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'Day of Independence' Review: A Western Adventure to Celebrate July 4th

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DAY OF INDEPENDENCE
by William W. Johnstone & J.A. Johnstone
Pinnacle Books, 2014
★★★½✰

One hundred years ago, American patriots picked up rifles and fought against British tyranny. That was in Boston, where the enemy was King George III and his British troops. Now, in Last Chance, Texas, in the Big Bend River country, the enemy is Abraham Hacker, a ruthless cattle baron who will slaughter anyone who tries to lay claim to the fertile land—or anything on it.

For Last Chance, freedom is under siege one violent act at a time. Then wounded Texas Ranger Hank Cannan arrives in town. When he sees the terrorized townsfolk, Cannan is ready to start a second revolution. It's going to take a lot of guts. But Cannan is ready to set Last Chance free with bullets, blood, and a willingness to die—or kill—for freedom.

The 4th of July weekend is here, and what better way to mark our Independence Day than by diving into a review of Day of Independence, a 2014 Western penned by ghostwriters and attributed to the late William W. Johnstone and his niece, J.A. Johnstone. I stumbled across a paperback version at a Dollar General for just $3 in 2023, and now, I'm finally getting around to reading it and sharing my thoughts.

The story centers on Texas Ranger Hank Cannan, a name that rings a bell, leading me to wonder if he’s appeared in other novels. A quick internet search didn’t provide a definitive answer, leaving me puzzled. If anyone has any insights on this, please share—it's going to drive me bonkers!

Now, back to the plot. Ranger Cannan suffers serious injuries during a shootout and finds himself waking up in the corrupt town of Last Chance, Texas. He hardly has a moment to recover, as Abraham Hacker, the local baron with ambitions of running for President, sends gunslingers to deal with the Texas Ranger. Unbeknownst to them, Cannan is a quick draw, managing to narrowly escape each deadly encounter, albeit with more injuries along the way. Hacker devises a plot straight out of The Wild Wild West, intending to unleash a wave of illegal immigrants on the town. Naturally, Cannan is the only one who can put a stop to his schemes.

The novel is packed with shootouts and action scenes. However, I found the pacing to be uneven; it often slowed down due to an overload of short-lived, unnecessary characters. Hank Cannan fits the mold of the typical "goody two-shoes" hero—an instantly likable family man with a badge who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The main antagonist is a stereotypical, overweight baron surrounded by the usual henchmen.

Regarding the narration, despite the pacing hiccups, the writing is commendable. However, I wish the characters had more distinct Texas dialects and individual traits. Many of the side characters blended and lacked personalities. If it weren't for the speech tags, I wouldn't have known who was conversing with whom.

In conclusion, Day of Independence is an action-packed, nostalgic Western that’s far from perfect, but I still found it enjoyable.

⁓B.J. Burgess

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