Cloverdale, Nevada is a town divided into thirds--the Americans, the Mexicans and the Chinese--each as rough and tough as the next. It's here that Bobby Lee Cabot, wrongly accused by a jury for a crime he didn't commit (the murder of August Fletcher), is to be hung on Friday by his neck until dead. However, Thursday sees the arrival of Kirby “Smoke” Jensen into Cloverdale after receiving a telegram informing him of Bobby‘s predicament. Bobby Lee and Smoke were like family once before and Smoke would be damned if he let his former brother-in-law swing from the gallows.
Smoke meets up with Minnie Smith, the girl who sent the telegram, and two others (Doc Baker and Nate Nabors). After scoping out the town and getting a lay of it, Smoke comes up with a plan to free Bobby Lee. At 11:05 Thursday night, Smoke succeeds in a daring rescue and escape, and both men head off. But what happens when they decide to hunt down the notorious train robber and murderer Frank Dodd, the man who really killed August Fletcher?
Shootout of the Mountain Man (thirty-eighth in the highly popular and long-running “The Last Mountain Man” series) is a fast-paced, solid, action packed pulp throwback to the Old West of John Wayne's day. It does a great job of catching you up on the goings-on in the other books in the series without spoiling those who haven't read the previous novels, but will surely please both loyal Johnstone fans and newcomers alike
