The Wicked and the Dead — William W. Johnstone; J.A. Johnstone

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY.

WHERE BOOT HILL IS FULL OF MEN WHO PULLED THEIR TRIGGERS WITHOUT AIMING.

As hardworking families and ambitious dreamers set down roots across the American West, others swooped down to prey upon them. And after the smoke cleared, those who lived by the gun found themselves facing justice -- and vengeance . . .

It was supposed to be a simple robbery. A fortune in gold for the taking. What Hack Long and his outlaws hadn't figured on was the Texas Rangers pouncing on them like a pack of rabid wolves. Desperate to escape, Long led his men south of the Rio Grande where they ran afoul of Mexican Rurales and were imprisoned.

Unwilling to die behind the bars of the hellish prison where life is worth less than a peso, Long's band of desperadoes break out of jail and split up to escape. Now, Two-Horses, Luke Fischer, Gabriel Santana, Billy Lightning, and Long are scrabbling along a desolate landscape, heading for Texas to reclaim their ill-gotten gains, hunted by dogged lawmen, merciless Comaches, and a violent gang of bandits who also want the stolen gold.

Though they be thieves and outlaws, Long and his men aren't nearly as deadly as their pursuers. They may not deserve forgiveness for their sins, but only death passes judgment on both the good and the bad. . .

Live Free. Read Hard.