A new-to-me author that is going to become a favorite. This book was very well written and took me to he old west and gold hunting. Very good!

When cord Barnett is told by his local sweetheart that goal was found in California he finds it interesting and even tells his Pa Vern about it despite the drought cord, Pa, Steven and Flint Barnett have no plans to head west but when Pa has a dream they found gold they sell the farm and do exactly that. Heading west can be a very dangerous endeavor and cord his brothers and Paul will find exactly that but when they reach the Platte river they will also find new friends in Abraham Olmsted and his beautiful nubile daughters Glory and Kat when others scoff at Mr. Olmsted bringing beautiful young girls to California people soon learn not only can the girls take care of their self but their poor isn’t shabby at it either, and not to mention they have new protectors in the Barnett Brothers. Cord has taken a liking to the redhead glory and Flynn although he has a wild streak he takes a shine to cat who it seems has a streak of her own. When they finally make it to Rio Ore California The journey may be over but the day they get there trouble soon finds them in the shape of Rick Jones and a town with no law he takes the position of resident outlaw and thinks he runs the town at least the underbelly he does along with Ellis the man who owns the bear flag saloon he isn’t the only one to fear so thankfully on the other side of the street there is Teddy’s bar who is the unofficial mayor of Rio Ore and is a man more chords speed and also a man he can respect. They also make new friends with ham and his childhood best friend who will eventually work for the Barnett and Olmsted claims. Unfortunately Flint Burnett doesn’t want to work hard and wants to find an easier way to make money they already heard about the reapers but what chord and Paul Olmsted didn’t hear was that once the group arrived in the settlement Flint make quick work of becoming a member. It isn’t until cord becomes Marshall and big lovable Steve becomes assistant Marshall and this is where the problem comes in Flint wants Steve to let him know the ins and outs of what’s happening in the town but when it comes right down to it Steve wants to have a change of heart. He looked up to his brother Flint and would do anything for him but Steve isn’t a bad guy in is finding it hard to hang with the evil side of his brother he loves both his brothers but he will have to choose between breaking the law and robbing their friends and neighbors are letting Cord know what his brother has been up to. I love the Johnstone westerns and I noticed not as many are coming out I hope that doesn’t mean it is the end of an era there is much more to the story I do have one critique however in the book they kept referring to them as the 49ers and that term didn’t come out until a few decades later but that was just a small critique and didn’t affect enjoyment of the book at all I love these books so much I thought the Barnetts were a great family with the exception of Flint and I also love Pa Olmsted. Are always fine the Johnstone writing so vivid he can really draw a picture in your head and you start giving the characters your own vision of what they’re doing in any certain situation not to mention he is great with catching small details that I find a lot of writers disregard. If you’re looking for a great book in the wild west you definitely won’t go wrong with the 49ers from William and J Johnstone I love this book and definitely recommend it. I want to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

There is no such thing as a bad Johnstone book. Westerns fill a large portion of my library with Johnstone titles holding several shelves. The stories are vividly portrayed and authentic to the era. Dust, mud and blood flow through the stories as the characters take the law into their own hands. The Johnstone name is branded on many series, each one following a family that has earned their right to claim their place in the history of the western settlers. Through these series, you can easily see the hardships that come naturally with each new generation.

The Forty-Niners is the start of a new series centered around three brothers as they make their way to California in the 1849 gold rush. They will face their challenges in the only way possible. Violence will be met with violence. With guns or fists, these brothers will take their place in the newest Johnstone dynasty. 5 easy stars from this western lover and charter member of the Johnstone fan club.

I'm a big fangirl of gold rush and early US history stories, and while I'd stopped reading the Johnstone books for quite a while, this was yet another that I'm tickled with! Thank you!

Another great adventure by Johnstone. Interesting characters, good read.

And now a few more words to get to 100 characters long.

3.5☆

Readers and lovers of Western Fiction will definitely want to pick up Johnstone's The Forty Niners. It was a fabulous read for me. I loved it. Five stars.

Follow a family of a father and his three sons who decide to leave their home as their hardscrabble farm in Arkansas becomes untenable and is about to be repossessed by a lender. Crop failures and weather lead them to head west for the gold rush to California in 1848-49. They will arrive in 1849 and be part of the wave of forty-niners!

This is the story that the Johnstones weave in the book of the same name (The Forty-Niners). Along the way there is a wagon train of other gold prospectors, They endure many hardships including attacks by renegades, both white and red. Reaching the gold fields and a mining camp at last, they find that much is not what they expected. The father passes away on the way westward but the three brothers - Flint, Steve, and Cord—are determined to make their fortune..one way or another.

The boys experience love, friendship, fulfillment, anguish, loss, and many other emotions during the journey and upon arrival. Exactly how the story turns out will have to be found out through reading the book. It is a good story and I’d recommend it.

This William Johnstone tale, The Forty-Niners (Pinnacle 2023), tells the story drawn from America's Gold Rush, often told and retold, but this one, thanks to Johnstone's voice, sounds fresh and new. You read how farmers and workers and any number of desperate people on America's East Coast and the Midwest found hope in the Gold Rush of 1849, so much so that the difficulties of traveling across the continent, fighting Indians, and overcoming Nature paled in comparison to the danger of starvation and losing everything they own, all for the hope that at the end of their ordeal will be the miracle of gold.

In this story, several families join together in a wagon train, supporting one another as they make their way down this rough cross-country trail, filled with Indians, hunger, thirst, and disease.   The characters are multilayered and complex, most easy to like, but of course, with the despicable ones. This story is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the complexities of a life that isn’t completely good or bad but where people struggle to make their way as best they can.

As usual, with the Johnstone name attached, you’re in for a good read. We start off traveling from Arkansas to California and end up in gold country. Brothers take different paths as we get a good look the rough and tumble life of the 49ers.