Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | By the Neck | 2021 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 2 | The Devil You Know | 2021 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 3 | Hard Road to Vengeance | 2022 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
The Stoneface Finnegan series features one of the more colorful lead characters in recent Johnstone fiction: a former bare-knuckle boxer who traded the fighting ring for a saloon on the frontier. Of course, running a bar in the Old West turns out to involve plenty of fighting too, just with less formal rules.
The three-book series ran from 2021 to 2022. By the Neck introduces Finnegan and his rough-and-tumble establishment, The Devil You Know brings in enemies from his boxing days, and Hard Road to Vengeance pushes him into a full-blown revenge plot. J.A. Johnstone gave Finnegan a fighting style that sets him apart from the usual quick-draw gunfighters. He’s more likely to settle things with his fists than a six-shooter, though he’s not opposed to either. The series moves fast, and three books is just right for the story being told.