Smoke Jensen Series

The Greatest Western Writer Of The 21st Century For the first time, an epic account of a boy born into a struggle for survival on the harsh and unforgiving American frontier, the story behind the legend of Smoke Jensen. . . On the eve of the Civil War, Kirby Jensen is the youngest of three children living on a hardscrabble ranch in Southwestern Missouri. But in 1861, shots were fired in Charleston harbor, and Kirby's father and brother went to war. Smoke Jensen The Beginning follows the Jensen clan during these volatile years, from Civil War battles to border state raids to the kind of frontier justice achieved only by bullets and blood. William W. Johnstone chronicles the early years of Kirby Jensen--soon to be nicknamed Smoke-- as he journeys from boyhood innocence into a manhood shaped by violence and a young man's thirst for justice. Filled with actual historical events and legendary characters, the story of Smoke Jensen's early years is a powerful, brutal and amazing American saga--the crowning achievement of America's most popular living Western writer. Also available in audio at www.GraphicAudio.net

For the first time, an epic account of a boy born into a struggle for survival on the harsh and unforgiving American frontier, the story behind the legend of Smoke Jensen. . . On the eve of the Civil War, Kirby Jensen is the youngest of three children living on a hardscrabble ranch in Southwestern Missouri. But in 1861, shots were fired in Charleston harbor, and Kirby's father and brother went to war. Smoke Jensen The Beginning follows the Jensen clan during these volatile years, from Civil War battles to border state raids to the kind of frontier justice achieved only by bullets and blood. William W. Johnstone chronicles the early years of Kirby Jensen--soon to be nicknamed Smoke-- as he journeys from boyhood innocence into a manhood shaped by violence and a young man's thirst for justice. Filled with actual historical events and legendary characters, the story of Smoke Jensen's early years is a powerful, brutal and amazing American saga--the crowning achievement of America's most popular living Western writer.

In this powerful new novel, William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone chronicle Smoke Jensen's early years, long before he became a legend. Kirby-later Smoke-Jensen has just earned his first paying job as a deputy U.S. marshal for the Colorado Territory and is sent to the lawless town of Las Animas. There, he finds a sheriff too cowardly to face the outlaw leader Cole Dawson, whose six-gun has left a lot of good men dead. Young Smoke feels no such fear. He takes Dawson down fast. Then the real fight begins. It turns out Dawson is only a cog in a crooked plot hatched by someone hiding behind the law. For a young deputy marshal, going up against the powerful and corrupt is almost certainly a fool's mission, but doing nothing is not a choice. When Smoke strikes, he's in all the bloody way, and what follows will become the stuff of legend. Braving bullets, blood, and treachery to face down the most dangerous outlaw in Colorado Territory, Smoke will earn a reputation for justice and the rule of law in a wild, violent frontier.

For most couples, the marriage vows end with "'Til death do us part." But when Smoke Jensen takes Sally Reynolds as his lawfully wedded wife, it's just the beginning. The tragic deaths of Smoke's first wife and child weigh heavily on his heart. Thankfully, Sally is there to give him the support he needs when they return to Colorado, where it all happened. She's ready to embrace her husband's past— for better or worse—and to welcome his friend Preacher into the family. But when outlaws make an attempt to kidnap a local girl, Sally is forced to use the gun skills she had learned from Smoke to save both of their lives, learning the hard way what it means to be married to a Jensen …

In this powerful new story, William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone chronicle Smoke Jensen's early years, long before he became a legend... Kirby—later Smoke—Jensen has just earned his first paying job as a deputy U.S. marshal for the Colorado Territory and is sent to the lawless town of Las Animas. There, he finds a sheriff too cowardly to face the outlaw leader Cole Dawson, whose six-gun has left a lot of good men dead. Young Smoke feels no such fear. He takes Dawson down fast. Then the real fight begins. It turns out Dawson is only a cog in a crooked plot hatched by someone hiding behind the law. For a young deputy marshal, going up against the powerful and corrupt is almost certainly a fool's mission, but doing nothing is not a choice. When Smoke strikes, he's in all the bloody way, and what follows will become the stuff of legend. Braving bullets, blood, and treachery to face down the most dangerous outlaw in Colorado Territory, Smoke will earn a reputation for justice and the rule of law in a wild, violent frontier.

