"I’m Here to Kill You" is a twofer—two books in one (Brutal Night of the Mountain Man & Venom of the Mountain Man). Both deal with a favorite Johnstone character: Smoke Jensen. Jensen is a major ranch owner of the Sugarloaf in Colorado. Each of the books also deals with rather cruel men who happen to also be criminals who underestimate Smoke (aka Kirby) Jensen.

In “Brutal Night” the character is Silas Atwood who is determined to take over all the businesses in town…he already owns most of them. But the saloon owner, Kate Coldane, does not want to sell the bar she and her late husband started. Atwood does not care and own the local law. It is little reason to doubt that Kate’s son, Rusty, is forced into a gunfight when he is really a classical pianist just helping his mother out by doing saloon piano. Although many witnesses would testify that he shot in self-defense, the corrupt Atwood, sheriff, and judge have found him guilty and sentenced him to hang, unless Kate sell Atwood her saloon.

Enter Smoke and his two sidekicks, Cal Wood and Pearlie also know as Wes Fontaine, who happens to be Kate’s long-lost brother. This is where the fun begins as various, intriguing happenings take place.

Book 2 “Venom” sees a similar story but this one from an Irish mobster, Mr. Warren, who is run out of NYC after his gang is routed and heads west to take over a small town. Enter shootings, kidnappings, murders, strange bedfellows as Smoke once again with his prime partners and friends seek to right wrongs. This story involves Smoke’s lovely wife Sally, who is kidnapped and held for ransom in New York City by other Irish gang members.

Smoke is not to be denied his righteous anger as he goes after the culprits. A few bad men develop a conscious but it is too little too late, but the large gang is dispersed one-by-one including one by a resourceful fourteen year-old teenager rescuing a group of five other youngsters. In addition to setting them free, he gains a girlfriend!!

A delightful dual read and well worth the time and effort and Storm shows once again why he is feared by the bad, loved by the good, and respected by almost everyone with whom he interacts!! Good read.

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.