Title: Ordeal of the Mountain Man (Mountain Man #17)
Author: William W. Johnstone
Year: 2014
Publisher: Pinnacle
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars.
Smoke and Sally Jensen own the Sugarloaf Ranch and have a contract for horses that must be taken to the army. With his ranch hands, Smoke sets out to deliver the horses, but he runs into a veritable storm. Not the weather kind, but men! These men will take the horses and drive them back to their boss no matter the cost. While in the town of Muddy Gap for supplies, Smoke sees how men from a gang take what is not theirs.
Smoke is asked to help clean up a town of undesirables who want to run roughshod over the townsfolk, so he sends his men and herd ahead. When he catches up to them, he sees what has happened to his men and his horses, and he is determined to get them back. Sally is at the ranch waiting for her man, but all is not quiet there either!
I found the story exploding with action, suspense along with a multitude of twists to the plot. Smoke has faced many dangers before; yet, in this story, he seemed more vulnerable and formidable. I enjoyed the way Smoke aids folks even when he has other things demanding his attention. Sally is a woman who has adapted to western ways and can take care of herself when the need arises. Smoke and Sally have a wonderful marriage and understand each other even though they were raised in two different worlds. I highly recommend reading the series, though each book can be read as a stand-alone.
Visit the authors website at https://williamjohnstonebooks.com
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. ( )

Picked this up at a garage sale or flea market. Glad I did not spend a lot of money on this. Not sure if the author was trying for suspense (didn't happen), shock value (more disgusted, boring, and not needed as described), or wanted a soapbox for his own personal over the top views by making the characters fanatical(ended up hoping that everyone died or was killed in the end) . Could not wait until the end as my goal is to finish any book I started. This book is a waste of good reading time. ( )