This is a short book, and it seems to me that either Johnstone or his editors (or both) could've made these first three books into two, but wanted to stretch it into three, and decided that flashbacks would be a great tool in accomplishing that.

This story is a continuation of one that begins in The Drifter and continues in Reprisal, but unlike any other book in this series (at least, among those I've read), this one involves flashbacks, a LOT of them-in this case to things that happened in the first two books-and I find that to be unnecessary and irritating. Johnstone and Morgan are true to form in Ghost Valley, but I do have one gripe with this book. I've always liked Johnstone's writing style-short and sweet and to the point, much like another great writer of Westerns, Louis L'Amour-and I've always had a fondness for the Last Gunfighter himself, Frank Morgan. I started at the beginning with The Drifter, then went to Reprisal, and just this week finished book three, Ghost Valley. I've been a fan of Johnstone's The Last Gunfighter series for several years, but initially read several of the books out of order, so a while back I decided to read through the series in order. Johnstone had lived for many years in Shreveport, Louisiana, yet died in Knoxville, TN, at the age of 65. He also authored two novels under the pseudonym William Mason. His main publication series were Mountain Man, The First Mountain Man, Ashes and Eagles and his own personal favorite novel was The Last of the Dog Team (1980). He wrote close to two hundred books in numerous genres, including suspense and horror. Johnstone started his writing career in 1970, but did not have any works published until 1979 ( The Devil's Kiss) and became a full-time writer in 1980. He later served in the Army and, upon returning to civilian life, worked in radio broadcasting for 16 years. He quit school when he was fifteen and worked in a carnival and as a deputy sheriff. His father was a minister and his mother a school teacher.

Corral,” which occurred on October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona.William Wallace Johnstone was a prolific American author, mostly of western, horror and survivalist novels.īorn and raised in southern Missouri, Johnstone was the youngest of four children. Jeff Guinn presented a history of the “Gunfight at the O.K. This book launch event was held at the Arizona History Museum in Tucson, Arizona. Dinges and also responded to questions from members of the audience. Guinn explained the power struggles that existed between the Earps and the Clayton-McLaury gang, which led to the deadly altercation. Corral nor were the purported lawman, Wyatt Earp and his friend Doc Holliday, innocent actors. The author, with access to newly available documents, reported that the gunfight did not actually take place at the O.K. Corral,” which occurred on October 26, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona. T13:15:40-04:00 Jeff Guinn presented a history of the “Gunfight at the O.K.

The last gunfight book