In Audubon, Texas the sheriff, Andrew Peabody, is out of commission when, while trying to arrest a criminal, a bullet rips through his chest. The local doctor says it doesn't look good - the bullet is too close to the heart and he knows he doesn't have the skill set to remove it safely. But it so happens that Peabody's deputy sheriff, Dalton Conyers, happens to be brother-in-law to one of the most renowned surgeons in the world. He'll wire his sister and ask if her husband can come and help.

There's never a good time to be without the sheriff, but it couldn't be much worse. The railroad company is sending tens of thousands of dollars to the Audubon bank so that they can hire laborers to construct a new line. But a tough gang of criminals are going to try to get that money for themselves. Enter Smoke Jensen, a tall, tough, fast-drawing mountain man who evens the odds just by showing up.

I've generally enjoyed the Johnstone books I've read in the past few years, but this one kind of let me down. Though William W. Johnstone's name is in large print on the cover (he died in 2004) and niece J.A. Johnstone is attributed to carrying on the brand from the elder Johnstone's notes, this book did't have the same 'feel' to it.

In general, I found the author of <em>Torture of the Mountain Man</em> to be talking down to the reader. We couldn't be trusted, it seems, to pick up on hints and clues - things needed to be repeated.
<blockquote>“Why was it you tried to kill im?”
“On account of he is the son of a bitch that kilt my brother.”
“So, that’s how come you know ’im, huh? ’Cause he kilt your brother?” Claymore asked.
“Yeah.”</blockquote>
We also have a fair amount of characters asking leading questions, just to get a little information dump.
<blockquote>“Yeah, I remember Cutter MacMurtry. I remember his brother, Hatchett, too. They both worked for Pa until Cutter got arrested for killing Father Grayson and his wife and two little children. All for just over a hundred dollars as I recall.”</blockquote>
Although my favorite is still the simple, direct approach: "By the way, captain of what?"

I typically see this kind of writing in self-published or small press publishers, but I don't expect to see it when there's a respected author's name attached to it (even if it is just a brand now).

I don't remember having any issues with this style of authorship with the previous Johnstone books I've read.

The story arc is decent and very direct. There's not much subplot going on here. Bad guys. They want to steal things. Good guys need help and the hero arrives. It was entertaining enough to keep me reading, despite my feeling treated like a novice reader.

Lastly ... I don't understand the title. <em>Torture of the Mountain Man</em>. The "Mountain Man part I get. That's Smoke Jensen. This 46 book series is called The Last Mountain Man. But where... <em>what</em> ... was the torture? The word Torture itself is used only once ... in the title of the book. It does not appear anywhere else (we can check these things pretty easily now). And that's okay to not actually use the word, but I expected to see Smoke feeling tortured (if not actually physically being tortured), and I did not. This strikes me as nothing more than hyperbole to make the book sound much more exciting than it is, and that, along with the writing style, now has me just a little leery about picking up another book by the author(s).

Looking for a good book? <em>Torture of the Mountain Man</em> by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone doesn't quite hold to the excitement and quality of previous books by the authors, but if your OCD won't allow you to miss a volume in your collection, you might still find something to enjoy here.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Torture Of the Mountain Man

Series: The Last Mountain Man #46

Author: William W. Johnstone & J.A.Johnstone
November 27th 2018

Pages : 336

Rating: 5

When Smoke Jensen is summoned to a small Texas town under siege by a scourge of kill-crazy bandits, volunteers line up to take out the Mountain Man. Being Smoke Jensen, he wouldn’t have it any other way.



A gunshot wound has robbed Audubon, Texas, of its top lawman at the worst possible time. Clete Lanagan and his band of outlaws have hatched a scheme to plunder the town bank of a small fortune in railroad money. When the acting sheriff, Dalton Conyers—half-brother of Smoke’s niece Rebecca—is unable to raise a posse to hunt down Lanagan’s gang, he calls on Smoke for help.



But with so much cash at stake, Lanagan won’t go down without a fight. With a bounty on his head, Smoke finds himself marked for death by a legendary gunslinger, a wrathful ranch hand bent on revenge for his brother’s death, and an army of trigger-happy recruits with nothing to lose but their lives.


My thoughts

Would I recommend it : yes'

Would I read any more by this author? yes

No matter how many times I read their books , its still like its the first time I've picked them up, no matter the story line or series, there's just something about their writing that I love and it has made them one of my all time favorite authors to read. This series never gets old for me even if I am reading it out of order but that's never been a problem for me , because I keep getting lost in the story , the characters come to life off the pages as well as the places the story take place in , with that said I want to thank Netgalley for letting me read and review it exchange for my honest opinion.

When the author's name is Johnstone, you can count on a great storyline featuring your favorite characters. The Western genre is as diverse as any other so it's great to know that you will have a consistently enjoyable read when you choose one of their books.

This story features Smoke Jensen, one of my favorite characters, who is just trying to live a peaceable life while working his ranch. Smoke has never been one to turn his back on a fight so when the sheriff is killed, he steps up to lead the posse. Anyone who has read Johnstone's Westerns knows there will be a good story, a good chase and fight and the good guys will win in the end. Along the way you'll meet several characters you will remember from other Johnstone books and meet a few new ones that will show up in other story lines. This is one of the great things about these books. The interactions between family, friends and enemies will keep you reading way past the time you should have turned off the light! I've been reading Johnstone books for many years and hope to be reading them for many more. That's the best recommendation I can make for any book.

A worthy protege has stepped forward to carry on the tradition of William W. Johnstone. If you see the Johnstone name on the cover, get the book. In the tradition of Zane Grey and Louis L’Amour, the bad guys are bad, really bad, while the good guys are good even if troubled or carrying emotional baggage.. In this book, Smoke Jensen must show what a good man is really made of if he is to protect the town from Lanagan’s gang and a vengeance-seeking gunslinger.

Another great book by these authors. Highly recommend to fans of this genre, great plot and characters.

I thought Torture of the Mountain Man was a great read. I am giving it a well-deserved five plus stars.

I like to save my Johnstone books for when I am having a bad day. They are like a fine piece of chocolate or comfort food. They help make everything okay in the world. I love the Smoke series the best though and I loved this one!

William Johnstone has a wide collection of Jenkins-family characters in his Wild West universe. They all have their own series, built around the life they chose in the Wild West, be it a mountain main, a sheriff, or a rancher. I love this approach and it’s hard not to read each series because I feel like I know the characters.

In Torture of the Mountain Main, Smoke Jenkins has moved on from being a mountain man in the pristine beauty of the Rocky Mountains to running a ranch with his wife Sally and a few memorable ranch hands (who reappear in many of the series books). He was commissioned by the governor of Colorado as a deputy Marshall so wears that badge when needed, which it is when a relative asks for help running down a violent gang of bank robbers who love murdering people for no reason. The town's sheriff is shot in the most recent robbery and Smoke's nephew asks him to help when he can't raise a posse. Smoke will always help a relative and goes with a couple of his ranch hands.

What the robbers don't know is that Smoke Jenson is reputed to be one of the fastest guns with incredible luck when facing other gunslingers. What happens next is a brilliantly told story of gunfights, criminals and their life on the run, the courage of common people, and how love blooms in the most unlikely of places. What really sets this story apart from so many others is that this drama is wound into the daily life of old west Texas. This, for me, makes for a riveting story and an exciting look at life 150 years ago.

One note: I didn't get the title. I almost didn't read the book because I didn't want to see one of my favorite Western characters tortured, but he wasn't. Hmm...  Ooops. Is that a spoiler?

--will be reviewed on my blog, WordDreams, 2/11/19