Review--By the Neck--3 stars

 

This book by William Johnstone, By the Neck, was somewhat of a disappointment.  It is not up to the typical quality and page-turning urge, I’ve always gotten with one of Johnstone’s book. The story was sort of s dud.  I’m not sure if it was because of the protagonist, Rollie Stoneface Finnegan who was a Pinkerton injured on the job and then put out to pasture.  He had captured a large number of really bad people in his career and either had them executed or jailed them.

After the last injury he goes through a bit of a downward spiral and ends up in a mining camp high in the mountains.  He gets to thinking about settling down and ends up opening a local watering hole that is basically a canvas and logs affair. There is no real law or government there in the hills but Rollie is a good man who takes over with a law and order standard.

All goes well until folks start rolling in with a vendetta to kill Finnegan.  There are only one or two who are handled easily especially with help from some of Stoneface’s friends.  All goes pretty well until a woman with a stronger hate and ads placed in newspapers listing where Finnegan lives.  These ne’er-do-wells start rolling in and then the smelly stuff hits the fan.  The climax is a battle; injuries and deaths occur.

Should the ex-Pinkerton leave or stand his ground and defend his business and livelihood along with his friends?  Or should he turn tail.  Gotta read this book to find out. Just don’t expect the development and high adventure that I had come to expect from a Johnstone novel.  Not bad btu not up to his usual high adventure stories.