Calamity James, Volume 1

William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone

Pinnacle Books, Jul 1, 2025 - Fiction - 336 pages

The unbelievable, untold story of Jesse James’s other brother…

In this rollicking stand-alone novel from the bestselling Johnstones, fact and fiction collide in the jaw-dropping story of Jesse James’ little-known, disaster-prone brother. They call him Calamity—for a reason.

Calvin Amadeus James, aka Calamity, isn’t an outlaw like his notorious brothers Jesse and Frank. He’s worse—due to the bad luck that follows him everywhere he goes. Every job he takes—from army scout to gambler to cowboy and rail worker—ends in catastrophe. No matter what he does, Calamity James always seems to be on the wrong side of history . . .

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871? Calamity placed the lantern next to the cow that kicked it over. The gunfight at O.K. Corral? Calamity stirred up trouble in Tombstone right before it all went down. The fateful saloon shooting of Wild Bill Hickcock? Blame it on Calamity James. Some folks say he’s even responsible for Custer’s last stand at Little Big Horn—but Calamity swears it ain’t true. He’s just a magnet for bad luck who’s trying to find his good luck charm—a pretty little dancehall girl known as Clumsy Catherine. But somehere along the way, he foolishly joins the James-Younger Gang with his outlaw brothers. And that’s when Calamity’s infamous bad luck gets a whole lot worse . . .

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.

J.A. Johnstone learned to write from the master himself, Uncle William W. Johnstone, who began tutoring J.A. at an early age. After-school hours were often spent retyping manuscripts or researching his massive American Western History library as well as the more modern wars and conflicts. J.A. worked hard and learned, later going on to become the co-author of William W. Johnstone’s many bestselling westerns and thrillers. J.A. Johnstone lives on a ranch in Tennessee and more information is at WilliamJohnstone.net.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Calamity James, Volume 1; Calamity James
• Authors: William W. Johnstone, J.A. Johnstone
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books, 2025
• ISBN: 0786051531, 9780786051533
• Length: 336 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Action & Adventure; Fiction / Historical / General; Fiction / Westerns