KILLERS NEVER SLEEP

BUCK TRAMMEL

Book 6 of 6

KILLERS NEVER SLEEP

By William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone

Pinnacle Books, January 2024

Ben Washington and his gang of murdering prairie rats have been terrorizing Wyoming Territory for quite a spell: rustling cattle, robbing stagecoaches and railroads, and slaughtering settlers. When Sheriff Buck Trammel of Laramie learns that Washington and his killers have been terrorizing an innocent family, he and his deputy ride out and bring Washington in the hard way – at the barrel of a gun.

When word spreads fast of Washington’s capture, gambler Adam Hagen begins taking wagers on the outlaw’s fate and quickly finds himself sitting atop a mountain of cash. Hearing of the large sums being bet on Washington’s fate, the LeBlanc Brothers come to town posing as cattlemen. Gorged with greed, the LeBlanc Brothers team up with Washington’s gang of cutthroats. It’s up to Buck Trammel to not only defend the town from hell bursting loose, but to also keep Ben Washington right where he belongs – at the end of a rope.

With the majority of Buck Trammel’s problems in Laramie tied up at the close of the previous book, This Man Must Die, it seems life could get easier for the lawman. That is not to be, as a new gang of outlaws or two are about to pose a serious threat to a peaceful life in Laramie. There is also nowhere near as much political wrangling in this story as there has been in the pervious books, but you don’t need that as there is more than enough trouble for Trammel to deal with in this story. 

The main plot revolves around Washington, but he is more or less a background character as he spends most of his time locked in a cell. It’s his gang, and the LeBlanc Brothers, that are going to cause the perils that Trammel will have to face. The LeBlanc Brothers being responsible for a massive death toll that sees Laramie shaken to its foundations, that will also change the life of some of the main characters in the series. Trammel also gets some news that will alter his life too.

The author really piles the pressure on to Trammel and his deputies. There’s a powerplay as the lawmen argue over how best to defend Laramie against these new threats. Adam Hagen has a part to play in both causing one of the disasters that befalls the town and in trying to stop the outlaw gang achieving their aims.

Trammel and the outlaws try to bluff and counterbluff each other, which leads to plenty of violent exchanges of gunplay. Tension mounts as Trammel has to decide whether to let Washington go and save the town or hang onto the outlaw and see Laramie destroyed and many of its citizens killed. How Trammel solves these problems provides a gripping climax to the story.

Once again, the author has written another excellent story that keeps the Buck Trammel series going from strength to strength. I can only hope there will be another one soon, but as there hasn’t been another book announced by the Johnstone’s, I will just have to keep my fingers crossed that one may appear eventually. 

BUCK TRAMMEL series

1. North of Laramie

2. Bury the Hatchet

3. The Intruders

4. The Fires of Blackstone

5. This Man Must Die

6. Killers Never Sleep

THIS MAN MUST DIE

BUCK TRAMMEL 5

THIS MAN MUST DIE

By William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone

Pinnacle Books, June 2023

In the world of criminal lawbreakers in Laramie County, Lucian Clay was king. He terrorized the locals, robbed every business in the territory, and ruled the place with a merciless iron fist. Thankfully he’s behind bars now – along with a load of other prairie rats – thanks to Laramie’s new sheriff, Buck Trammel. Unfortunately, Trammel can only enforce the law while others specialize in working around it: namely lawyers. And no lawyer is more crooked or corrupt than the belly-crawling snake Clay hired to get him out. By any means possible . . . 

Their breakout plan is simple: The lawyer will wait until midnight. Then he’ll break in to the county jail to bust his client out. He’ll scale the walls, kill the guards, ambush the deputies, and release the prisoner. There’s just one catch: As soon as Clay is freed, the other convicts want out, too. Which sparks total chaos in the prison, creates a distraction for Clay – and unleashes the worst blood-soaked night of murderous mayhem Buck Trammel has ever witnessed. And will never forget. If he survives . . . 

The violent jailbreak is the opening part of this book, which leads to Trammel and two others riding in pursuit of the lawyer and Clay. Back in Laramie political wrangling takes place to have the lawman removed from his job. The lawyer, Bessler, has plans for Clay’s money, and neither of these two men trust the other. A stagecoach crew also get mixed up in this deadly chain of events ensuring there is never a dull moment in this fast-moving tale.

