Born to Be Killed, William W. Johnstone
Born to Be Killed, William W. Johnstone
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Born to Be Killed

Author: William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Narrator: Cody Roberts

Unabridged: 9 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 04/28/2026


Synopsis

The epic saga of Smoke Jensen takes a wild and dangerous turn when the legendary mountain man joins a wagon train of war widows—on a doomed journey through hell . . .

Big Rock, Colorado, has seen its share of wagon trains pass through town, but never one like this. For starters, it's led by a woman—a sweet southern belle named Annabelle—and the passengers are young Civil War widows and orphans. The only man on board is Annabelle's father, a former colonel blinded in the war. They're on their way to Purgatory Butte, Wyoming, to run the ranch the colonel inherited. Smoke's wife, Sally Jensen, thinks it's a noble goal and wants to help the women out—by volunteering her husband's protection on the treacherous journey north. In spite of his doubts, Smoke agrees.

The trouble starts before they even leave town. First a pack of ruffians harass the women, then a pair of saloon girls decide to join the wagon train. To top things off, Sally insists on coming along,—giving Smoke one more thing to worry about.

They say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. But this road has plenty of bad ones, too. If Smoke Jensen can't figure out which is which, this whole train will be dead on arrival.

About William W. Johnstone

William W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling western writer in America, and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over fifty million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the greatest western writer of the twenty-first century."


Reviews

Goodreads review by David on May 09, 2026

Sally befriends a lady named Annabelle, who is the leader of a small wagon train of four on a journey from Mississippi to Wyoming. After some trouble in Big Rock, Sally decides she and Smoke will travel to Wyoming to make sure the Wagon train arrives to their destination safe. Smoke gladly agrees to......more

Goodreads review by Gerald on March 10, 2026

I got into the stories of William Johnstone a couple of years ago when I was looking for something different from the mysteries and non-fiction books that I typically would read. I liked the action and the style of writing so I looked for more of the same. Some were better than others but this book......more

Goodreads review by Renee on May 21, 2026

This book provides plenty of action and adventure. I normally don’t read a lot of westerns but I really enjoyed this one. Smoke Jensen and his wife Sally befriend the occupants of a wagon train that has stopped in Big Rock Colorado on their way to Wyoming. This isn’t like any wagon train they have e......more

Goodreads review by Leslie on April 10, 2026

I found this book in the new section of the local library. The description caught my attention (a female wagon train!!), and I hadn't read a western in a really long time. It was a little slow to get started but mostly as I had very little time to sit and read. Once I got into it, I made time to fin......more

Goodreads review by Heidi on February 10, 2026

Found this book in the “new” section of my library and, being a fan of westerns decided to give it a go. I really enjoyed it! I had not read any of Johnstone’s books and I found his writing style easy to read with a good flow to the story. I also appreciated that there wasn’t any bad language. I’ll......more