Introducing a new western hero in the grand Johnstone tradition: a mining town saloonkeeper who serves up justice like a shot of liquor—150-proof. JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. BOOMTOWN JUSTICE. Rollie Finnegan is a man of few words. As a Pinkerton agent with two decades of experience under his belt, he uses his stony silence to break down suspects and squeeze out confessions. Hence the nickname Stoneface. … Stoneface. Over the years, he’s locked up plenty of killers. Now he’s ready to make a killing—for himself . . . There’s gold in the mountains of Idaho Territory. And the town of Boar Gulch is a golden opportunity for a tough guy like Finnegan. But when he arrives, the local saloon owner is gunned down in cold blood—and Finnegan makes a cold calculation of his own. Instead of working in a mine, he’ll buy the saloon. Instead of gold, he’ll mine the miners. And instead of getting dirty, he’ll clean up this grimy little boomtown once and for all—with his own brand of Stoneface justice . . .
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Title: By the Neck (A Stoneface Finnegan Western #1)
Author: William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone
Pages: 336
Year: 2021
Publisher: Pinnacle
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
New to Johnstone country is the character Roland “Stoneface” Finnegan, a former Pinkerton detective. Stoneface has been a Pinkerton man for many years and he’s made many enemies. When Stoneface exits a building to grab a bite to eat, his life unbeknownst to him, is about to take a whole new direction!
The many lessons Stoneface has learned and the tools he uses to stay alive in his profession are going to come in handy very soon. Stoneface is leaving the city and going to the wilds. He isn’t strong enough to dig for gold but maybe he can make a living some other way. As soon as he rides into Boar Gulch, he witnesses a gunfight. The victim of the gunfight is who opens the door for Stoneface’s new adventure.
When Stoneface takes possession of a saloon, he works on learning the business and sprucing up the structure. Not only does Stoneface have to deal with the self-appointed sleazy mayor, now he has to learn how to handle the townies. Men are coming in from their digging daily to play cards, drink and forget about their troubles. Stoneface has to learn how to interact with others again because his former job didn’t require such day-to-day interaction with the same people.
While he is trying to live and heal up, his past foes are about to come to him with vengeance on their mind; all thanks to one person. The person who set the other troublemakers onto Stoneface’s location I think will be a surprise to readers. She appears as one who is kind and caring, but nothing could be further from the truth!
Stoneface has to fight for his life and watch his back always. There are other people Stoneface meets and befriends that adds flavor to the tale, one is called Pops and the other Nosey. I sat and read this tale in one sitting; it was that good! I found the character of Stoneface interesting and wanted to know more about his past, though the tale does reveal a little. The townies change in the book from distant and weary of Stoneface to at least getting used to him.
I think there is more to Stoneface than the first book in the series lets on. If the other tales in the life of Stoneface are as engaging, I will be getting the sequels as soon as they are published! The sequel for Stoneface is set to be released September 2021 currently titled, The Devil You Know.
Grab a copy of By the Neck and enjoy!
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.
Johnstone never fails to entertain! When I Johnstone book comes out I just buy it because I know I will not be disapointed!