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A Smoke Jensen Novel of the West Series

William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone
Born to Be Killed by William W. Johnstone,J.A. Johnstone
Available on (04-28-26)

Born to Be Killed

Book 7
Paperback $15.95

A Smoke Jensen Novel of the West Series : Titles in Order

Book 8
Set in the early days of the Jensen family saga, this gun blazing adventure follows Smoke Jensen on a mission to deliver horses to the U.S. Army…but a dangerous new adversary, the mysterious Desert Wolf, has a different plan.

It sounds like a sweet deal, almost too good to be true. The U.S. Army needs horses and the Sugarloaf Ranch has got ‘em. The only problem? Getting a herd safely to Fort Craig in New Mexico without losing lives or spilling blood. If anyone can do it, it’s legendary mountain man Smoke Jensen. For backup, he’s bringing his new friend Dean McKinley, a young rancher who helped him stop a robbery in Big Rock. He’s a good man, a hard worker, and together they manage to lead the horses to Socorro without incident. That’s when their luck runs out. . . .

Her name is Virginia Griffin. She’s got a stable full of male admirers and takes a quick shine to McKinley, sparking an all-out brawl with a jealous suitor. But before this powderkeg explodes, Smoke gets word of an Apache ambush at Fort Craig, so he and McKinley head off to help—leaving the horses at the mercy of thieves. By the time they return, the horses are gone—and the race is on. Smoke heads off across the barren badlands in pursuit of the gang, led by a notorious outlaw known as Lobo del Desierto: the Desert Wolf. To make matters worse, this leader may be connected to a band of Mexican revolutionaries with a deadly plot of their own. Not to mention that vixen Virginia, who may be at the center of it all. . . .

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE EVERY JOURNEY BEGINS WITH A SINGLE GUNSHOT.
Book 7
The epic saga of Smoke Jensen takes a wild and dangerous turn when the legendary mountain man joins a wagon train of war widows—on a doomed journey through hell . . .

Big Rock, Colorado, has seen its share of wagon trains pass through town, but never one like this. For starters, it’s led by a woman—a sweet southern belle named Annabelle—and the passengers are young Civil War widows and orphans. The only man on board is Annabelle’s father, a former colonel blinded in the war.  They’re on their way to Purgatory Butte, Wyoming, to run the ranch the colonel inherited. Smoke’s wife, Sally Jensen, thinks it’s a noble goal and wants to help the women out—by volunteering her husband’s protection on the treacherous journey north. In spite of his doubts, Smoke agrees.

The trouble starts before they even leave town. First a pack of ruffians harass the women, then a pair of saloon girls decide to join the wagon train. To top things off, Sally insists on coming along,—giving Smoke one more thing to worry about.

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. But this road has plenty of bad ones, too. If Smoke Jensen can’t figure out which is which, this whole train will be dead on arrival.

Johnstone Country. Where Legends Are Born . . . To Be Killed.
Book 5
Book 5
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.
Book 4
Before he became known as “The Last Mountain Man,” Smoke Jensen and his bride Sally were hard-working ranchers on the Colorado frontier, when times were hard, tensions were high, and guns were the law…

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. BULLET BY BULLET.
 
For Smoke and Sally Jensen, the Sugarloaf Ranch is a glorious stretch of untamed land near the Colorado-Kansas border, the perfect place to stake their claim, raise some cattle, and start a new family. But when a man claiming to be an army colonel arrives in Big Rock—with a well-armed militia—the Jensens’ dream becomes a living nightmare. Colonel Lamar Talbot claims there’s a war looming with the Cheyenne Indians. And only he can save them from a bloody massacre—by launching a bloody counterattack…
 
Smoke and Sally aren’t sure they trust him. They suspect the colonel and his men are nothing more than brutal vigilantes with a hidden agenda of their own. But the Cheyenne war parties are a very real threat. The tribe’s charismatic leader, Black Drum, is launching raids on local ranches, farms, and the railroads, too. Every day, the violence gets worse and the war moves closer—until it reaches the Sugarloaf Ranch. That’s when Sally gets attacked. That’s when Smoke grabs his guns. That’s when the shooting starts—and the final battle begins…
Book 3
Book 3
Set in the early days of the Jensen family saga, this gunblazing adventure follows Smoke and Sally from their first year of marriage to the founding of the legendary Sugarloaf Ranch…

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…

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