Reviews of Johnny Boggs, Western Writer. Western Novels and Western Fiction.

The Despoilers

"Boggs' historical asides are aided by a narrative style that drive the story along full gallop." -- True West

"Boggs has once more written a humdinger of a book with wonderful characters, even the villains. The Despoilers tears at one's heart, which is what really

good fiction should do." -- Roundup

"Johnny D. Boggs tells a crisply powerful story that rings true more than two centuries after the bloody business was done." -- The Charleston (S.C.) Post and Courier

The Lonesome Chisholm Trail

"Boggs is among the best western writers at work today. He writes with depth, flavor, and color, all of which are evident in this right-of-passage tale. ...Boggs tells the familiar story with authenticity and power."

-- Booklist

"Realistic dialogue, a little humor to lighten up the dramatic tension, a strong plot, and a sense of place that leaves one sneezing from the dust makes for one of Boggs's best novels. "

-- Roundup

Miscellaneous Reviews

"Informed by accurate detail in almost every regard ...Boggs's narrative voice captures the old- fashioned style of the past and reminds a reader of the derring-do of western legends of yesteryear. "

-- Publishers Weekly (on Ten and Me)

"This is an entertaining western in the classic mold. The characters possess enough human frailty to be believable, the author includes interesting stuff on the weaponry of the times, and there is enough gunplay to satisfy genre purists. "

-- Booklist (on Ten and Me)

"Another dramatic story by a finalist for the Spur award of Western Writers of America."

-- Amarillo Globe-News (on Once They Wore the Gray)

"I think Johnny D. Boggs is well on his way to being a major western writer."

-- George Glenn, The Shootist (on Hannah and the Horseman)

" This book displays an admirable sense of percolating pace and point-blank prose."

-- The (Charleston, .S.C.) Post and Courier (on Hannah and the Horseman)

"Johnny D. Boggs moves his narrative at a lively clip, and it never turns mawkish."

-- Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Hannah and the Horseman)

"Humor, action, and a wonderful character in Gwen McCarthy make this a delightful read."

-- Roundup (on This Man Colter)

"If you're into the true wild west, you will enjoy this rugged tale set in west Texas."

-- Rendezvous (on This Man Colter)

"As is to be expected with a Johnny Boggs novel, Foundation of the Law is full of those authentic historical details that make his stories so rich and believable."

-- The Shootist (on Foundation of the Law)

" well worth reading, especially as it treats ...an aspect of the Civil War that is often slighted in the history books. "

-- The Shootist (on Once They Wore the Gray)

Law of the Land

"Great storytelling. ... Boggs manages to capture the entirety of the Kid's life with just the right balance of fact and fiction. The characters seem like people you know, even though they lived and died more than 100 years ago." -- Robert Nott, Pasatiempo

“It is an engrossing story, and is told with Boggs’ meticulous attention to authentic detail and believable characterizations. If his characters, including the Kid, don’t look like, sound like, and behave like Boggs describes them, they should have.”

-- The Shootist

“Boggs’ unique approach to the Lincoln County War’s legal skirmishing is both eye-opening and memorable.” -- True West

“Making bad guys into sympathetic characters is not the easiest feat but Boggs succeeds.” -- Southwest BookViews

The Big Fifty

"While I was reading THE BIG FIFTY sometimes I would forget 'my favorite son' had written it." -- Jackie Boggs, Johnny's mother

“Johnny D. Boggs has a keen ability to interlace historically accurate information amid a cast of well descriptive characters and circumstances.” -- Cowboy Chronicle

“A fine novel that will leave you with the taste of grit in your

mouth, and the smell of spoiled buffalo carcasses in your nose.” -- Roundup

East of the Border

“This is an amusing glimpse at a decidedly different side of some of the Old West's most famous names.” -- The Denver Post

“We need more books like East of the Border.” -- Roundup

"East of the Border is a fun, lighthearted look at the thespian deep within every cowboy.” -- True West

“Boggs takes the historical facts ... and gives us a fascinating tale of West meets East.” -- The Shootist

Dark Voyage of the Mittie Stephens

“... delightful entertainment, which combines elements of the

traditional western with an Orient Express-style whodunit and a Titanic-like romance.” -- Booklist

“Based on a real disaster aboard the Mittie Stephens, this novel supplies suspense, a love story, betrayal, loyalty, bravery, and deceit wrapped up in a tight plot supported by wonderful, three dimensional characters and a sense of place that evokes the smell of burning cotton bales and the screams of terrified passengers.” -- Roundup

Purgatiore

“Spur Award-winner Boggs takes a common western plot – old gunslinger > looking for redemption – and injects it with genuine humanity. Solid fare from a reliable genre veteran.”

