COTTONMOUTH by Sean Lynch is the 2nd book in “The Guns of Samuel Pritchard” series, and this one features Samuel who has gone by the name of Joe Atherton in the past, but has shed his gunslinger reputation until he is exposed as the gunfighter from the past which leads to his need to protect himself and others by finding out who has placed the bounty on his head and why, which leads to an entertaining story that remains interesting as it moves along towards the conclusion.

Good solid western novel that should appeal to fans of western fiction.

4 stars.

I have never read a book by Sean Lynch before but I’m very glad that I read this one.
The story was engaging and the action moved along well. There were very few parts where the book started to drag. This is actually book number two of this series, so now I get to go back and read the first one. As well as wait for the new one...

I've never understood why more people dont read westerns. They contain every element of mystery and thrillers along with the plus of unique history and settings. Sean Lynch knows how to build an excellent story using authentic descriptions of people and places.
As our hero tries to settle down, even becoming a lawman, his life is disrupted by a posted reward for his death. So he does what anyone would do....goes hunting. Experience the Old West through the eyes of one of the better western authors around.

Cottonmouth is a fastpaced western with lots of action. I enjoyed the plot and I loved several of the characters, Samuel included. I hope there will be more books in this series.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

my second book by sean lynch about the infamous gunslinger joe atherton...aka samuel pritchard who has cleaned up atherton and taken over as sheriff...

in this book we find out there is a $10.000 bounty on joes head and with the advent of bounty hunters wanting a piece of that action plus anyone else that fancies their chances joe resigns and gets out of dodge...

but joe is on a mission to find out who what and where put up the money and so his journey begins,with no one to trust only his guns he fights his way out of many a gunfight....

have to say i thoroughly enjoyed this story and love all the characters in this book...i cant wait to follow the adventures of this little town and smoking joe atherton and what else could be in store for them all

In Sean Lynch's Cottonmouth, next in the Guns of Samuel Pritchard series (Pinnacle 2020), Samuel Pritchard, aka Joe Atherton, aka Smokin' Joe, has settled back into his hometown of Atherton Missouri as Marshal and Acting Sheriff, trying to get past the murder of his parents. He is preparing for re-election when a gunslinger shows up challenging 'Joe Atherton' to a gunfight, wanting to claim the huge bounty and the title as the man who beat Smokin' Joe. Pritchard no longer goes by that name but he must kill the man or lose his own life. When more show up with the same goal, Pritchard finds out that someone has placed a bounty of $10,000 on his head, no questions asked, dead or alive. When a young girl gets caught in the crossfire, Pritchard resigns as Sheriff and sets to find whoever has brought all of these gun-toting lawless people to his town and stop them. 

This is the sequel to Book 1 in the series but a stand-alone with enough background on the prequel to make this story easy to follow. One part I particularly like is the detail this Western has about the weapons used in the Old West by Lawmen, bounty hunters, and regular folk and how they evolved over time:

"Pritchard preferred his venerable Remingtons, which had a feature allowing the hammer to rest on a notch milled between the cylinder holes. This permitted safe carry while fully loaded with six cartridges."

Scott is an excellent storyteller with a good balance of atmosphere and pacing that make this an excellent read. I highly recommend it for those who love the old west.

I enjoyed Sean Lynch's second installment to his series, The Guns of Samuel Pritchard. Cottonmouth was a great read and am giving it four stars.