Hell Town

The Last Gunfighter #16

by William W. Johnstone

From the harsh, windswept prairies to the rough and bare-knuckle mountain towns, USA Today bestseller William W. Johnstone has chronicled one man's epic journey of survival, justice and a longing for a place to call home. Now, Frank Morgan is a lone lawman in a living hell.

Buckskin, Nevada, was once a boomtown, then died a peaceful death. But when a fresh vein of silver is struck, Morgan lets himself get pinned with a tin badge at the worst possible time. It's not the crooked gamblers, the petty swindlers, or the stray murderer or two that will give Morgan problems. Instead, the governor sends his militia unbidden, an iron fisted military commander has an agenda of his own, and an outlaw gang decides the time is ripe for an all-out assault on Buckskin. Now, to put out the fire that's stoking a murderous cauldron, the last gunfighter will break rules of law and God-and duel the men who've come to make a killing of their own-with Morgan their first target.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2007

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

[Jason Koivu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hell Town is the continuation of a series by William W. Johnstone following Frank Morgan, a dead-eye gunfighter once known as "The Drifter" but now working as the sheriff of Buckskin. Johnstone delivers just what you'd expect from a western: shoot outs; outlaws; an either righteous or misunderstood sheriff; double dealings; saloon fights; a heap of colorful characters.

Buckskin, this once boom-town-gone-bust, is about to boom again with the reopening of the local mines, which will bring prosperity as well as trouble. Not only does Morgan have to contend with the stubborn-as-a-mule young guns looking to make a name for themselves by taking out the fastest gun in the west, but he also has to manage the unruly practices of one mining company's brash and underhanded owner. Oh, and there's a band of outlaws with a deranged leader about to rain bullets and utter oblivion down upon Buckskin.

The writing is workman-like and, while it's nothing special, it's also nothing to complain about. There's enough period detail to make it believable for me. Johnstone does occasionally use some words and phrasings that stick out as being more modern. Some might find that jarring. I didn't have a problem with it.

With Johnstone it's action, action, action, a passing hint of romance, and then back to the action. The book reads more like a collection of short stories with an overarching theme. Another way to say it would be that the scenes are set up episodically, such as westerns traditionally often are. Quickly wrapping up a storyline, newly presented and completed all in one chapter, can make the scene's consequences seem, well inconsequential. The technique does however allow the writer to introduce a change of pace should the story be growing slow at any point. The end result is a fast-paced, fun read that you'll likely forget five minutes after finishing.

To say William Johnstone wrote a lot of books would be to say the ocean holds a lot of water. Johnstone wrote for only about 25 years, but penned around 150 books in that time. Those books were spread out over quite a few different series, his bio asserting that they fall into the western, horror and survivalist genres. Some are shorter than others, but if you're looking for a nice, long series of say 20 of more books, Johnstone might be your man. I know I'll be giving another of his works a go in the future!

[Violet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Johnstone story; this one with Frank Morgan as marshal for the small town of Buckskin, Nevada. The town has several silver mines that stopped producing but now have chances of starting up again and bringing more people to town, including swindlers and outlaws. Frank does a marvelous job at sorting things out and keeping it peaceful. I especially like the very last page of the story when it is pointed out to him that every citizen of Buckskin will back him in a confrontation. He must be doing something right.

[larry brashear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

This is a great story with a great plot. It is thrilling all the way through. I have never read a bad book by this author.

[Lowell Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great one.

[Dorothy Deusing]

Just saying!!!

I enjoy Johnstone books . would like to know which ones he wrote alone. You can tell the difference in the way they are written. Still good reading.

[Ted Cartier · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 16th book in this series. Still fun but getting a bit tired.

[Derrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great acting. Standard story. Nothing great, but just a good listen.

[Ted Torgerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book. It built up the plot methodically and came together well at the end. Listened to an audio version. Worth the read!

[Deanna S. Burger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Help town

I enjoyed this western, as I have ALL the other books HE has written. I will continue reading them and hopefully will be able to get through them all.

[Truitti · Rating 5 out of 5]

24-64. Holy cow. Another exciting adventure with Frank Morgan. This hombre is one lucky cowboy. I borrowed this e-book from the Sacramento Public Library with the Libby app.

[Wayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book had every cliche from just about every western i have ever read. I did finish it. But, if I had another in the car, I wouln't have. The book is set in a Nevada mining town, nestled on a grassy meadow in the "pine covered foothills of the Wasauck Mountains. You can take my dissatisfaction from there.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, this author writes good novels. There are many of his novels yet to read.