-- Booklist

“Boggs is unparalleled in evoking the gritty reality of the Old West, whether it’s the three-dimensionality of the characters or the look, sound and smell of the muddy streets and smoke-filled saloons.” --The Shootist

“Johnny D. Boggs deftly charts the dual resurrection of a dying Colorado town and a perishing breed of man.”

-- True West

Northfield

"lively and entertaining .... a vibrant retelling of the Old West's most notorious and deadly bank robbery flop.” -- Publishers Weekly

"a fast-moving and strangely poignant tale that never pauses to rest.” -- The Denver Post

"This book stands head and shoulders above others of its kind." -- Roundup

“The kaleidoscopic effect pays handsome rewards, fueling the action from all vantage points in concise, frenetic bursts that might even leave you feeling a mite poorly for those doomed outlaws.” -- Booklist

Camp Ford

"Boggs' carefully researched novel boasts meticulously drawn characters and captures in a striking way the amazing changes America underwent during the span of one man's life. An unusual, very rich western that should attract not only genre readers but also baseball fans and Civil War buffs."

-- Booklist

"As baseball stories go, Camp Ford by Johnny D. Boggs is a home run. ... Think The Longest Yard ... about baseball and without the glamour. ... timeless."

-- USA Today Sports Weekly

Doubtful Cañon

"Boggs’s quirky western doesn’t take itself too seriously, making this a fanciful and fun ride into some dangerous business." -- Publishers Weekly

"Boggs delivers a colorful, clever and arresting tale." -- Santa Fe New Mexican

"uses its non-serious side to appeal to younger readers .... well-flavored tale ...." The Tombstone Epitaph

Walk Proud, Stand Tall

“The author's deft hand at characterization and the subtle way he fills in the blanks as the story progresses makes ‘Walk Proud, Stand Tall’ a tender story hard to resist.” -- The Denver Post

“Boggs deftly balances the bitter and the sweet, the harsh landscapes and the humanity. That he manages it entertainingly is our reward.” -- Santa Fe New Mexican

The Hart Brand

“Though an ocean away, Kidnapped and Treasure Island come to mind when reading this Western; Boggs’ tale nearly matches the quality of those written by Stevenson.” -- True West

“Some consider William Dale Jennings’ The Cowboys the best Western coming-of-age novel. Others would argue it’s All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy or When the Legends Die by Hal Borland. With The Hart Brand, Boggs stakes his own firm claim in this unique literary territory.” -- Santa Fe New Mexican

“‘Ghost Legion’ delivers this timely reminder: Even in “good” wars, neither side holds a monopoly on good -- or bad -- folks.” -- Charleston Post and Courier

"Boggs, who writes with a finely honed sense of character and a keen eye for detail, combines historical fact with fiction to create a
Revolutionary adventure from the vantage point of an average
participant." -- Booklist

Killstraight

Tony Hillerman: “Johnny Boggs has produced another instant page-turner, but this one, KILLSTRAIGHT, grabbed me in a particular way. It took me right back to my childhood in Indian Country where my playmates were mostly Pottawatomie and Seminole kids, and the landscape and the conversation that surrounded us were just like they are in Boggs’s book. However, those who didn’t grow up in Indian Country during the Great American Dust Bowl Depression are going to be more fascinated by this intricate plot. In the very first paragraph you find yourself watching a public execution and coming away from that a page or so later beginning to sense something was very wrong with one of those cases. After that, don’t put down the book until you finish it.

”Publishers Weekly: “... the relationships and setting shine: Daniel — striving at once to solve the case and reconnect with Comanche ways — is a complex, winning protagonist.

”Booklist: “This is a rousing story with an emotional and philosophical depth that will surprise readers who don’t expect complexity from a western. Genre veteran Boggs also explores the clash between white and native cultures, presenting them as both fundamentally different and strikingly similar. Boggs is a nimble storyteller, comfortable with tackling complex issues of race and morality while keeping the story moving at a steady pace. A good bet both for fans of traditional westerns and for those who look for more literary fare.”