Matthew Johnson, US Marshal, Johnny D. Boggs
Matthew Johnson, US Marshal, Johnny D. Boggs
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Matthew Johnson, US Marshal

Author: Johnny D. Boggs

Narrator: Tim Getman

Unabridged: 7 hr 52 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/01/2020

Categories: Fiction, Western


Synopsis

They sing songs about Matthew Johnson. The hero of dime novels, Matt won national fame during a range war in Idaho when he shot and killed an outlaw—and former saddle pal. But the past seventeen years have been an alcoholic blur rather than a heroic journey. Gone are the days when he was a free-wheeling cowboy, swapping poems with his best friend on the cattle ranges. The West has modernized—and practically disappeared—when Matt arrives in Denver in 1894 as the newly appointed US marshal for the state of Colorado.The cowboy turned lawman inherits a state on the brink of collapse. The silver crash has ruined the economy, railroaders are striking, a range war is looming, corruption is rampant, and a rumored gold strike on the Southern Ute reservation threatens to turn into a bloodbath. Slowly, Matt realizes why he got the job. His supporters figure that the man who killed Jeff Hancock will either stay too drunk to realize what’s happening or take their bribes and look the other way. After all, the songs being sung about Matthew Johnson these days are more insulting than glorifying. Instead of the hero who stopped a range war, he is usually thought of as a man who murdered his best friend in exchange for the appointment as Idaho’s US marshal. And he hasn’t been sober in years.What no one has counted on is the love of a woman who has had her own share of hard times and bad decisions. Or the fact that there’s a special breed of man who will fight with his last breath to regain his dignity and self-respect. If Matt can overcome his demons and past, schoolkids might start singing a new verse to an old song.

About Johnny D. Boggs

Johnny D. Boggs has worked cattle, been bucked off horses, shot rapids in a canoe, hiked across mountains and deserts, traipsed around ghost towns, and spent hours poring over microfilm in library archives—all in the name of finding a good story. He has won nine Spur Awards, making him the all-time leader in Western Writers of America’s history.


Reviews

Goodreads review by James

This is a quite good novel. The protagonist is 52, struggling with his demons (yeah, I know: modern trope) and attempting to keep the peace in Colorado, with various strikes, corruption and a nascent gold strike. Set around 1898 or so, it is a good fictionalization of a history of the 'old west' that......more

worth reading! Starts out slow, then set stage for the next few characters in the story. Moves slow in about the middle of the book, then you can’t stop reading till the end, Good read.highly recommend.......more

a waste of time Disjointed and filled with gaps with subplots unfinished. The writer showed some promise at times, but never followed through leaving the reader to wonder if the book was just a showcase for questionable poetry. Hard to like!......more

Redemption Johnny Boggs is my new Elmer Kelton. A story of a man running from his past but rediscovering his soul. Really liked this book.......more

Goodreads review by Gerald

I enjoy reading this author's work!......more


Quotes

“One of the best Western writers at work today!” Publishers Weekly on Buckskin, Bloomers, and Me