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J. A. Johnstone

    Drawing on the tutelage of her uncle, the celebrated Western author William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone learned the craft of storytelling and the creation of believable characters directly from the master. Extensive hours spent researching and retyping manuscripts honed her understanding of writing's core principles, emphasizing historical accuracy and reader connection. Her mentor's legacy instilled in her a commitment to authenticity and a distinctive narrative voice. Johnstone strives to embody his advice, aiming to be the best J.A. Johnstone she can be as an author.

    Taylor Callahan, Circuit Rider
    Mean and Evil
    Dig Your Own Grave: A Will Tanner U.S. Deputy Marshal Western
    Journey Into Violence: A Texas Dynasty
    Desolation Creek
    The Shotgun Wedding
    • 2023

      Desolation Creek

      • 320 pages
      • 12 hours of reading

      Building a branch takes heart and grit, and Smoke and Sally Jensen are capable of meeting the challenges of the land. When Smoke learns his old friend Preacher has been ambushed by outlaws, he saddles up and hits the vengeance trail with fellow mountain men Audie and Nighthawk. The town of Desolation Creek in Montana Territory has been taken over by Vernon "Venom" McFadden and his men, harassing terrified homesteaders and townsfolk to get his hands on property that's rumored to be rich with gold. Smoke and his friends -- including Sally -- need a plan to root out Venom's gang of prairie rats -- adapted from jacket

      Desolation Creek
    • 2023

      When the company lawyer skips town with the crew's pay, cattle drivers Casey Tubbs and Eli Doolin do one last job before they retire.

      Nice Guys Finish Dead
    • 2023

      Fort Misery: Fort Misery

      • 500 pages
      • 18 hours of reading

      The baddest men in the West battle for their lives against a relentless band of bloodthirsty prairie rats in Fort Misery — first in an electrifying new Western series.

      Fort Misery: Fort Misery
    • 2022

      From the greatest western writers of the 21st century, William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, ex-lawman turned cattle rancher Ty Brannigan returns to fight for what’s his in Wyoming’s Bear Paw mountains using his own unique brand of frontier justice…As a man who traded his tin star for a cattle ranch and a family,Ty Brannigan loves his wife and children. And may Lord have mercy on those who would harm them—because Ty Brannigan will show none .No one knows their way around a faro table, bank vault, or six shooter more than Smilin’ Doc Ford. When he’s not gambling or thieving, he’s throwing lead—or, if he’s feeling especially vicious, slitting throats with his Arkansas toothpick. Roaming the west with Doc is a band of wild outlaws including a pair of hate-filled ex-cons and the voluptuous Zenobia “Zee” Swallow, Doc’s kill-crazy lady.The gang have been on a killing spree, leaving a trail of bodies near Ty Brannigan’s Powderhorn spread in Wyoming’s Bear Paw Mountains. U.S. marshals want Ty to help them track down Smilin’ Doc’s bunch. But when the hunt puts the Brannigan clan in the outlaws’ sights, Ty and his kin take justice into their own hands—and deliver it with a furious, final vengeance.JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE FAMILY COMES FIRST.Live Free. Read Hard.

      Mean and Evil
    • 2022

      JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. DANGEROUS CURVES AHEAD. Slash and Pecos match wits with the wiliest opponent they’ve ever had—a wickedly smart woman who can’t be caught—in their wildest western adventure yet. . . . It sounds like an easy job: track down the lady friend of notorious outlaw Duke Winter and bring her in for questioning. There’s just one problem: Slash and Pecos have never met a woman like Miss Fannie Diamond, a glamorous showgirl who’s prettier than a French poodle, slicker than a Dodge City gambler, and more slippery than a Mojave rattlesnake. She knows that Slash and Pecos are coming for her and has no intention of being caught—not without one of hell of a fight. . . . By the time the duo arrive at the Rocky Mountain mining camp where Miss Diamond is performing, the devilishly clever gal has already arranged a welcome wagon for them: some hired thugs who knock Slash and Pecos silly. Still, the show must go on—so the pair decide to snatch Miss Diamond off the stage in the middle of a performance. It doesn’t take long for Slash and Pecos to learn that there’s no business like show business—and no showgirl like Miss Fannie Diamond. Sometimes, the female of the species is deadlier than the male. . . .

