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. I made the mistake of picking up a Johnstone western my uncle was reading. Ive been hooked ever since. Now I share them with my reading family and will continue as long as new Johnstones are released.

William W Johnstone's fourth installment from The Jensen Brand's series, Gold Mine Massacre, is a wonderful read. Five stars.

#GoldMineMassacre #NetGalley
A sturdy crossover between two series. Not too boring, not too gritty and a bit of ecological too. Nice addition to fans of Johnstone.

The Jensen Brand is a great western series. This one is called Gold Mine Massacre and is another adventure by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. Denise "Denny" Jensen stumbles on a bankrobbery and get some help from a dude that's new in town. It turns out that the daughter of Smoke Jensen meets the son of Frank Morgan. Great stuff. Frank Morgan has his own series as well as Conrad "Kid" Morgan. Those are also great series by @williamw.j.a.johnstone . Conrad is in Big Rock to mine gold. Then trouble starts. I must thank @netgalley @kensingtonbooks and @pinnaclepublishers #WhatIamReading #LibraryOfAbibliofob #eARC #WilliamWJohnstone #JAJohnstone #Western #SmokeJensen #JensenBrand #GoldMineMassacre #ConradMorgan #NetGalley

“Gold Mine Massacre” by William and J. A. Johnstone is another book in the Smoke Jensen series. Like the others it does not disappoint the reader of Western novels. This particular novel ‘s storyline focuses on Smoke Jensen’s daughter Denise better known as Denny.

The plot begins with several men who are buying up old gold mining properties in the area with the idea of resurrecting them through the use of modern hydraulic mining techniques. For those not in the know, this entails using a high-pressure water hose to blast rocks and dirt free and then uses a sluice to capture the gold. Of course, this creates muddy water, which the ranchers were not familiar with and don't know how to deal with it.....

As can be expected this is not what the ranchers who sold the mining rights were expecting as their money lies in ranching and cattle. A German engineer names Strom and a handsome business partner named Conrad seem interested mostly in the gold. But things happen in the partnership making for an interesting story.

It does not hurt that Conrad is the son of a fast gun sort of along the lines of Smoke and who is very handsome and is struck by Denny’s beauty. Of course, a U.S. Marshal named Brice also likes her. So, there are some romantic overtones to go along with the political issues of hydraulic mining and cattle ranching colliding.

A standoff ensues in the valley and various alliances come and go including hiring some hired hands who are fast with the gun but loose with morals and ethics.

A delightful read that moves very fast and leaves the reader wanting more. A definite read for any Western aficionado and especially for those liking to learn more about the Jensen family.

There’s no better old West story than one about the Jensen family. In Western literature, these intertwined series are at the top of the genre for their historic facts, strong characters, and well-drawn plots that make you part of the story. Gold Mine Massacre (Pinnacle Books 2021), fourth in the Jensen Brand series, focuses on the Jensen children instead of their famous adults (like Smoke), this one on the strong-willed, independent teenager Denny whose dream is to take over management of Sugarloaf, the family ranch. She spends much of her time honing the skills required to grow the ranching business while her father moves on to the demands of shaping the wild west into a civilized world for his children. A beautiful young woman arrives at Big Rock to re-open a defunct saloon at about the same time that young Conrad Morgan, son of Frank Morgan, a famous gunslinger who fought at Smoke's side at times, unleashes a new mining strategy on the grassland around town that promises to make defunct mines again profitable. The young woman attracts the attention of Denny’s sometimes beau, Deputy U.S. Marshall Bryce while Conrad Morgan focuses on the wild and beautiful Denny. Conrad's mining strategy starts benignly enough but soon causes problems for local ranchers which puts him at odds with Denny, threatening his growing affection for her. When it seems this 'hydraulics' mining can't peacefully coexist with the cattle business, Denny reaches the only decision she can--protect her family's ranch. 

This is an excellent book and a worthy extension of one of my favorite western families. Many writers can’t transition from old favorite characters to the next generation but Johnson seems to have done that without losing a step. Highly recommended for those who love the Western genre.