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.

This was a great story. I really like how this book not only had troubles with Indians but also a kidnapping. This made the story exciting and I definitely enjoyed reading it. The characters were great and developed well. I actually rated this book 3.5 stars rounded up as it was so close to getting that 4th star. It had a great medium pace that built up to a great end. Its obviously that part of this story may well feature in the next book. The journey might not be over yet. I loved the description in the book and it lead to some great atmosphere and tension. The story was well wrote and mostly kept my attention but there was a couple of times I switched off where the pace slowed a little. Although not my favourite story I still really enjoyed the reading experience as it held some exciting events. I definitely recommend reading this book especially if you have read the rest if this story. 

Many thanks to the author and publishers for creating such an enjoyable story. 

The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo,amazon UK where found and my blog today https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/dead-river-by-ww-ja-johnstone-kensington-books-3-5-stars either under my name or ladyreading365

Of the 200+ Johnstone Clan books I've read, this is one of the best. This is a very well written sprawling novel with the typically well-defined characters. What separates this from other Johnstone books is an involved plot with great separate tales that draw together into a well thought out book coming from more than one viewpoint. There's extra and focused attention to setting and characters react to whatever each is around. Whoever this ghost writer is needs to be tied down in the Johnstone Corral and kept typing. Excellent work.

A big plus here is a well paced story that builds and builds. In other Johnstone books, this effort has lead to a brief ending that comes across as something missing. This one leads to fulfillment and satisfaction to a conclusion of so very much before the ending.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of ten points.

This is a book reviewed via access from NewGalley.com.

What a great intro to the story in Dead River by William W. Johnstone and J. A. Johnstone. This is the fourth book about The Jackals, sadly it felt like there was something missing in the story. I would have liked some kind of closure connected to the intro. Still it is a good western and so far I have enjoyed this series. I thank @kensingtonbooks @netgalley and #Pinnacle for giving me this advance copy and @williamw.j.a.johnstone for writing it. #NetGalley #Kensington #DeadRiver #WilliamWJohnstone #JAJohnstone #Western #TheJackals

Johnstone's fourth installment from The Jackals series, Dead River, is a pretty good read. I am giving it four star.s

Dead River, by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, is an interesting tale of the wild west that mainly involved men known as "Jackels", the worse of human kind, with black and ugly hearts. A former Texas ranger and a grand mustanger named Matt McCulloch, a federal Army sergeant (an Irishman) named Sean Keegan, and a bounty hunter who was named Jed Breen... said to have the blackest heart of all. Intertwined in this story are two fierce Apaches, Blood Moon and Three Dogs. Although all of the men had a hand in killing, but it's arguable that they were TRUE jackals in the sense of the word. from those who intimately had firsthand accounts of their deeds. What's not arguable is a soldier of the Confederacy named Block Frazer. Block Frazer was a true jackal in every sense.

With true purpose, revenge, and to recover what was lost and stolen, those who were said to be Jackals in and around Purgatory City, Texas, will be in one of the biggest bloodiest dog fights known of this time. Will revenge be served? Purpose achieved? Recovered what was lost? Justice accomplished by jackals?

PUBLICATION DATE: FEBRUARY, 22, 2022

4 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Recommended

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the Johnstone's for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

The jacals or perhaps better known as the Western Musketeers are major players in the novel “Dead River” by the Johnstone conglomerate (William and J.A.). This story is focused on Matt McCullough who lost his family to raiding Apaches. McCullough is a master horseman, and the beginning pages has him devoting time to capture this beautiful gray stallion. His former friends and partners Jed Breen, a bounty hunter, and Sean Keegan, retired sergeant are also a focus in the story.

No Western would be complete without a renegade Native American and you have one with Bloody Hand, an Apache. Tying these three together is the meat of the story and I will not do it in this review. Bloody Hand is a wanted man, and a $20 thousand bounty is on his head. So not only Breen is looking for him but also many others who want that money. There is also an expatriate Confederate, Major Block Frazer who wants in on this escapade.

McCullough has discovered that his entire family was not massacred in the earlier attack, but a beloved daughter is still alive but being held in a village along the banks of the Dead River in Mexico. The magnificent gray stallion in to be the trade price for his daughter.

The story of how the three partners, other bounty hunters, the U.S. Army, Mexican Rurales, and others come together is the story. It is fast paced story and full of adventure but also quick death. The various parties are not much interested in working together and no one seems to trust any other.

While this read was part of Net Galley’s read and review program, unlike most others I’ve read, the number of typos was a bit annoying and distracted from total reading enjoyment. I’d definitely recommend this as a read for Western novel lovers and especially the interactions of the various groups creates a good storyline.