In this action-packed Western from national bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, mountain man Smoke Jensen sets his sharpshooting sights on an unhinged outlaw who’s carved out his own kingdom in the West—and declared war on the United States … Johnstone Country. Come visit. He calls himself The King. Once a respected professor, he was ruined by scandal. Now, he rules his own “country”—an area of Western territory where an army of outlaws enforce his laws. Any town he claims as his own must pay “taxes,” collected from bank, stagecoach, and train robberies. When he learns that President Rutherford B. Hayes and General William Tecumseh Sherman are venturing into the far West on a tour of the nation, The King devises a plan to kidnap America’s leaders and expand his empire. But The King didn’t reckon that Smoke Jensen had already staked his claim on the frontier. Traveling with the president’s entourage, the mountain man is not about to let this bloodthirsty, evil tyrant endanger his commander-in-chief and threaten American liberty …

If there’s one thing Smoke Jensen hates, it’s a man who fights dirty. And no one fights dirtier than a politician. Especially a lying, cheating, no-good grifter like Senator Rex Underhill. Luckily, with another election coming up, this senatorial snake in the grass has some serious competition: Smoke’s old friend, Sheriff Monte Carson. Carson’s an honest man, and he’s got Smoke’s full support. But Underhill’s got support, too: a squad of hired guns ready to hit the campaign trail—and stain it red with blood. Swapping bullets for ballots, Underhill’s henchman make it all too clear that Sheriff Carson is not just a candidate on the rise, he’s a target on the run. But with Smoke’s grassroots support—and lightning-fast trigger—he manages to stay alive in the race. That is, until Carson’s righteous campaign takes a near-fatal turn when the Senator Underhill tricks his opponents, traps them in a mine, and literally buries the sheriff’s political ambitions. When the going gets tough, Smoke gets even. When this game turns deadly, it’s winner kills all. Peformed by Mort Shelby, Tim Carlin, Alejandro Ruiz, James Lewis, Michael Glenn, Bradley Smith, Elizabeth Jernigan as Sally Jensen, Drew Kopas, Evan Casey, Terence Aselford, Christopher Graybill, Emlyn MacFarland, Matthew Schleigh, Kimberly Gilbert, James Konicek, David Coyne, Joel David Santner, Stephon Walker, Michael John Casey, Christopher Walker, Eric Messner, Chris Davenport, Christopher Scheeren, Jeff Baker, Nick DePinto, Richard Rohan, Ken Jackson, Scott McCormick, David Zitney, Thomas Penny, Nora Achrati, Steven Carpenter, Keith Richards, Rose Elizabeth Supan, Colleen Delany, Shayna Small, Dylan Lynch and Scott Bruffey.

The fifth installment in the bestselling prequel series about Smoke Jensen's life and adventures before he became the legendary Mountain Man is a satisfying tale of revenge—especially for Johnstone die-hards—as Smoke seeks vengeance after outlaws ambush his old friend and crossover series star, Preacher, in the town of Desolation Creek deep in the Montana Territory … Smoke Jensen settled in Colorado to build a legacy for his wife Sally and their family. In the days before their Sugarloaf Ranch would become legendary across the western frontier, the Jensens fought not only to succeed but to survive in an untamed land full of wild, often barbaric men who sought fortune and glory while killing with violent glee … Building a ranch takes heart and grit. Smoke and Sally Jensen are more than capable of meeting the challenges of shaping the land, raising the livestock, and establishing their brand. But Smoke wasn’t always an entrepreneur. He’s more apt to settle accounts with a fast draw than a checkbook. And when he learns his old friend Preacher has been ambushed by outlaws, he wastes no time saddling up and hitting the vengeance trail with his fellow mountain men Audie and Nighthawk. Preacher’s attackers have taken over the town of Desolation Creek deep in Montana Territory. Their scurrilous leader, Vernon “Venom” McFadden, has his men harassing terrified homesteaders and townsfolk to get his hands on nearby property that’s rumored to be rich with gold. Smoke and his friends—and Sally, who refused to be left behind—drift into town one by one with a plan to root out Venom’s gang of prairie rats and put the big blast on each and every one. Johnstone Country. Where Dying Ain’t Much of a Living.

