The High Country

To The River's End #2

by William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone celebrate the guts, glory, and often deadly exploits of the pioneering fur trappers who tracked and tamed the wild and lawless American frontier.

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. IF YOUR HORSE DOESN’T WANT TO GO THERE, NEITHER DO YOU.

Luke Ransom and Jug Sartain, trappers for the American Fur Company, made a formidable team when they partnered up in the grueling winter wilderness of Blackfoot Country. No hostile raids by man, no brutal obstacles of nature could stop them from snaring what they came for. The nicest surprise was that Luke came home with a wife—Willow, a lovely young Crow woman.. Now, one year later, in this new trapping season of 1834, it’s Luke, Jug, and Willow who become the hunted . . .
 
They’re heading farther to the northwest in the mountain valleys of the Beaverhead and Pioneer Range. It’s a known risk. The fearsome, kill-crazy Blackfoot claim exclusive rights to the territory—even the hardcase Hudson Bay trappers think twice about crossing that line. But it’s an unknown risk that’s putting the lives of Luke, Jug, and Willow in danger. A kill-crazy, vengeance-seeking hound named Jake Purcell is following their every move. He aims to make a big killing in the High Country—and take Willow alive for his feral own needs. A cold and bloody day in hell is storming on the horizon.
 
Live Free. Read Hard.
williamjohnstone.net

Genres: Westerns

305 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 25, 2025

About the author

William W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling Western writer in America and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over 50 million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the Greatest Western writer of the 21st Century." Visit him online at WilliamJohnstone.net.

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great sequel to the series. Can't wait to read #3!

[Dawn L Yohannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke & Jug don’t disappoint!

Luke & Jug don’t disappoint! Loved this read. Hope to see another follow the first two. Great reading as always from a great writing source.

[Rob Smith, Jr. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've, so far, missed the first entry in this "series". If it's like this follow-up, I probably won't visit it.

This is the first I've read of the 300 or so Johnstone Clan books that explores an 1800s rendezvous at length, basically, from beginning to end. The motivations, the work, the individuals and so much more. It is well thought out....

...thing is, it is also well over written. Writing of hunting beaver hides and all that goes with it is repeated and repeated in the similar over explanation. The camping here and camping there also repeated. At hundreds of pages, it all gets boring.

The real problem with the book is there is no real plot. It's just of those who go to rendezvous. Go hunting beaver. Go back to rendezvous.
True, there are a few gun fights and not all the characters involved survive the volume. This happens just a few times. This may be one of the quietest Johnstone books of all.

The book would have been so much better at a third of what it ended up to be.

Bottom line: I don't recommend this book. 4 out of ten points.
Access to this book was via NetGalley.com.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

William W. Johnstone (uncle) and J.A. Johnstone (nephew) listed as co-authors of THE HIGH COUNTRY have written over 500 novels (that’s possibly more novels than I’ve read).

Why you may enjoy “The High Country:”

Genre: It’s a western. Not Old West, but Old Old West, before cowboys, cattle, and cavalry. The main characters are independent beaver trappers in an area that’s now near Yellowstone National Park.

Geography and Nature: There are magnificent descriptions of mountains, rivers, streams, forests, beavers, bears, and elk.

Characters: Luke Ransom is in his twenties. His partner, Jug Sartain, is much older and much shorter. The third member of their party is a Crow Indian named Willow Blows in the Wind, more commonly called Willow. Luke and Willow marry at the beginning of the story. They meet and join forces with another couple in the frontier: an older fellow named Lester and his Shoshone wife, Carrie.

In addition. there are some murderous white men and some murderous Indian (Blackfoots). Most of the white men (trappers and shopkeepers) and Indians (Crow and Shoshone) are good folks, but it’s the bad ones that put a knot in your stomach.

Tension: Nature provides some tense moments, but the most stressful moments (to the reader) come from anticipating Luke Ransom’s deadly encounters with man or beast.

Adventure: The trappers travel over mountainous terrain not seen by many men.

Way of life: Between the dispersed violent sections (yes, there is violence) are chapters of the trappers’ daily lives – setting up camps, setting braver traps, and hunting and cooking food, often in such detail a reader feels the authors have first-hand experience.

Humor: There’s a lot of banter and joshing among trappers and between spouses.

Basic Plot: Luke, Jug, and Willow go to a hidden river valley in a territory claimed by the Hudson’s Bay Company and by the Bigfoot Indians. Neither tolerates outsiders, and will kill interlopers like Luke, Jug and Willow. Moreover, a trio of other trappers are determined to kill Luke Ransom for personal reasons.

The Downside: Soft-hearted me felt sad about the beaver trapping. The beavers lived and worked in groups amid a community of sorts. Trapping and killing the beavers must have been devastating to the beavers’ community and “households.”

My Rating: Five stars

[R. Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

All these years after WWJ’s death I cannot believe that people still think JA is his nephew. Try “niece”. I’ve met her at a SASS event in Fort Worth. I went there deliberately because I noticed how many times Fort Worth is mentioned…Dallas hardly never. That’s someone living in Fort Worth and SASS seemed a natural. I knew to look for a woman because of the way they write women. Definitely a woman’s POV. And not that women have any corner on mercy to animals…but it is sometimes a bit over the top. Like when Sam Two Wolves is supposed to support Matt after making sure the horses are all out of a barn they’re going to burn, then goes back and checks a second time. I’ll admit they kept it pretty dark. But I was first suspicious when I read WWJ’s advice to JA, “Be the best JA Johnstone you can be”. THAT from the prince of prolixity??? Sounded too hackneyed. And JA is the history fact checker. I’m disappointed though that they thought that it would be so unacceptable for JA to not be male. Surely, we’re not that chauvinistic about “cowboy literature”?

