A good western that has Perley Gates and Possum who both ride together for the Gates family ranch. Perley is the youngest brother but he is also the one who seems to get into a bind from time to time. Not meaning to he ends up usually having to draw with someone and the other person ends up in Boot Hill, he has a quick draw that comes naturally. He of course is taken by a girl in the local town but after seeing one of the shootings she is wondering about marrying him later he and Possum are sent to purchase some cattle but along the way, they come along with some women stranded with a broken wagon wheel. After helping them and purchasing the cattle they decide to look for the women and once again they find them selves in trouble, now the two of them stay with them until they get to where they are going. Of course, nothing is that simple and there is more trouble along the way and when they get home. Perley once again is shooting, but not by choice. This is actually a good book with good characters.

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.

Perley Gates is a favorite character! With a name like his, well trouble is always looking to meet up with Perley. Perley and Possum come to the rescue when they meet some stranded lovely ladies and of course, with Perley, no good deed goes unpunished.

When Pearly and Possum are out to do a transaction for Ruben for 50 Hampford heifers they run into some sporting women and the little girl with the broken wheel and of course pearly stops to help The women or heading to Nacogdoches to start a new business and I’m grateful for pearly and possums helping hand but it is a few days later when pearly decide to go check on the ladies that his help really comes in handy three men have stopped at the campsite on side the road and decided to take their money and not leave them alive so when the good Samaritan and his old pal show up it is right on time. since they’re finished dealing with Ruben‘s heifers they decide to escort the women all the way to their destination but when they stop in Nacogdoches this is when pearly’s horse Buck gets stolen by the Tartling brothers since Brooke is unpredictable pearly leaves right away to get his horse back because he’s afraid when he asked his old ornery self they may shoot him in Pearl he loves his horse but unfortunately the brothers don’t want to give up that easy in the graceful gone man leaves them all deceased in his week this should have been the end of it but they have brothers and their brothers want payback the only problem is they’re coming to the triple D ranch to get it. I really enjoyed this edition of the pearly gates books because we got to see more of mama gates and he also has romance problems with Becky when she sees him in the showdown he tried everything to avoid. We also got to see more of the brothers in the family in this book and I really enjoyed it I also loved the gun battles and the principles that Pearly maintains. If you love a great western then you will love “The Lonesome gun“ by William and Jay Johnstone I want to thank net galley and pinnacle Kensington books for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Perley Gates has a rough life. He becomes a fast shooter.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and the publisher Kensington.

The Lonesome Gun gives me another reason why Johnstone is my go to when it comes to Western Fiction. Five stars.

The Lonesome Gun is not the best Perley Gates story but it's not the worst either. William W. johnstone and J.A. Johnstone has so many westerns going on that a few of them will slip through on autopilot. I do enjoy the characters even though I'm a little tired of his girlfriend. I like the fact that there are a few new series with characters not typically found in westerns. I have to thank Kensington Books and Pinnacle oh and Netgalley of course.

“The 7th blazing adventure featuring legendary gunslinger Perley Gates, a new hero in the Old West who’s as honest and good as his heavenly name. Perley always fights on the side of the angels. But in the East Texas county of Angelina, the war is half over—and the devils are winning .”

I adore the character of Perley Gates. Insanely fast with a gun, but never flaunts it and tries to always give the troublemakers that challenge him to a gun fight a way out. Unfortunately, every one of them learn the hard way!

Now some think he’s an angel because of his name, and the uncanny way he seems to come to the rescue - especially the damsels in distress he comes across while on a job riding for the Triple G (the family ranch).

That seems to be least of the problems he’s again about ready to step into the proverbial “cow pie” of trouble, - he seems to do that with his partner a lot (Possum). Yep, one cow pie after another. To find trouble seems his moral compass is right on - he don’t have to look far.

And then there’s the little matter of his fiancé, he loves her, she loves him - will he finally take the big step or will he get “a sign” indicating something else to him?

Good action throughout, clean writing, some humorous dialogue and scenes that were an unexpected bonus to the story. Food poisoning is NOT that funny (unless it’s in this western and you get a painted picture realistic picture of the urgency that befalls him. Poor guy!

This book a great addition to the Perley Gates series in the Western genre. If you’re a Johnstone fan, check it out. Recommended.

My thanks to the publisher, to Johnstone & Co, and to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own

Another interesting adventure for Perley Gates and Possum Smith and the situations they often find themselves in is the focus of this novel. This particular story begins with Perley being sent on a buying expedition by his older brother, Rubin. There are three Gates brothers that own the Triple-G Ranch.

Perley, as the youngest brother, gets all the grunt work but that does not bother him. He has the most adventures. Doesn't hurt that he is lightening fast on the draw although he does not flout the fact and prefers that no one knows about his speed.

Along the way the two intrepid ranch workers (Perley & Possum) get caught up with two wagons of "working women" where one of the wheels is busted. Being gentlemen that work to fix it for them before concluding the deal to buy the cattle, Unfortunately this is just the beginning of several run-ins with several different bands of nefarious outlaws and then the entire Tarpley clan.

With horse thieving and revenge-seeking members of the Tarpley's, Perley and Possum have an adventuresome time. It makes for a good read and one that is fast-paced.

Don't expect high-brow literature here; because it's not. But if you are looking for a traditional western story where there is some mayhem and madness then this is a story for you. I definitely recommend it to any western reader of books.