him and you get another piece into the puzzle of whose one of the ghost writers for the Johnstone estate.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing the Peace by Terrence McCauley
Jeremiah Halstead Western #2

Jeremiah Halstead may be a Territorial Deputy Marshall who brings in bad guys with bounties on their heads but as the story begins, he has more men trying to kill him than he needs, and it is all due to a wanted man putting a bounty on the lawman. Having to kill men is not his preferred activity but it beats dying. Will he survive? Will he be able to bring the bad guy in that put him in the crosshairs of so many guns? Or perhaps not?

What I liked:
* Jeremiah: young but seasoned, has a backstory that still has not been entirely revealed, is a sure shot, upholds the law, has a bit of a temper, follows the rules…even when he doesn’t want to, meets Abby who might be a future romantic interest
* Joshua: younger than Jeremiah, Deputy Marshall, works with Jeremiah, cautious, aware, capable, a nice counterbalance to Jeremiah, would like to know more about him
* The writing, setting, and plot
* McBride: Sheriff of Battle Brook, West Point graduate, capable, enjoys quiet, a good man
* Abigail: wealthy, young, educator, attractive and attracted to Jeremiah
* That it felt true to the era
* That it was twisted, dark, and gritty
* That there is the potential for what has gone wrong to come right in future books in the series
* Being invested in the story
* Knowing that there is another book to look forward to

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like – the bad guys were despicable, and I really want them thwarted

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing-Pinnacle – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Terrence McCauley's second of the Jeremiah Halstead Western series, Disturbing the Peace, (Pinnacle 2022), Deputy US Marshal Jeremiah Halstead is sent by US Marshall Aaron Mackey to the Territory of Montana on another almost-impossible job of keeping the peace in post-Civil War US. The outlaw Ed Zimmerman is a man Halstead thought he'd killed, wished he had because he is one of the smartest, most conniving outlaws he's faced in his short career in law enforcement (Halstead is only 25ish). Zimmerman and his crew of about twelves lawless outlaws is robbing banks and using the money for a much bigger goal than just women and booze. Halstead has only his partner and a town sheriff to combat this group and he's pretty sure that won't be enough.

I know from reading Book 1 in this series, the Sheriff Aaron Mackey series, and several other of McCauley's Westerns that this author has the exemplary ability to weave multiple plot lines together and never lose sight of the story goal. Have you ever read a book and wondered what Plot X has to do with Plot Y and how the heck do they matter to the main Plot Z? You won’t say that with the Jeremiah Halstead series. It is fully featured and believable. I'm rooting for Halstead no matter his mistakes or problems. The only hiccup was a rather unsatisfying ending (no spoilers). It left me angry, but I hope it will be resolved in the sequel. Darn.

[Lindsey Eick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe this is the very first western that I have read, as a result of being selected to @TerrenceMcCauley ARC team. I liked this story a lot, though it was slow-moving for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the character of Jeremiah Halstead, and I am going to soon read the first in this series, Blood on the Trail, to enjoy another story about him. Great story, great characters and character development, and great plot. Just wished it moved a little faster for me. I guess I am used to reading novels that go faster. I understand why it moved slow because there were so many intricate parts to the plot. Though it moved slow for me, I cannot wait to read more because I thoroughly enjoyed everything about this book, except for the ending. Thanks again to @TerrenceMcCauley for this enjoyable novel. #DisturbingthePeace

[Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading the 2nd installment of the Jeremiah Halstead saga I am definitely looking forward to the following book due out in 2023. After you read this one you will see why I say this. There was definitely an unexpected ending to this book. The seemingly untenable situation both deputies faced towards the end made it stressful for me to imagine being in that situation. Aaron Mackey must of had a lot of faith in Deputy Halstead’s character to give him and his deputy the job of capturing Edward Zimmerman, and it wasn’t misplaced. That is part of the reason why I gave this book 5 stars and it was a western I could not put down.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read all the Westerns by Terrence McCauley.
I can definitely say that I’ve enjoyed all of them for various reasons.
Disturbing the Peace is the second book in the Jeremiah Halstead series.
This book has a bit of a slow start. I was afraid that it would fall victim to the dreaded Sophomore Slump. At least to my mind. That’s not saying it didn’t have its moments, it just took a while to find its stride.
Once it started moving, it was a freight train.
I’m sorry that I doubted Mr. McCauley’s ability to craft a good tale.
This book is definitely worth the read.

