Book Review: Beans, Bourbon, and Blood by William W. Johnstone
Beans, Bourbon, and Blood is a short western novel written by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone. It is about Luke Jensen, a bounty hunter, who, while traveling with his prisoner, stumbles upon a small town known as Hannigan’s Hill. He meets some deputies outside of town as they are about to hang a man who vehemently denies the charges, and immediately Luke gets the impression that something is unjust about the hanging, but he's just one man and has to stand by as the man is hanged. Luke stashes his prisoner in the local jail, and while he waits for word on what to do next, he meets a few locals who tell him more about the corruption occurring in their town.
Luke meets Mac, who is the proprietor of the best cafe in town, and as they palaver over food, Mac tells Luke about how Ezra Hannigan has been buying up land, and when people oppose him, they end up in trouble. Ezra has the local judge and lawmen in his pocket, and Luke struggles to decide whether he wants to get caught up in the trouble or not. He also meets a beautiful brothel owner named Irish, who is sick of the marshal who has tried to claim her. Luke also meets with the owners of the local Chronicle, Jessie and Albert Whitemore, who have been printing the truth about the corruption and find themselves the target of Ezra and his badged-up gang.
When a family is killed in cold blood for not selling their land to Ezra Hannigan, Luke, Mac, and the other fed-up townspeople decide to fight back.
Beans, Bourbon, and Blood is a fun and easy book to read. It offers a classic Western tale with all the tropes one expects while keeping it interesting and exciting. Luke and Mac represent the good guys who can't stand by and watch innocent people suffer. They aren't perfect, but they fight for what's right. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a classic western that has memorable characters and plenty of action.
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