Dorothy Johnson was already a well established and justly famous western author when we became friends (after a fashion � she could be a right thorny ol' biddy at times, not always nice to be around). She wrote about fifteen to twenty books, mostly about the west, and a bunch of short stories.
She was creative, appreciated the importance of getting the guns right, and wrote a lot of stories with women heroines. She knew the real West, she created memorable, realistic characters and situations, and she knew how to write well.
Her most noted works, thanks to the movies, are The Hanging Tree and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
The last time I saw her, she'd just barely escaped being gassed to death by her own car's carbon monoxide.
If you like quality Westerns, I recommend the works of Dorothy M Johnson to you.