[Sherrie Saint · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was raised on Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey books that my Dad and I read together. I developed a love for reading westerns and never thought anyone would be able to fill that niche again. I was wrong! Terrence is so good at writing westerns that I am transported back in time to the old west and time with my Dad. I can't wait until the next book is out! I can't stop talking about this excellent book. Thank you Terrence for continuing the great western tradition.

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun western. This book had all the thrills and frills one looks for in a classic Western. Jeremiah Halstead is one cool dude.

[Christopher Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good read but stops in the middle of the story. Overall its kind of frustrating, as the heroes accomplish nothing (one dies) significant.

[papasteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picking up a short time after the events of Blood on the Trail, the first book in the Jeremias Halstead series, we find Deputy US Marshall Halstead and a younger Deputy US Marshall Sandborne heading west to continue the hunt for the notorious criminal Ed Zimmerman.

With the chill of winter setting in, the Montana frontier is snow covered and inhospitable. The perfect setting for the next story in the Jeremiah Halstead saga. A gang of outlaws has robbed the payroll wagons for several of the large mining outfits in the territory around the dilapidated town of Hard Scrabble and the bustling new town of Battle Brook. Halstead and Sandborne are on a mission to capture or kill two wanted fugitives and are also tasked with assisting keep the peace in the town in the wake of the robberies. With the pending statehood and admission to the Union, the two law men are all that are available to try and keep the peace.

I thoroughly enjoyed Disturbing the Peace, book number two in the series. The writing is smooth, while the setting and story are gritty, reminiscent of the frontier days. With some returning characters as well as several new ones, McCauley has brilliantly woven more of the intricate tapestry that the series is becoming. The characters are well developed, and I find myself rooting for and against them. The writing is also such that it is easy to picture the book playing out on the screen of my mind.

I am anxiously awaiting the next installment to see where the story goes from here.

I received an advance copy of the novel from the author and the publisher in exchange for my thoughts. After two books it is clear to me that this is a series I will read regularly.

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I was entertained. I enjoy McCauley's books, his writing is easy to read, he has great characters, he's able to juggle several plot threads without confusing you. This is a series I will continue to read, even though I was disappointed with the ending. As with many second book in a trilogy, and I'm only assuming it will be a trilogy, it serves as a transition from the first book setting up the storyline to what I hope is a fabulous conclusion in the next book. If I had known that going into it, I wouldn't have been so disappointed and still would have read it. I definitely want to see what happens to these characters and hope we don't have to wait too long for the next book. This is good stuff.
I did receive this book as an ARC from the author, but this is an honest appraisal, my own thoughts and no one else.

[Daryl J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of “Disturbing the Peace” by Terrence McCauley. This is the second book in the Jeremiah Halstead series. To prep for this book, I read “Blood on the Trail” which was excellent. It was the first western genre novel I have read in a very, very long time. McCauley does not disappoint! Well, with one exception that I can’t give away, but let’s just say I’m looking forward to the next book in this series. I’m a fan of Terrence McCauley, having read his University series (four books) and now two in the Jeremiah Halstead series. I highly recommend “Disturbing the Peace” . . . even if you are not sure about reading westerns. Excellent character development and storyline.

[Kevin B Chill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jeremaih Halstead is back and he’s going after the one that got away, Ed Zimmerman. But Zimmerman wants Halstead dead, and put a bounty on him.

Halstead takes the young Deputy Marshal Sandborne to the town of Battle Brook to find Zimmerman. With a bounty on his head they both have to keep their guard up. But what Jeremiah didn’t prepare for is finding someone not after the bounty but after his heart.

This book shows some sides of Jeremaih Halstead we haven’t seen in his mentoring of Sandborne and his love of Abby. Sandborne shows he’s very wise and heading towards becoming a great Marshal maybe on the level of Aaron Mackey.

The politics, the gun slinging, the law, the robbers, and the love, this book has it all and more.

I look forward to more of this story and soon.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a fan of the western genre since my uncles started reading them to me as a child. I didn't get Disney stories, I got Louis LAmour. In the tradition of most of the great western authors, Terrence McCauly builds an entire community and populates it with characters that you'd find in an Old West town. This series is centered on Deputy US Marshal Jeremiah Halstead and his determination to bring the bad guys to justice. It's easy to picture the town of Battle Brook and I definitely got lost in the gun battles and chases that entailed. McCauley definitely earned his 5 stars with this one.