The Jensen Brand by William W. Johnstone
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

As has mostly been consistently the case, the first of the very many Johnstone Clan book series is very good. The books have more depth and better characters. This one is no exception.

The story is introducing even more character’s to the Smoke Jensen series. The characters have been mentioned in the series over the multi-dozens of Smoke books, but never fleshed out beyond mere mentions. The two of focus here are still not as fleshed out as others have been in the past. The writer expects the reader to accept the shallow staging.

Oddly, it’s the bad guy who is extremely well written. This is one of the first Johnstone books since the early part of the Smoke series that the bad guy really comes across as threatening beyond a list all of the bad things the bad guy had done. The technique the writer used to enhance the threat I usually see by the most skilled writers. I wonder why such techniques weren’t used to the two characters introduced.

The story is standard for the Johnstone Clan, but a nice diversion of the nearly identical stories that have been repeated ad nauseum in the Smoke series. It’s a linear story with no surprises and a mostly expected ending.

For Johnstone Clan followers of the Smoke Jensen series this is a milestone of introducing the weird disappearance of the Jensen children. The explanations given to their being gone is ridiculous. Especially as other children are brought in by the Jensens over the 3 decades of the ‘Last Mountain Man’ series.

Bottom line: i recommend this book: 6 out of 10 points.

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