[John Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story keeps you guessing !

During the early to mid-19th century, mountain men endured extraordinary challenges while exploring and trapping in the rugged wilderness of the American West. These intrepid pioneers faced extreme weather conditions, dangerous wildlife, isolation from civilization, and constant threats from hostile Native American tribes. They survived by developing exceptional survival skills, including hunting, tracking, navigation, and wilderness craft. Wearing heavy fur clothing and carrying minimal supplies, these men traversed treacherous mountain ranges like the Rocky Mountains, often spending months or years in remote territories. Their lifestyle demanded remarkable physical endurance, mental resilience, and adaptability to survive in some of the most unforgiving landscapes in North America. Mountain men played a crucial role in expanding geographical knowledge, establishing trade routes, and paving the way for future western settlement during a transformative period in American frontier history.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no such thing as a bad Johnstone western. Each series is built around main characters whose belief in the law and family is absolute, even if they've had to be reformed to get there. From Preacher, the original mountain man to the Jensen family to Perly Gates, to.....well, you get the point. Many times, characters from one series will show up in another as supporting hands. The communities are true to the era, clothing, guns, food and troubles are all what you'd find if you looked them up in the history books. No two stories are the same, each character or set of characters is unique and so are their stories. The writing is skillful, readers are pulled into the story and you will laugh and cry right along with the characters. I made the mistake of picking up a Johnstone western my uncle was reading. Ive been hooked ever since. Now I share them with my reading family and will continue as long as new Johnstones are released.

[Jacqui · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Johnstone's The High Country (Pinnacle 2025), Book 2 of To the River's End, is as good as the first. Luke, his Indian wife Willow, and his trapper partner, Jug, decide to try trapping in a new beaver-rich area that is so hard to reach, it is almost untouched, but it is in Blackfoot country. They have their best season ever, but it ends with being attacked by other trappers, killing Jug, injuring Luke's wife, and setting Luke on a path of retribution. 
x
This is a great read, almost a procedural on being a trapper in the last days of the beaver industry in America.  I enjoyed every page.

[Bre3924 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to learn I had won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. From the first chapter I was drawn into the characters and had a hard time putting the book down to go to sleep. I found I was reading it, any spare time I had. This was a well written book that did not disappoint. When I thought the main protagonist had been taken care of, here would come another challenge. I really loved the book and have already ordered the first novel in this series. I highly recommend this to any avid reader.

[Nolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the best story I read by the Johnstone clan. Glad I get them at the library, won't have been happy if I had bought this one. Starts out interesting enough, but at 50% through I was tired of the story. Lots of repeat on trapping, eating, shooting elk, shooting deer over and over again. Zzzzzz.

Now one of the main characters gets shot and killed, that was sad. A few bad guys going after Luke, but he is so perfect nothing bad happens to him.

Maybe the next story in the series will be better? Time will tell.

[Kathleen Gardiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never read a book by him or him and his nephew that I didn't love! This is no exception!

I used to reenact history, though my time period was earlier, we still had fur trappers (these days they used roadkill for their furs), and we still had rendezvous, albeit without whiskey, usually.

I still enjoy reading about those days, and their books never disappoint!

Thank you to Goodreads for allowing me to read this book for my honest review!

[Cathy Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

William W Johnstone, in partnership with his nephew J.A. Johnstone, has once again written a novel that gives the reader a glimpse into the American West through the fur trappers who trapped and traveled the mountain country before the push to the Pacific Coast. The freedom and beauty of the land they enjoyed, along with the often deadly hardships they faced, are brought to life in these pages. Highly recommend!

[aishareadsnrambles]

Unfortunately, I dnfed this, it felt like a sitcom. From what I've gathered, this sequel is practically what happened in the first book, but with different locations and villains. However, from the short part I read, the main characters were okay.
I just stopped because I didn't feel any excitement or anything to look forward to.

[patrick Lorelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luke and Jug go back into the high country for trapping once again. This time, though, Willow is going with them since she married Luke. They run into problems after they are days away from the rendezvous. The rest of the story is making it through the winter and then back to the rendezvous, and how everything is changing. I found this to be a good book.

[Mayrine French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just sorry there’s no book 3

I really enjoyed this read. Johnstown is a writer with an ability to put you right in amongst the story. Beings there is no part 3, I will go find more of his writings! Well done Mr. John stone! Thank you…

[Tony Cortes · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was alright. It was similar to the first book in that conflicts are resolved pretty quick. If you’re looking for a simple read, this series is for you.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

great read

Very good western of the time period. Could hardly put it down. Great ending and will wait for end book 3.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little slow. Dnf

[Marc Van Pelt · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book

I liked the book- plenty of action- not a must read- about fur trapping in the high mountains- read it

[Hannah Sanders · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating for my husband- he absolutely loves this series!

[Ike Lajoie · Rating 4 out of 5]

another good read!!