"The Wicked and the Dead" by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone was an action-packed 5-star read! It all starts with Hack Long and his gang of outlaws locked inside Purgatoria, a Mexican prison. One rainy night, after three years of hard labor, the Long Gang decides to escape and return to Texas. Outside the prison, they are quickly separated, beginning the journey of Hack Long, Luke Fischer, Two-Horses, Gabriel Santana, and Billy Lightning as they set out to recover their ill-gotten gains.

I haven’t read many Westerns, and I've never read anything by this author, but that's all going to change! This book was fast-paced, and I couldn’t put it down. I will definitely be adding more from Mr. Johnstone to my TBR list. There is great character development, and we are introduced to a large number of folks throughout the novel. Whether an aficionado of Westerns or a newcomer seeking to explore uncharted territory, this book promises an unforgettable journey through the untamed wilderness of the Old West.

Thanks to Kensington Books, William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

In The Wicked And The Dead by William W Johnstone, we meet the Texas long gang suffering in a Mexican prison thanks to an old amigo says he’ll die there he tells Heck who is the leader how he can get out and get out he does. Well trape sing the desert between the prison and the Rio Grande they get separated and go they’re different directions the main goal is to get back to Texas find the loot they stashed under a new boardwalk they were building and hopefully live their lives in peace unfortunately not everything goes to plan as a matter of a fact their money has already been found and it was by a woman who spent it building up the town the boardwalk was in. And since she also bought a bank the gang decides to rob it, if only they wouldn’t have caught the attention of the local sheriff not to mention the Texas Marshalls are there looking for the outlaws. This is the first Johnstone book from the perspective of people who are not law-abiding and heroic as a matter of a fact they’re quite the opposite and although they’re a little bit better grade of outlaws as far as outlaws go but there still outlaws I really enjoyed this book I did think at one point when two knives and Luke and Santana and some other guys went off on their own that they were too many stories happening but it all came together in the end and made for a great John Stone Western. I want to thank Kensington books and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Johnstone's The Wicked and the Dead: The Hair-Raising Tale of Hack Long and His Outlaw Gang is another fabulous read. It was full of action and adventure that I would expect from this author. Five stars.

It’s always a joy to read the Johnstone’s Western novels, it had everything that I was hoping for from other books from the Johnstones. It has that Western elements that I was hoping for and worked well with what I wanted. It was a great new character to follow and I can’t wait for more.

I really struggled to read this book and I think that was due to the beginning of the book. In the beginning, the Long Gang escapes a prison in Mexico and are running from the police. That part I enjoyed. However, to escape the police, the gang splits up and you are introduced to about 3-4 different POVs. This was the part that I started struggling on. The POVs were so different as each member had different experiences and I think this led to my confusion. It got to the point where I was just reading the book to get through.

The book did get much better once the cowboys were all back together as on gang. I enjoyed the bits of Spanish in the book as this was a cute and unique add-in. I also enjoyed the ending as it wasn't the cliche every one's happy ending!

I would recommend in the future, adding the character whose POV the chapter is in below the chapter number so readers will know what to expect.

While I won't be reading this book again, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure or cowboy books.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Rip-roaring good read. Hack and his gang break out of jail and this is just the beginning of the end.

4☆

This is a different kind of Western story from the Johnstones. Rather than having very obviously good guys looking for bad ones, this has bad men who have participated in some pretty heinous acts on occasion doing some good things for people who are downtrodden. This story shows that there is good in almost everyone and that a person standard of justice might be called upon. Follow the exploits of the group of "owlhoots" led by Hack Long as they escape from a notorious Mexican prison and make their way back to the United States.

I must say that I prefer the more standard Western where the good guys are the central point. This is different and it was OK. Just a different perspective...