Stranglehold (A Duff MacCallister Western)

One reviewer seems to think Bill Johnstone wrote this story; he's been gone over ten years. I don't know the author, but he has used the "teasing" conversation many times. Starting with the Pose Comitatus Act, which should have been ignored in this situation, it got worse. When the good guys don't kill obvious bad guys, it's not a good Western deed. Very boring with lots of shooting until it finally ended right. A good guy got the girl and the bad guys didn't survive... the ending was the only good part of the entire story!

"Stranglehold" is the story of Scottish cowboy Duff MacCallister and his motley crew (including a Chinese martial arts master) being summoned by an old army buddy to come help him in the small New Mexico town of Antelope Wells. This town, lying in a valley, is beset by a gang of fifty men led by one Ebenezer Schofield, who has declared himself independent from the United States and is set on taking over the entire region. In a storyline that is basically "The Magnificent Seven", MacCallister and friends have to train the town into a defense force and fight off the baddies.

Admittedly this was my first William Johnstone novel, and unfortunately... it was a bit underwhelming. I don't know if this is because it was co-authored (or finished?) by J.A. Johnstone, or if it was just not one of his better books. I see some other reviewers (even ones who liked the book) saying that it wasn't his best, so it could be I just chose the wrong title as an introduction. Why was it underwhelming? There are a few reasons for this...

Part of the problem is that description in the book is kept to a bare minimum. It took about 121 pages before I found out the main character had reddish blonde hair. In another section of the book, the lead female character, Meagan, puts on some pants, which is all we're told, and yet everyone keeps thinking she's a man. Eh? Did her bodily form change too? Was there something about what she wore we should have been told about? Those parts were really peculiar. It also doesn't help that all the gun battles basically happened the same way: MacCallister stares at guys; guns are drawn; smoke puffs up; dead bodies are everywhere. Fight scenes lost any sense of suspense or excitement for me when it became apparent they were borderline copypasta battles.

Part of the problem is I felt absolutely zero tension for the besieged town. I didn't really feel like they were in any real danger, even with the traitor subplot thrown in. Part of this is because, even though the region the town is in is described as kind of a closed-in area, and Schofield takes over a good chunk of the territory pretty quickly, everybody still freely travels to-and-fro with barely any issues at all. MacCallister and his friends get there without any issue, a few officials from Antelope Wells manage to go out and speak with the US military to get help (more on THAT later) and head back without being intercepted, and messages go freely in and out of the area without interception or being cut off. This isn't even mentioning that, for a town that is under siege and isolated from the rest of the world for several weeks, Antelope Wells has A TON of food. Seriously - every other chapter describes the characters either celebrating with a feast, or enjoying a goodly portioned meal. Again, I can't really feel tension in this book like I can in other Seven Samurai-style stories when it doesn't give any real reason for me other than there are baddies that want to shoot things.

Part of the problem are moments that just make no sense, or come across as strange. For example, a stagecoach posse comes across some dead bodies, then later on are told by the sheriff that there was a failed posse that was ambushed - and they're SHOCKED by this. Why are they shocked by this? Don't they remember the bodies? They seriously can't put two and two together? Another strange part is the self-congratulatory nature of the books-within-a-book. MacCallister's friend is an author who has written a book, and some of the sections are shared within the story itself. They're, well, also underwhelming. However, Meagan reads some, and her reaction to them is done with such an over-the-top adoration that I seriously thought she was being sarcastic at first. This happens a few times, and it feels like the book is patting itself on the back. The biggest offender is the reveal of who the traitor is, which is presented as a plot twist. However, it's one of those plot twists where a character's personality does a complete one-eighty from how it was before, and feels like a forced kind of "WHAT A TWIST!" moment.

Perhaps the biggest fault with this book is there's absolutely zero suspension of disbelief in regards to why the military doesn't get involved. With a guy declaring secession from the United States, raising his own militia, and running around killing DOZENS of innocent men, women, and children, you'd think the US army would be coming down hard on him. Does this happen? Nope! About a quarter of the way in, some people from the town go to the US army (again, why is everybody able to travel so easily?) and ask for help. What happens? The military commander invokes the Posse Comitatus Act, a real life law which limits the use of the US military, and states that he can't do anything because this is a "civil disturbance". Uh... excuse me? A militia leader has rejected any rule of the US government and is running around murdering civilians and taking over entire towns... and this is a "civil disturbance"? How does that make any sense? Who in their right minds would think that way, especially in the 19th century? I'm guessing Johnstone & Co. had no idea how the Posse Comitatus Act has been historically applied - the US military was invoked for FAR LESS "civil disturbances" than what was described around Antelope Wells, even in the post-Civil War world. I can only imagine that Johnstone realized he had written himself into a corner, since there was no reason why the US army wouldn't just come in and mop the floor with Schofield, and so he had to come up with a reason to keep the army out of it. The problem is it feels just like it reads: a plot convenience. And a razor thin one at that. I almost quit reading the book at that point, but chose instead to trudge along - it still marred my opinion of the story, however.

I have some other Johnstone books on my to read list, and I might give them a chance. If you haven't read Johnstone yet, maybe it would be best to give this one a pass.

Not as good as his other books. A little boring. Not as well written as usual

A power-hungry madman with an army of 50 uniformed men is creating his own independent nation from a part of New Mexico. Who dares to stop him? No one! Until Duff MacCallister is called in and then there is war. You'll have to read this to find out what happens.

Good Western a bit slow in some parts but picks up and goes all out in the end.

Wow! Here is an engaging tale that will keep you turning pages till the very end of the book! The Johnstones have once again penned a western tale where good faces evil and battles till victory is achieved. I highly recommend readers enjoy the whole series from beginning to end! Why? I found that reading the books in order helped me grasp the main character’s history, passions and more. Duff is originally from Scotland. He can be a stubborn man, which can strengthen him as he faces the villains in the story.
In the pages, we become engrossed as we see a man bent on taking over towns, killing ruthlessly and wanting to have his own nation. The character is Schofield who once served in the United States Cavalry, having gone to West Point but became on outlaw after the war between the states. Now that freedom from prison has been granted him, he plans on taking over the “bootheel” of New Mexico and have his own nation.
Duff along with Elmer Gleason, Mr. Wang, and Meagan travel to the area after receiving a missive asking for help against Schofield and his legion of men. The call for help came from someone Duff knew when he served in what was called The Black Watch regiment. The plot is thick with action, intrigue, mystery and readers will find themselves pulling for Duff and his friends to defeat Schofield. The ending may surprise many when one of the townspeople who had secretly aligned themselves with Schofield is finally revealed.
The Duff MacCallister series will provide hours of suspense, daring adventures and friendships that will warm the heart. Read them all for hours of fun!

Good book at great price

Gift

to be expected

Johnstone County, where others fear to tread! I love this! Johnstone books always leave the reader feeling as if they have watched a terrific movie and want more. Good guys and bad guys fight it out over justice. The good guys always come out on top, a little more worn and a whole lot wiser than they started. This story line finds our hero fighting to free a small town from the grips of a man who would be king. Our hero must use everything in his arsenal to free the innocent while keeping some of the worse bad guys we've met from taking control and using the town's resources against them. Along the way, the reader finds themselves holding their breath while the fight gets ugly. , love, love these books!