Shadow of a Dead Man

Shotgun Johnny #2

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

The top dogs of bestselling western action thrillers hit the bullseye once again in the latest in a new series in which a disgraced lawman's quest for vengeance becomes a legendary fight for justice.

HE WHO LIVES BY THE GUN . . .

Shotgun Johnny Greenway thought he’d hit rock bottom when he lost his wife and son, hung up his badge, and hit the bottle. But a pretty young woman gave him a second chance. Offered him a job riding shotgun for the Reverend’s Temptation Gold Mine. Gave him a reason to live. But even she can’t save him when the Starrett gang tries to rob the gold—and Johnny kills their leader . . .

. . . DIES BY THE GUN

When the dust clears, Shotgun Johnny is wanted for murder. The dead man’s father has powerful friends, including a town marshal who’s Johnny’s personal enemy. One wants the gold. The other wants the girl. Both want Johnny dead. With a $1000 bounty on his head—and half the county trying to kill him—Johnny’s got to prove his innocence. Not in a court of law. In a trial by shotgun . . .

Genres: Westerns

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 24, 2023

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]

Raw and gutsy, a great western with plenty of action. Strong male and female characters. Well paced. Sprinkled with just a touch of humor. Recommended for those who like the western genre.

[TWU]

Second book in the Shotgun Johnny series and one that I thoroughly enjoyed! Plenty of twists and turns in this book! Love the fact that there is no swearing in the William W Johnstone books that I have read so far.I only wish there were more than 3 books in this series!

[Bill Riggs]

#2 in the Shotgun Johnny series. During a gold run, Johnny is accused of murder. Now the town marshal, federal officers, the powerful local rancher and land baron, as well as half the town are out gunning for him. Full of mountain shootouts, double crossing, and typical gun blazing action. The relationship with Sheila Bonner, his employer and love interest does seem a bit cliched and predictable in this entry but it doesn’t diminish this enjoyable western thriller.

[Dirk Stone]

It's a good read

Really enjoyed reading this book. Lots of action. Had me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Truitti]

24-01 A good Western. No explicit sex or gory details. I bought this paperback.

[Beverly Kee]

Very good story!

I really liked this one! Also one of first by this new author that had a ending that seemed finished!

[Joshua Ryan]

twists and plots were well written, chapters were spread out good, every 7-10 pages were long enough to keep my ADHD attention span of 4 minutes invested.

[Nolan]

Interesting story. Although there are some areas, I just shook my head on how stupid the author makes some the characters.

The main character, Johnny is accused of killing a rancher’s son. Johnny goes to the rancher to tell him he didn’t do it. Gets himself beat up by two heavyweight employes. But wait. Johnny survived. No brain damage. Amazing!!

Johnny also can kill lots of the rancher's employees with two sawed off shotguns over the rancher’s employee’s rifles. Amazing!!

Why is it in movies and also this story that women do stupid things? Someone knocks at the door of a woman’s house at night. She looks out, doesn’t see anyone, so she grabs a lantern and goes outside. Seriously?

Then there are two women fighting one guy. Have blown off one of his ears with a shotgun and hit him in the head with a tea kettle. He is down on the floor and what do the women do? Run away. 🙄

[Danny Mcalister]

very enjoyable 10 out 10

[Cody Wilson]

Honestly, in my top 3 favorite books. The plot and twist kept me invested and the brief moments of comedy had me laughing. For anyone who wants a solid western I would 10/10 recommend this one

[Sandy]

Good fast read with plenty of action