much character driven. Each series has at it's heart, a character defined by his history , plus their stories you can get lost in

A Knife in the Heart is a great addition to A Hank Fallon Western series by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone. I enjoyed it and giving four stars.

Johnstone westerns are very much character driven. Each series has at it's heart, a character defined by his history while building a better future for the community he serves. While the western genre has traditionally been defined by Louie L'amour and Zane Grey, the Johnstones are some of the best authors still publishing today. Their stories span the US and her territories during an era of expansion and growth driven by greed of some and hope for the future of others. Their characters span the range from mountain men to pioneer settlers; from Texas reformers to local lawmen with questionable histories of their own. Any Johnstone book is an enjoyable reading experience. Well defined but still rough around the edges, their characters live in communities that are true to the history of the time.

Hank Fallon is a lawman. He came to his current job offer through experience...he's been everything from a Federal Marshall to a prisoner wrongly convicted. He has a job and a family he loves, why would he trade those for a warden's job at Ft Leavenworth? Because being a sheriff in a small town would not give us a very exciting story. And exciting is what we get when Hank's family is threatened...you should never threaten Hank's family. This is a western, so no spoiler, the good guys win in the end, but the journey to get there is well worth your precious time. Join Hank as he makes sure his little piece of the west is safe for all families, not just his.

The novel by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone entitled A Knife in the Heart is somewhat different from the other Johnstone books that I’ve read and thoroughly enjoyed. Certainly, it is not bad but this one focuses on Hank Fallon who has done a lot of things n his life including being an incarcerated prisoner. All of his experiences make him the man he is today.

In this book, he gives up being a U.S. Marshal in Wyoming to become the warden of Leavenworth prison… where a new facility is still under construction. The older facility is still there and has plenty of bad people. Because of his experiences in being an inmate, he seems to know all the tricks of the prisoners but is a compassionate man as well. He sees the goodness in people and if they are willing to meet him half-way he is on their side.

Escapes, kidnappings, attempted murder and other not so pleasant activities including murder are part of the story as Fallon tries to bring a more modern approach to prisons. Not everyone is liking this “new normal” there and do their best to thwart his actions.

On occasion, he is known to revert to his former lives including a stint as a Deputy Marshal in the Indian Territory and as a prisoner himself. The key is not to make him mad, although he is slow to anger.
While different from other Johnstone books, it is still enjoyable and shows off a different writing genre. I’d recommend it for those looking for something different from the good guys always wearing white hats. This one may be more realistic that some others. I enjoyed it. In fairness, I need to say that I was given a pre-publication copy in return for an honest review by #NetGalley. As in any prepublication, there are a number of errors that proofing will catch before the actual publication and they are not too distracting.