The author plots well, describes the action sequences in visual prose. His dialogue is believable. His characters tough and single-minded. Nothing will stop them achieving their aims. Trammel and his very small posse won’t have it all their own way either and will have to suffer greatly as they attempt to track their quarry down.

I’ve enjoyed the previous four books in this series, and this one was just as gripping as those. It’s hard to say more without including major spoilers, so I won’t, other than to add that this tale is a must read for western fans. You don’t need to have read any of the previous books to enjoy this one, for there’s enough backstory mentioned to explain what has gone before. In ways this is also a new beginning for Trammel, as sheriff of a new town. 

It’s also interesting to note that the stagecoach business is called The Frontier Overland Company and that is the title of a new series the Johnstone’s are launching later this year, presumably written by the same author of this book. So, for me, that means I have a new series to look forward to as well as another Buck Trammel book that should be out in December. 

American readers can get a copy here
British readers can get a copy here

THE FIRES OF BLACKSTONE

BUCK TRAMMEL 4

By William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone

Pinnacle, May 2022

“King” Charles Hagen is dead. The empire he carved out of Blackstone, Wyoming, by hook and by crook now lies in the hands of his children. Caleb Hagen has long stood in his father’s shadow, ambitiously plotting, and ready to stake his claim. Young and impetuous Bart Hagan planes to expand the family legacy across the nation. Debora Hagan’s ruthless nature believes the time has come for a queen to reign over the Hagan kingdom.

Only Adam, their estranged brother, has a different plan. His vengeance against their father requires him to tear down everything “King” Hagan ever built, even if that means shedding family blood. But none of the siblings reckoned that the bloodthirsty crime honcho Lucien Clay was prepared to send a murderous pack of gunslingers against them all for control of the territory.

Blackstone has been ruled by lawlessness long enough. The town is Buck Trammel’s jurisdiction. And he will protect it as judge, jury, and executioner . . . 

Those of you that have read the previous three books in this series will know that each story is self-contained, yet carries plotlines and characters from book to book. If you’ve been following the difficulties that have faced Buck Trammel as he tries to bring peace to Blackstone this book will be a must read for you. If you’ve not read the earlier books then you might prefer to do so before beginning this one, but if you do dive right in to this story, you’ll find the author includes enough information for you to understand what has happened before.

The introduction of “King” Hagan’s sons and daughters adds a great set of new characters to those that have survived the series so far. And it’s not just them that add fresh blood to the storyline, there’s the hired assassin Stanton who seems to be more than a match for Trammel, perhaps he’ll be the man who’ll finally put the lawman in his grave. If you enjoy courtroom drama, then this story has that too, as the validity of “King” Hagan’s will is contested in some gripping scenes that offer surprise after surprise. There’s an interesting turn of events in Trammel’s relationship with Emily. Trammel also gets an offer he finds impossible to turn down. All this and more, makes for a complicated and gripping plot that made the book difficult to put down.

The author neatly brings everything to a rousing and violent climax played out on the streets of Blackstone that seems to bring a close to all the storylines in this tale and those that have continued book to book. I say seems to bring a close, as a neat twist at the end could mean there’s more trouble in store for the survivors. One can only live in hope.

THE INTRUDERS

BUCK TRAMMEL 3

By William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone

Pinnacle, July 2021

Blackstone, Wyoming, belongs to “King” Charles Hagan. The rancher bought land, built businesses, and employed most of the townsfolk. Unfortunately, Sheriff Buck Trammel is not on His Majesty’s payroll. The lawdog won’t be tamed or trained to accept the king’s position as master of the territory, but neither will he threaten his empire.

Adam Hagan, the king’s second in command, is vying to take control of his father’s violent empire in Blackstone. Sidling up with the notorious criminal Lucien Clay, Adam is adding professional hired guns who perform his dirty deeds without question. But moving against his father means crossing paths with his former friend Buck – the man who once saved Adam’s life.

A civil war is coming to Blackstone. And when the gunsmoke clears, Buck Trammel is determined to be the last man standing . . . 

This is a series that you may prefer to read in order as many storylines continue from book to book. Having said that, each book does have its own specific plot that will be resolved even though this may give birth to new story threads that will entwine with series running plots and carry on in the next book. 

Whereas some westerns read like one long gun battle from beginning to end, the Buck Trammel series doesn’t. These books revolve around complicated powerplays as most of the main characters attempt to wipe each other out by destroying each other’s businesses in any way they can so they can take control of them themselves. These twisting power struggles offer surprise after surprise and often have unexpected outcomes. All this makes for gripping reading. Of course, there is gunplay, and murder, all of which leads to an excellent showdown at the end that sees a lot of lead slung and many bodies littering the streets of Blackstone.

