The Jensen Brand Books In Order

Publication Order of The Jensen Brand Books

Jensen Brand Series

Born in 1938 in Southern Missouri, William W. Johnstone was the youngest of four children. Quitting school at the age of fifteen, he joined a carnival, later in 1957 he returned to finish high school. Working as a deputy sheriff, then a hitch in the army, he came back home and started a to work in radio broadcasting. He worked doing that for sixteen years.

He started writing books in 1970 and eventually was published in late 1979 and became best known for for his western, survivalist, and horror novels. In the early 1980’s he began writing full-time in earnest; he had over two hundred books published with several popular and best-selling series including the Ashes series and the Mountain Man series until he passed away in 2004.

Mr. Johnstone and his heirs have published over 60 different series of stories. They are a combination of his much loved western ranch themed books, of which there are hundreds, and his horror and military/survivalist books were legend widely appreciated and accepted.

J.A. Johnstone, niece and literary heir to William Wallace Johnstone began as the chief typist, researcher, fact checker, and all around assistant to her uncle. She literally learned from a master of story telling.

Mr. Johnstone started tutoring J. A. at a young age. Her after school hours were spent at his elbow, researching and retyping his manuscripts. She learned as she worked hard. J.A. said “Every day with Bill was an adventure story in itself.” “Keep the historical facts accurate”, he would say.

Mr. Johnstone has infused his stories with the learning he got from the early frontier experiences he heard from his grandparents. His love and knowledge of animals, the knives and guns he collected is in his stories. The efforts he made with dedicated accurate research is woven through all his stories.

The Jensen Brand (a five book series), opens with the team of the Jensen twins, a brother and sister, Louis and Denise.

It’s been over two decades since the infamous gunfighter Smoke Jensen and his wife Sally tamed their huge Sugarloaf Ranch. At the dawn of the new century, the cattle business is still dangerous and deadly. Smoke gets injured in a gun fight with cattle rustlers.

In the first installment, The Jensen Brand, Sally Jensen calls in the Jensen clan and they need to get in fast. There’s cattle rustlers and they are bloodthirsty and violent and always primed to strike again. The arriving Jensen clan will be the ranch’s last defense.

The twins have just returned from Europe where they did their schooling. Louis is studying to be an attorney and he’s always been on the sickly side, as a result he won’t be much help defending the ranch. Denise, however, “is to the manor born”— she can ride and shoot and face down the worst outlaws, just like her daddy. Unfortunately there will be too many opportunities for her to show her Jensen blood. She will be deadly, cold, and playing for keeps.

The second exciting installment is Too Soon To Die.

Sugarloaf Ranch is going to throw a wedding and it’s going to be a fabulous hoedown. Hopefully it won’t become a gun-blazing occasion. Louis is going to marry the sweet widow he met on his stagecoach journey going through Donner Pass. The trip was dangerous but he came out ahead with the love of his life. Smoke and Sally Jensen couldn’t be happier and are going to welcome the new bride to the whole family.

Smoke and Sally Jensen know how to throw a celebration and everyone is invited. The mysterious fellow who rescued Louis’s twin sister Denise (when she nearly lost her life to a runaway mustang) is also being included. No one really knows who this handsome hero is. But if there’s gunshots ringing out with all the wedding bells this stranger is going to have to answer to the Jensen clan. The Jensen’s will band together and protect each other and put up a mighty fight to keep what belongs to them. “‘till death do they part…”

Rising Fire finds Denise “Denny” on the ropes. Smoke Jensen’s daughter can outrage, outride, and outshoot any man. Just don’t get in her way. Denny is a beautiful Jensen and attracts all kinds including the unwanted, unsavory.

Count Malatesa is a mysterious, seductive, yet lecherous Sicilian. Denny met him while in Europe and she nearly fell for him. What’s that suave swindler doing in America? In Montana? Near her ranch? Up to no good, no doubt.

What no-one knows is the hustler has enormous gambling debts to cover and his plan is to scam the biggest stake in town- the Jensen ranchers. It’ll take more than the Count’s cunning and good looks to touch the Jensen’s. They are used to his type.

Denny not without a plan to rid the state of the snake with the silver-tongue. If it includes a ghost town firefight or a violent showdown at the Sugarloaf Ranch, there’s going to be gunfire from Smoke.