There is no such thing as a bad Johnstone western. Each series is built around main characters whose belief in the law and family is absolute, even if they've had to be reformed to get there. From Preacher, the original mountain man to the Jensen family to Perly Gates, to.....well, you get the point. Many times, characters from one series will show up in another as supporting hands. The communities are true to the era, clothing, guns, food and troubles are all what you'd find if you looked them up in the history books. No two stories are the same, each character or set of characters is unique and so are their stories. The writing is skillful, readers are pulled into the story and you will laugh and cry right along with the characters.

By the Neck is a great beginning to the Stoneface Finnegan Westerns series by William W. Johnstone. Five stars.

A new take with lots of adventure describes this western by the Johnstone's. As always I enjoyed this book by them. This Rollie's story - he was a former Pinkerton agent with lots of experience. The decides to hut for gold in Idaho but when he arrives the local saloon owner is killed. Instead of looking for gold he decides to buy the saloon. and adventure ensues.

Enjoyed this western by William Johnstone as I usually do his books. He always provides a fresh take with plenty of adventure.

This book was such a fast read for me. The action and adventure made me slice through the pages like butter. No Kidding. It sailed by in my reading time partly owing to the fact that it was great adventure, fun to read, and full of action! I love that the Stonefaced Finnegan character will be part of a series. Plus any book that takes place in the west or southwest really pulls in my intrigue and fascination. I look forward to more from this series coming out later this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for this free E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I have read By The Neck, one of the latest series from William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. This book introduces Rollie "Stoneface" Finnegan ex Pinkerton agent on his journey to support himself now that he no longer has a job. He has heard that there's gold in Boar Gulch in Idaho.... Instead of mining gold he winds up mining the miners. This is a somewhat different western and I found it to my liking. The characters are great and the frontier justice is as well. I must thank #Pinnacle #KensingtonBooks and #Netgalley for giving me this treat. If you like westerns I am sure you'll like this one.

This book by William Johnstone, “By the Neck,” was somewhat of a disappointment. It is not up to the typical quality and page-turning urge, I’ve always gotten with one of Johnstone’s book. The story was sort of s dud. I’m not sure if it was because of the protagonist, Rollie Stoneface Finnegan who was a Pinkerton injured on the job and then put out to pasture. He had captured a large number of really bad people in his career and either had them executed or jailed them.

After the last injury he goes through a bit of a downward spiral and ends up in a mining camp high in the mountains. He gets to thinking about settling down and ends up opening a local watering hole that is basically a canvas and logs affair. There is no real law or government there in the hills but Rollie is a good man who takes over with a law and order standard.

All goes well until folks start rolling in with a vendetta to kill Finnegan. There are only one or two who are handled easily especially with help from some of Stoneface’s friends. All goes pretty well until a woman with a stronger hate and ads placed in newspapers listing where Finnegan lives. These ne’er-do-wells start rolling in and then the smelly stuff hits the fan. The climax is a battle; injuries and deaths occur.

Should the ex-Pinkerton leave or stand his ground and defend his business and livelihood along with his friends? Or should he turn tail. Gotta read this book to find out. Just don’t expect the development and high adventure that I had come to expect from a Johnstone novel. Not bad btu not up to his usual high adventure stories.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"Rollie Finnegan is a man of few words. He'll clean up this grimy little boomtown once and for all--with his own brand of Stoneface justice..."

Good story. Lots of action from start and finish. I'm looking forward to reading the next in series.

4☆

"By the Neck", a Stoneface Finnegan western, was a smooth western, proportional to the storyline.

Rollie Finnegan, former Pinkerton detective, moves to Boar Gulch to start his life over after an attempt was made on his life. He buys the local saloon, and soon enough is told that he, being an ex-Pinkerton agent will have serious ramifications. It was claimed by a woman talking to him one morning having coffee, that he had ruined her life, and several other lives, over the years as a Pinkerton agent who tracked them down and testified against them, sending them away to prisons. And now, a generous bounty has been put on his head to have him killed. She also told him that she personally had took out an ad in every newspaper she could think of, telling the world where Rollie Finnegan is living so every criminal he had ever came in contact with could have their revenge.

Rollie is no longer a Pinkerton agent, he is still healing from serious wounds after an attempt on his life, and now....is just the new guy in town, the saloon owner with no real friends or family. It does not take long before all heck starts breaking lose again, but as a former Pinkerton agent with two decades of experience under his belt, can he possibly have a chance with the war that's coming?

3.5 Stars rounded up

My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.