I enjoy westerns. Movies, shows or books, I enjoy a good cowboy tale. William W. Johnstone is one of the most prolific writers with hundreds of Western novels and Guns of the Vigilantes is the first one I have read and I'm glad I gave it a try.

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Guns of the Vigilantes is a story about justice. It begins with a man named Dan Caine who is determined to find those responsible for the massacre of a respected ranching family, The Calthrops where all but one of the family members were murdered for their supposed treasure and the one who survived, the oldest daughter Jenny Calthrop, was taken by the Clay Kyle gang to be sold in Mexico.

Dan, who was demoted from deputy to vigilante, enlists the help of a group of town's people who are good-intentioned but not very good in a fight except for one man, Clint Cooley, who is a known shootist and a down-on-his-luck gambler. A newspaperman, a young woman who was friends with the kidnapped Jenny, an old man, a young buck, and a distrusting Native American known only as The Kiowa join Dan on his attempt to track down the Clay Kyle gang in the Sierra del Carmen Mountains.

Clay Kyle is the leader of a gang of ruthless outlaws. In his group is a beautiful and evil woman named Susan Stanton who kills for fun and torments Jenny Calthrop as they make their way through the hills. “A dying man never lies.” Or so Kyle believes as he chases a dream of riches. While in prison a dying man tells Kyle that there is a wealthy sheik in Sierra del Carmen and Kyle plans on holding his son hostage for a handsome payout. As Kyle and his gang search for the sheik, they run into a larger gang of outlaws led by a man named Shannon, who doesn't like Kyle bringing the law their way. There are losses in the subsequent territory fight but in the end, they team up to take on the vigilantes.

Dan Caine is green to the ways of peacekeeping but his strong moral fiber compels him to take the murderers into custody. He isn't out for revenge. He's out for justice if he can have it. He learns the hard way that things don't always go as planned and sometimes the one seeking justice can end up on the wrong side of a noose but through it all, he doesn't lose his way. He stays true blue and gains the respect of good men. He is a true Western hero. Guns of the Vigilantes is a fun and exciting Western tale with unexpected turns and real grit.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Westerns and wants an easy read.