Title: The Drifter (The Last Gunfighter Series #1)
Author: William W Johnstone
Format: eBook
Year: 2020
Publisher: Pinnacle
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Frank Morgan is a man with a violent past and a lonely path he’s traveling. In the first book of the Last Gunfighter series, audiences meet Frank Morgan and they get a glimpse of his past. Frank Morgan rides into a town seeking food and a drink. He just wants to be left alone. But it doesn’t turn out that way, which isn’t unusual for Frank. Readers will then continue to gain insight into the gunfighter’s character as his past is revealed and then move forward to the present.
Frank is now in Barnwell and from there things start to heat up. Though not seeking the job, Frank ends up becoming marshal and when a silver strike happens, the town faces a boom. Frank has seen towns go through this before with men coming to seek fortune but along with them come villains. What Frank doesn’t count on is seeing Vivian again, a woman he knew a long time ago. She has with her a young man named Conrad. Conrad is a young eastern dude working with his mother in the Browning Enterprises business she owns. Conrad is definitely out of his element and he’s about to learn his past isn’t what he thought it was, but that is one thing readers will discover as they enjoy the tale.
Frank and the town are about to face some men who plan on taking the town for everything they have and leaving nothing but death and ruin. Frank is no stranger to facing flying lead, but when tragedy strikes that is something that again will lead Frank down a different road. Barnwell Crossing is going to be where evil men grow in number and where the men either stand and fight or lose all they hold dear.
I loved the first book in the Last Gunfighter series. Frank Morgan is a character with the bark still on. He is no stranger to death or being challenged to a gunfight, but what most don’t know is that Frank is just seeking to live life without being harassed. Frank Morgan is a man who reads much, lives on next to nothing and drifts as the wind blows. I can’t wait to delve into the second book titled, Reprisal, where I believe the plot will pick up where Drifter left off. Why? Frank is after men, not just any men, but those who brought death to a loved one and the person behind the whole scheme to take down Browning Enterprises and the woman Frank loved.
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. ( )

I've just recently discovered Johnstone's series of Westerns. So far, it's a great read. ( )

popcorn matinee western at it's best ( )