Review: They Came to Kill - 5 star

In the book, They Came to Kill by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone, there is an intriguing story of a band of mountain men and adventurers.  They are the last of a breed who are very self-reliant and tough.  They have been through much together and alone.  Why did they join up?  Well there is a story there.  Jamie MacCallister was asked by an old friend who is an Army officer to go into the Apache stronghold and clean them out so that one of the transcontinental railroads might come through on the southern route.  But the determinant for MacCallister is that the old friend’s son was commanding a troop that was massacred by the Apache but his son’s body was not found.

Jamie has an old friend called Preacher with whom he has ridden with before and he is going to ask him if he will accompany him and round up some more of the old frontiersmen who just like the adventure of it.  All fine except Preacher has already promised a young married couple from Tennessee to see them to California.  There was trouble with the wife’s brothers who consider her to be kidnapped although they are very legally married; they were going to kidnap her and either badly injure or kill the new husband.

As letters are written and sent and the wait is on for the other of the band to roll in, the young newlyweds figure out a way to accompany the band for their own safety from the brothers but also they prove their mettle with guns.  Naturals was the way Preacher describe it.  Finally the whole expedition is joined together n Santa Fe and they are ready to head south, maybe into Mexico.  The brothers make another attempt to get their sister and they end up in jail in Santa Fe.

The Mountain men band along with Fletch and his wife head south looking for the Apache.  The Apache will be found and as many folks know, this band is rather bloodthirsty.  Lots of fighting, kidnapping, deaths, killings, and other exciting western lore play out on the stage of the southwest US and Mexico.  Some of the band will die and many of the Indians will die.  Will Preacher overcome adversity and the young couple get to California?  Will the brothers give up their Appalachian Mountain ethos? The reader of this book will be entertained as they find out these answers and more.

Like other Johnstone books, this one was very enjoyable and a very easy read.  If you like Western novels, you’ll like this one.

I received a copy of the book to review from www.netgalley.com