Last Hanging at Paradise Meadow

Only Stuart Brannon can fight the tyrannical mayor of an isolated western town. Stuart Brannon rides again—this time into the booming mining-supply town Paradise Meadow, and into conflict with Dixon Rutherford, its self-appointed mayor. Rutherford has tyrannized the entire town—jailing Brannon’s friend Peter Mulroney for a murder he did not commit, running down and killing Mulroney’s wife for standing up to him, and now trying to drive schoolteacher Rose Creek out of town. Brannon engineers a daring jail break, and then he finds himself drawn into Rose Creek’s struggle with Rutherford’s men. By now some of the townspeople have had enough of Rutherford’s bullying. They join forces with Brannon for a dramatic showdown at the Gold Palace. But finding courage to stand up to a corrupt politician is only a first step. Now the town faces another kind of struggle-can a violent, lawless collection of citizens avoid mob rule and choose to govern themselves in an orderly way? Stuart Brannon has a struggle of his own. Rose Creek’s words have turned him inside out: “Look, everyone has to find what works for them. You like giving God credit. Well that’s fine, but as far as I can see, you’ve never needed Him for anything. You’re able to do whatever you want to do. You just play a little game and call if faith.” For a man who always tried to match his words with his actions, this is too much. But deep down he has to ask himself: What if she’s right?