Whiskey Woods
This book, set in post-Civil War Texas, contains all the required elements of the genre: a lanky hero slow to violence, but exceptionally good at it once he gets there. A plucky, modern woman making her way on the frontier. An old lady with a shotgun who knows how to make really good whiskey. A mustache-twirling villain who thoroughly masticates the scenery as he berates his incompetent lackeys. It’s only when said villain finally hires a gang of professional outlaws that things become truly dangerous for Our Heroes.
The plot is formulaic by necessity, seeing as the first listed author died in 2004. The second is carrying on from the elder Johnstone’s hundreds of published works and notes for unfinished projects. This one still reads as unfinished. The plot revolves around the villain’s attempts to steal a whiskey recipe from the heroes. Yet it is never quite explained how two people making whiskey in a homebuilt still in their spare time could possibly be an economic threat to a wealthy mass-producer, regardless of quality. And speaking of quality, can even the most dastardly and pecunious antagonist not understand that the only “recipe” for good whiskey is clean ingredients and proper aging?
Fans of the late author looking for a new Johnstone book to read will welcome Whiskey Woods as a familiar, if watered-down, application of a proven recipe. Others are advised to try a bottle of the original instead.
