Steely-eyed. Quick as a rattler. Unforgiving as the desert sun. The stories of Nathan Stark’s grit and determination as a manhunter across Indian territory are legendary. He stalks the wild western frontier on behalf of the army, pursuing hostiles to avenge his slaughtered family—and redeem his own failure to protect them.
Once again reluctantly partnered with Crow scout Moses Red Buffalo, Nathan has been assigned to assist the U.S. cavalry in escorting a large band of Blackfoot Indians across Montana and into Canada. Refusing to leave, Chief Thunder Elk threatens to wage war if his tribe is not left alone. Wealthy rancher Bennett McGreevey wants the land the Blackfoot call home, and he’s powerful enough to ensure the army does his bidding.
But Nathan Stark is not a soldier. And no cattle baron is going to give him marching orders. It’s a perfect storm for bullets to rain sheer hell across the land . . .

This was another well-written story, bringing the two main characters together again as comrades. The book picks up almost exactly where the first one left off, resolving a lingering loose end from the previous installment. It's a solid series, and I'm looking forward to reading the next book soon. That said, I personally didn't find this one as good as the first in the series.

The two main characters are complete opposites, like chalk and cheese, and often clash with each other. I think this dynamic works well even if it gets a little wearing in some patches.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC of this book.

There is no such thing as a bad Johnstone western. Each series is built around main characters whose belief in the law and family is absolute, even if they've had to be reformed to get there. From Preacher, the original mountain man to the Jensen family to Perly Gates, to.....well, you get the point. Many times, characters from one series will show up in another as supporting hands. The communities are true to the era, clothing, guns, food and troubles are all what you'd find if you looked them up in the history books. No two stories are the same, each character or set of characters is unique and so are their stories. The writing is skillful, readers are pulled into the story and you will laugh and cry right along with the characters. I made the mistake of picking up a Johnstone western my uncle was reading. Ive been hooked ever since. Now I share them with my reading family and will continue as long as new Johnstones are released.

This was another winner from the Johnstone's writing, it had that Western element that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall concept of this. It had that spirit that I expect from the Johnstone's writing and characters. It was everything that I was hoping for and was invested in this part of the series. It works as a good Western and was glad I got to read this.

William Johnstone's Trigger Happy (Pinnacle 2025) is an unusual story from start to finish that won’t fail to capture the imagination of those who enjoy post civil war classic westerns. Nathan Stark and the Crow Moses Red Buffalo are an odd paring for scouting partners who must travel endless days in each other's company and rely on their instinct to avoid capture, death, or worse. Stark hates Indians because they took the life of his entire family. Red Buffalo tolerates Whites but hates Blackfoot Indians because its in his blood, since he was a youngster. But when thrown together on multiple tasks, they find a respect for each other's scouting abilities and moral compasses that ends in a reliable friendship that allow them to almost read each other's minds. In this case, the US Cavalry tasks them to chase the Blackfoot Indians out of an area of Montana where rogue elements have escape the areas where they should be living. Added to the problem is a power hungry rancher who wants to rid the area of sodbusters and farmers or anyone who doesn't live by cows.

If you’re looking for a clever story with lots of action, this is for you.