Readers of westerns know they are going to read a great book when the authors name is Johnstone. The Johnstone series of books run the library shelf from the dynasty driven Jensen family to Preacher.....a mountain man of some repute. Then you have Perly Gates and the Have Bride team of Bo and Scratch. Last in the line today is Hunter Buchannan, a young man just trying to survive in an exceedingly tough town. But when it looks as if he has hit rock bottom, Hunter will bounce back.
The Johnstones set their stories in realistic scenery with some very unusual support characters who mange to tell a story all by themselves. If you love lots of action and straight forward characters, pick up any of the Johnstone books and start reading.

A good kind of western mystery genre. Full of suspense and has lots of action. I had not read a book in this series before but really enjoyed this one. Obviously can be read as a stand-alone.

Blood in the Dust is an entertaining western by William W Johnstone. It is exactly what I would expect from his writing. It is great. Five stars.

Blood in the Dust (A Hunter Buchanon Black Hills Western #2). By William W. Johnstone & J. A. Johnstone. 2020. Pinnacle Books (ARC eBook).

Blood in the Dust is a roller coaster of a ride for Hunter Buchanan. His gold has been stolen, an old-friend has been murdered, the Black Hills town of Tigerville’s tolerance of him is lukewarm at best, nefarious newcomers and he’s a jerk to his lady love; but is there a new lady love on the scene? And I also enjoyed the coyote, Bobby Lee, who sometimes (all the time) thinks more clearly than his human compatriot. An entertaining western all around.

William Johnstone books are always full of action and adventure. This book is the same. Hunter Buchanon has managed to forge a new life. After finding the perfect woman, he thinks finally his life will go right. However, when his ranch burns and his gold is taken, what will he do? After a stagecoach robbery leaves only Hunter and one passenger alive, Hunter must fight even harder. When Anabelle is kidnapped, will he get his girl and his gold back? I really enjoyed this book I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

I recently finished Blood in the Dust the second book in this new series from William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. This time fate has some surprises in store for Hunter Buchanon. Some issues from the first book get fixed in this book, I don't know if there will be more in this series. Johnstone keeps coming up with new series all the time, amazing considering he has been dead since 2004. He was crazy productive alive. I have always enjoyed his books. I must thenk #Netgalley #Pinnacle and Kensingtonbooks for giving this one to me.

William and J. A. Johnstone wrote a book about a Confederate veteran living in a Black Hills' enclave with many Yankee sympathizers. He was a tracker who saw the depravations of war where brothers fought brothers. The book is called Blood in the Dust and is about Hunter Buchanon. Hunter is a young man who has seen the depravations of war and really just wants to be left alone. He is a man of many talents including gold mining, although his gold dust was found and stolen by another, leaving him and his father pretty destitute. He has a quick temper and a quicker and faster fist to handle most issues.

He has a pet coyote, named Bobby Lee, who exhibits many of traditional traits of a coyote. Bobby Lee is very protective of both Hunter and his friends including the nice girl turned saloon drinks girl, Anabelle. Hunter and Anabelle were to be married when Hunter had his gold stolen. He refuses to expect a woman to marry him when he has nothing in a material sense to offer.

With this as a background, there are family issues to nag hunter—his own as well as Anabelle’s. There are ne’er-do-wells who get involved and one who loses his life. This creates of cascading and interlocking stories leading to Hunter becoming the town marshal. Of course, a series of bandits and bad guys appear, and Hunter is determined to solve the crimes they are directly and indirectly responsible for causing.

A beautiful woman from Denver who is hired as the local schoolteacher complicates the story as does a supposed husband that she shot in a very sensitive place. As you might guess, there are all sorts of interconnections including family issues that must be solved.

Since in most Westerns, the good guys always win, you might expect this to happen here but there are some unexpected twists that must be handled before any wedding can take place.

This was an enjoyable read and went very rapidly. It is one of those novels that is just hard to put down and page after page gets turned when the reader wants to know what’s next.

In Blood in the Dust, Johnstone's second in the Hunter Buchanan Black Hills Western series (Pinnacle 2020), Buchanan and his long-time partner Charlie are carrying a mine payroll and two passengers in their stage coach. They’re attacked by outlaws and everyone is killed except Hunter and one eastern woman who does nothing but complain. She’s prissy, snobbish, and beautiful, with no idea how to save her own life in perilous circumstances. It falls to Hunter to force her to do what must be done like find cover and avoid detection by the outlaws who are still out there somewhere.

Here’s a taste of this annoying though beautiful woman

Hunter rose and ran back to where the woman sat on her knees, head down, bawling.

“If you think those two will treat you any better than I have, I’ll leave you. That what you want?” He was running hard, pulling the unwilling woman along behind him. “No, but . . . oh, go to hell!”

Despite her pique, he had saved her life, she reminded herself. She supposed she should feel grateful. All she really felt, however, was weariness and rage at the fates that had placed her in such a horrid and downright deadly situation.

Do you see why I dislike her? As one who cherishes strong resilient women who will do what they must, I sure didn't cherish--or respect--this woman. So of course, I kept reading. I won’t ruin the story by telling you if she remains a b**** or man’s up but I will take you it's worth the read. Turns out, she's a very complicated woman.