      Sons of Thunder
    • 2022

      "After traversing California from one end to the other, and finding nothing much to his liking, Mac Mackenzie is heeding his heart's call to return to Texas. Lucky for him, a group of cowboys heading for the Lone Star state need someone who knows their way around a chuckwagon. Their previous cook's temper boiled over during a saloon brawl and ended up in jail. With no love for the cook -- or his food -- the cowboys just want to head home peaceably, share some quality meals with good company, and give their boss the small fortune they're carrying from the herd they sold. Otis Bradley knows he's no gourmet, but that's no excuse for his fellow cattlemen to leave him rotting behind bars. He still earned his share of the payroll for this time on the trail -- and after befriending outlaw Stack Ketchum, Otis has a gang of gunfighters ready to dish out some revenge in exchange for the loot. But Otis and Ketchum's badmen haven't reckoned with the likes of Mac, a man who will settle their hash--raw and bloody . . ." -- Publisher marketing

      Settling His Hash
    • 2022
    • 2022

      From the greatest western writers of the 21st century, William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, the first in a brand new series featuring one of the most unique heroes of the lawless West—a mysterious man in black who rides from town to town, delivering the word of God and hard-fought justice…his way. MEET TAYLOR CALLAHAN, TRAVELING PREACHER. In his younger days, Taylor Callahan didn’t know right from wrong—and didn’t much care either. As a Confederate bushwhacker, renegade outlaw, and all-around hellraiser, he gave the devil himself a run for his money. Most folks figured Taylor would end up swinging from a noose or shot dead in poker game. But somewhere along the road to perdition, he decided to change his wicked ways. To atone for his sins. And to fight the good fight—against the evil that men do… So he became a traveling preacher. But Taylor Callahan is no ordinary preacher. He rides the western circuit looking to help lost souls. But his mission of peace takes a violent turn when he enters the godforsaken town of Falstaff, Texas. Better known to locals as “False Hope,” this one-time paradise has become a purgatory for homesteaders—thanks to a greedy rancher, corrupt mayor, and notorious confidence man. Even so, Callahan vows to keep his Colt .45 in his saddle bag. But when these lowlife devils pull out sticks of dynamite, a man has to do what a man has to do—before the whole town is blown to kingdom come…

      Taylor Callahan, Circuit Rider
    • 2022
    • 2021

      The Shotgun Wedding

      • 400 pages
      • 14 hours of reading

      The all-time masters of the classic Western cordially invite you to another trip down the aisle with America's mail order brides--and the foolhardy men who thought they could tame them... Bo Creel and Scratch Morton are mighty proud. They managed to deliver five mail-order brides to the New Mexico mining town of Silverhill in one piece. The town is so grateful, they want to make Bo their marshal and Scratch his deputy. Bo and Scratch are happy to accept the job--and even happier to attend the weddings of the fine young women they brought here... Cecelia has two young suitors--a well-off rancher and a low-born miner--but one of them is not what he seems. Tomboyish Rose has gotten herself roped into a cow-rustling scheme--with the wild young buck who's stolen her heart. Luella has a not-so-secret admirer of her own, a former journalist who's making headlines--with a gang of Mexican bandits. And the refined Jean Parker thinks she's finally found a suitable match in this raucous boomtown. But it turns out her educated doctor has a dishonorary degree--in killing. With marriage prospects like these, Bo and Scratch will have to fight tooth and nail to keep the ladies safe and sound--and a real shotgun wedding is about to begin.

      The Shotgun Wedding