Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hang Them Slowly | 2016 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
| 2 | The Range Detectives | 2016 | J.A. Johnstone | Buy |
The Range Detectives is a short two-book series that puts a detective-fiction spin on the traditional Western. Rather than following a sheriff or outlaw, the books center on investigators who travel across the frontier taking on cases that local law enforcement can’t solve. It’s a pairing that works surprisingly well, since the lawless West offered no shortage of crimes worth investigating.
Published in 2016, both books were written by J.A. Johnstone continuing in the Johnstone family tradition. The first entry, Hang Them Slowly, sets up the premise with a cattle-rustling case that turns deadly. The second book gives the series its name and sends the detectives into another dangerous assignment. If you like Westerns but want something closer to a whodunit than a straight shootout story, this is a good pick.