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The largest independent publisher in the country, Kensington Publishing Corp publishes romance, thrillers, legal dramas and action novels, but none of that matters to me. I adore Kensington because they publish paperback westerns, including several long-running series by the legendary William and J.A. Johnstone, and they let me write the copy. Trust me when I say that, as a writer, there is no voice more fun than deadly earnest frontier tough-guy.

Here are a few of my favorites:

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William w. Johnstone: savage texas

The Greatest Western Writer Of The 21st Century

In a blockbuster new series, America’s leading Western writer captures the most violent chapter in frontier history—in the saga of a Yankee with a rifle, an outlaw with a grudge, and a little slice of hell called…

Savage Texas

For renegades and pioneers, there is no place like Texas—as long as you have a gun and the guts to use it. Now, the Civil War is over. Carpetbaggers and scalawags rule Austin. Soldiers return to pillaged homes. Longhorns roam the wilds and the state is in chaos. Especially in a town called Hangtree.

Sam Heller and Johnny Cross are Hangtree’s newest citizens: Heller is a former Yankee soldier, a deadly shot, and a believer in right from wrong. Cross is a gun for hire with dark dreams of wealth and power—at any cost. Hangtree, with its rich grazing land and nearby mineral deposits, soon erupts in murderous violence. By fate and by choice, these two strangers will find themselves on opposite sides of the law. And Hangtree will soon erupt in murderous violence.

dusty richards: deadly is the night

In the latest installment of his epic Byrnes family saga, Western Heritage and Spur Award-winning author Dusty Richards tells of the blood that was spilled trying to make Arizona Territory a good place to live.

Rancher, gunslinger, and family man, Chet Byrnes lives to tame the deserts of Arizona, but if the mail can’t get through, he knows civilization will not take root. When a wealthy tycoon’s attempt to found a postal route in desolate northern Arizona falters, Chet takes the reins. Riding a buckboard across open, hostile country, Chet sets out to deliver the mail. But a trio of gunmen ambush him in the desert. They destroy his buckboard, but make the fatal mistake of leaving Chet alive. In an era when the price of a stamp was paid in blood, Chet Byrnes will blaze a trail across the west to make Arizona safe for the U.S. mail—or die trying.

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William W. Johnstone: A Time For Vultures

The Greatest Western Writer Of The 21st Century
Across the West, bad men know his name. The deadliest bounty hunter on the frontier, Flintlock is armed with his grandfather’s ancient Hawken muzzleloader, ready to put the blast on the face of injustice. As William and J.A. Johnstone’s acclaimed saga continues, Flintlock will discover an evil too terrifying and deadly to even name.

When A Man Says He’s Going To Kill You, Believe Him

The stench of death hangs over Happyville. When Flintlock rides into town, he sees windows caked in dust, food rotting on tables, and a forgotten corpse hanging at the gallows. The citizens of Happyville are dead in their beds, taken down by a deadly scourge, and Flintlock must stay put, or risk spreading the killer disease. His quarantine is broken by Cage Kingfisher, a mad clergyman who preaches the gospel of death. He orders his followers to round up the survivors of Happyville and bring them home to face the very plague they fled. To save them, Flintlock must send Kingfisher to Hell. But the deadly deacon has a clockwork arm that can draw a pistol faster than the eye can blink. It will take the devil to bring him down. Or the frontier legend they call Flintlock.

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Cotton smith: kill town

Acclaimed Western author Cotton Smith tells the epic story of the Corrigan brothers, who will risk their lives to tame the American west . . .

Kill Town

Agon Bordner is dead, and the ranch he cheated for has been handed over to Deed Corrigan and his brothers. But before they can get the Bar 3 back on its feet, Deed, Holt, and Blue must fight to rebuild the town by buying the bank and appointing a marshal. For a moment, peace looks possible for these three weary veterans of the trail—until the guns begin to fire.

Seeking vengeance for their boss, eight of Bordner’s killers storm the town. They rob the bank, kill the marshal, and break the rest of their gang out of the jail. To save the town, Deed and Holt hit the trail, planning vengeance the only way they know how. Blue stays behind, stepping into the marshal’s role to guard the jail, as the Corrigans risk their necks to save the only place they have ever called home.