Title: Heart of the Mountain Man (Mountain Man #25)
Author: William W. Johnstone
Pages: 256
Year: 2016
Publisher: Pinnacle Books
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
This novel takes readers into the story as Smoke sits up in bed and knows that something is not right. Honed by years of living as a mountain man as taught by Preacher, he is alive because he stays alert. When he goes outside and sees his friend Monte’s horse, he knows that the man is lying somewhere on the trail hurt. Saddling up with a couple of his ranch hands they locate Monte and return to Smoke’s Sugarloaf Ranch to hopefully help the man live.
Monte is convalescing at the ranch, but Smoke is still waiting to hear why his friend was shot and what happened to Monte’s wife. Monte once rode with Big Jim Slaughter’s gang, and while Monte has returned the money they stole and turned his life around, Big Jim has found him and demands his money. Big Jim won’t take “no” for an answer and to force Monte to give him the money, he has taken Monte’s wife, Mary, captive. What Big Jim doesn’t know is that Monte never spent any of the stolen money before returning it. Now, Monte doesn’t have nearly enough money to give to Big Jim even if he were so inclined.
Smoke and others saddle up to rescue Mary, but first they need to get the lay of the land. Like other villains, Big Jim believes that everyone will obey him, and that his hiding place is impenetrable. Through cunning and using the land, Smoke and his friends ride up into the high country to bring a woman home and wipe out the villainous Slaughter gang.
Heart of the Mountain Man is the 25th novel in the Last Mountain Man series. Each story is an engaging, page-turning western that will delight readers. I’ve read most of the series, and I am still reading because the character of Smoke Jensen elevates the day! Sally is a no-nonsense frontier woman who is devoted to her man and can take care of herself if the need arises. Grab any novel and enjoy! Read hard. Live free. Find more about the author and the many novels at https://williamjohnstonebooks.com
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. ( )