"A cold day in hell descends upon Texas when mountain man sharpshooter Smoke Jensen pins on a tin star to tackle a wild bunch of bloodthirsty outlaws in this gun-blazing novel from national bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. Jonas Madigan is dying. He spent his life taming towns and upholding justice across the west with no regrets. Along the way, Madigan took the measure of good men like Smoke Jensen, who has traveled to Salt Lick, Texas to pay his respects to the lawman. But when bandits gun down the small town’s current marshal—and Smoke sends the killers to Boot Hill—Madigan asks his friend to wear the badge and keep the peace until a permanent replacement is sworn in. Turns out the bandits were members of Bishop’s Mauraders, a twenty-man gang of trigger-happy thieves led by the vicious and venomous Snake Bishop—and they’ve set their sights on Salt Lick. They’re due to arrive at the same time as a monstrous blizzard that’s covering up the countryside. Now, it’s up to Smoke to turn the townspeople into a posse to defend their lives and land from both mother nature and man’s worst nature. Performed by Mort Shelby, James Lewis, Kay Eluvian, Terence Aselford, Mike Ciporkin, Scott McCormick, Stephanie Németh-Parker, Carolyn Kashner, Gabriel Michael, David Jourdan, Bradley Foster Smith, Chris Davenport, Rayner Gabriel, Kevin Couto, Danny Gavigan, Torian Brackett, Richard Rohan, Nora Achrati, Andrew Colford, Ken Jackson, David Engel, Colleen Delany, James Konicek, Michael John Casey, Elizabeth Jernigan, Tim Carlin, Cody Roberts, Nanette Savard, Steve Wannall, Rose Elizabeth Supan, Eric Messner, J.W. Rone and Jeri Marshall."

"In this action-packed western from national best-selling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone, mountain man Smoke Jensen sets his sharpshooting sights on an unhinged outlaw who’s carved out his own kingdom in the West — and declared war on the United States. He calls himself The King. Once a respected professor, he was ruined by scandal. Now, he rules his own “country” — an area of western territory where an army of outlaws enforce his laws. Any town he claims as his own must pay “taxes,” collected from bank, stagecoach, and train robberies. When he learns that President Rutherford B. Hayes and General William Tecumseh Sherman are venturing into the far west on a tour of the nation, The King devises a plan to kidnap America’s leaders and expand his empire. But The King didn’t reckon that Smoke Jensen had already staked his claim on the frontier. Traveling with the president’s entourage, the mountain man is not about to let this bloodthirsty, evil tyrant endanger his commander-in-chief and threaten American liberty. Performed by Mort Shelby, Jon Vertullo, James Lewis, Michael Getz, Kay Eluvian, Peter Stray, Christopher Graybill, Melody Muze, Bradley Foster Smith, Robb Moreira, Terence Aselford, Elizabeth Jernigan, Kevin Couto, Andrew James Spooner, Mort Shelby, J.W. Rone, Drew Kopas, Gabriel Michael, Mike Ciporkin, Michael John Casey, Eric Messner, Danny Gavigan, Christopher Williams, Steven Carpenter, Richard Rohan, Chris Davenport, Joey Sourlis, Yasmin Tuazon, Andrew Mimms, Ken Jackson, Stephon Walker, Scott McCormick, Jonathan Lee Taylor, Steve Wannall, Taylor Coan, Colleen Delany, Nora Achrati, David Engel, Ryan Carlo Dalusung, Kimberly Gilbert, Rayner Gabriel, Ryan Haugen, Matthew Pauli, Karen Novack, Rose Elizabeth Supan, Todd Scofield and Johann Dettweiler."

"The bear seems harmless—at first. Just a lost and confused grizzly poking around Big Rock. Then the killings begin. A horse wrangler is mangled. A rancher mauled. Then a bartender in the heart of town is found clawed to a bloody pulp. Now every man in Big Rock is taking up arms to hunt down the beast before it strikes again—which worries the local sheriff. He’s afraid this amateur hunting party could turn into a mass funeral real fast. So he asks Smoke Jensen to help keep everyone calm and contain the panic. Unfortunately, it’s too late. The panic is out of control. And the hunt is on. While the gun-toting locals head for the hills in search of the bear, a ruthless gang of bank robbers ride into the half-empty town—armed to the teeth. Then a professional wild game hunter shows up offering to kill the grizzly—for a price. If that wasn’t enough, a traveling medicine man claims the bear is part of his act—and wouldn’t hurt a soul. Smoke Jensen isn’t sure what to believe or who to trust. But one thing is certain: Where there are jaws, claws, and outlaws, there will be blood. Performed by Mort Shelby, James Lewis, Tim Carlin, Robb Moreira, Terence Aselford, Bradley Foster Smith, Elizabeth Jernigan, Michael Glenn, Richard Rohan, Jonathan David Bullock, Rayner Gabriel, Andy Clemence, Wyn Delano, Anthony Palmini, Matthew Pauli, Scott McCormick, Drew Kopas, Nanette Savard, James Konicek, Jon Vertullo, Steve Wannall, Henry Kramer, Christopher Walker, Michael John Casey, Chris Davenport, Danny Gavigan, Ken Jackson, Stephanie Németh-Parker, Ryan Haugen, Thomas Penny, Rose Elizabeth Supan, Eric Messner and Chris Stinson."