Trammel tries his best to keep a lid on things whilst wrestling with affairs of the heart as the two women in his life respond in different ways to him – to say more about this would give away too much of the plot. The author piles on problem after problem for the lawman to deal with. Strained relationships reach breaking point. There is also a surprising death, the aftermath of which sets up the violent ending to the tale. 

Like the two books before it, The Intruders turned out to be an enthralling read and the end left me very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

BURY THE HATCHET

BUCK TRAMMEL 2

By William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone

Pinnacle, September 2020

There are two things a man can never escape: his past and his destiny. For Buck Trammel, that past includes a fatal mistake that ended his career as a Pinkerton – and a deadly shootout with the Bowman gang in a Wichita saloon. Call it luck or call it fate, but the famous Deputy Wyatt Earp was there to give Buck some advice: Run for your life. Maybe it was Earp’s warning that saved him from the gang’s wrath. Maybe it was destiny that brought him to the town of Blackstone, Wyoming, where his biggest problem is a brewing father-son war. But Trammel’s luck is about to run dry . . . 

The gang’s ruthless boss, Old Man Bowman, knows where Trammel lives. He’s assembled a small army of gunslingers. He’s hired a Pinkerton with a grudge against Trammel. And he’s coming to town to bury the hatchet . . . 

This book continues storylines begun in the first Buck Trammel western, North of Laramie, so if you haven’t read that story, you may find it advantageous to read the earlier book before this one, although it isn’t necessary as the author includes enough information in this second book to fill new readers in on any background detail you need to know to understand how those previous events shaped the plot in this tale.

The author develops relationships further between characters from the first book and introduces others too. All find themselves struggling to stay alive in a twisting plot that easily pulls you into its enthralling storyline. A bounty placed on Trammel’s head ensures there’s plenty of gunplay as all kinds of people try to make themselves a quick fortune. It was the coming confrontation between Trammel and the Pinkerton’s that added suspense to the tale and kept me eagerly turning the pages.

Trammel’s broken friendship with Adam Hagan and his uneasy alliance with Adam’s father, King Charles Hagan, is tested a number of times and there is a shocking revelation that could cause unfixable damage. 

The story involves fast violent action scenes, political wrangling, double-cross, and devious twists, in a well-crafted tale that proved to be a gripping read. The book neatly ties up the main threads of the story and leaves a couple of the sub-plots still dangling, thus ensuring readers will want to read the third book, The Intruders, to find out what happens next, something I hope to do very soon.

NORTH OF LARAMIE

BUCK TRAMMEL 1

By William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone

Pinnacle, May 2020

Once upon a time in the Old West, Buck Trammel was a Pinkerton agent with a promising future. But after a tragic incident in a case gone wrong, he struck out for the wide-open spaces of Wichita, Kansas. Working as a bouncer at The Gilded Lily Saloon, he hopes to stay out of trouble. But soon enough, his skills are put to the test. Two of the Bowman clan turn a friendly card game with a drunk gambler into a killer-take-all confrontation. Buck saves the gambler’s life, but at the cost of the Bowman men. That’s when Deputy Wyatt Earp arrives. He warns Buck that he’d better get out of town, pronto, and take the gambler with him. The rest is history – if he lives long enough to tell it . . . 

The blurb deals with the opening scenes of this fast-moving tale about greed, power and the law. As Trammel and the gambler, Adam Hagen, put distance between themselves and Wichita their true characters slowly emerge and a friendship is formed. Behind them come some of the Bowman’s, desperate for revenge. Other killers are on Trammel’s trail too. The author switches between characters  as subplots develop and shape the main storyline.

Adam decides he and Trammel should head to the Hagan family home near the town of Blackstone, just North of Laramie, even though he doesn’t think he’ll be welcomed by his cattle baron father. Once they arrive at the Blackstone Ranch the author introduces more complications to the plot that will cause deadly problems for Trammel to overcome. Trammel finds himself appointed Sheriff of Blackstone and is soon involved in plenty of gunplay and powerplays.

As the story races towards its end, it becomes obvious that some of the plot-threads won't be completely resolved, neatly paving the way for the second book, Bury the Hatchet, a book that I’m sure I’ll be reading very soon as North of Laramie was a very entertaining and enjoyable tale that left me wanting more.