Some Die Young --5 stars *****

The Johnstone family has another hit character in John Bannack (aka John Cochran).  He is also known as the Man from Waco.  In the basic story line, John has been convicted of a crime, which he didn't commit, and sentenced to 20 years of hard labor.  He soon becomes an enforcer for a sympathetic judge and essentially has free run of the area bringing in other real criminals.

 Unfortunately, that judge who, before he died granted John a pardon after 5 years, but another judge (Grant) who for whatever reason hated John was determined to re-imprison him for the remainder of his 20-year sentence.  John suspected this might happen and he took off from the area and just decided to head west.

He stopped by to see and older brother and to say goodbye.  Then he just took off toward the setting sun with no particular place in mind.  He stopped by several places and wherever his stature and looks caused people to think him a criminal. In realty, he was a gentle giant always looking after the little people and those in need.  This caused him to get involved with a man half his size when two robbers were trying to kill him and take his wagon.  John ran them off and helped the man, who was a barber, and his wagon was carrying an honest-to-goodness real barber chair from back east.

The barber prevailed on John to come to his town where once again he had to become the salvation as a drunken man had kidnapped three women in a restaurant.  Just so happens that this Dawson boy, was the son of a notorious family of criminals who were determined on revenge and release of the kidnapper.

As you might imagine John, who had been named town marshal, took a dim view of such shenanigans, and fought back.  This struggle is the main focus of most of the book along with the notorious Judge Raymond Grant who wanted John either dead or back in prison getting involved with finding John.

A good read that is very fast and action-packed.  A good story even if cliched!  I enjoyed it.