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reviewsbyerin
All Stuart Brannon wanted to do was ride into town, deliver something to Peter Mulroney, and finally head back to his ranch in Arizona. Instead he arrives at Broken Arrow Crossing, now renamed Paradise Meadow, to find Peter in jail for a murder he didn't commit and the city about to implode under corrupt leadership. Unable to stand by when there are good people in need of help, Brannon soon finds himself in the middle of the conflict.
A point of view character in this novel is Rose Creek, a schoolteacher of Cherokee descent trying to make her stand in Paradise Meadow. Ever since she spoke out publicly against the town's self-appointed mayor, Rose has been losing students and being pressured to move on. When Peter Mulroney is jailed, he asks Rose to take care of his three children and to try to find Stuart Brannon for help in this unjust situation. When Rose does meet Brannon for the first time they get off on the wrong foot, and she thinks he is a heedless, irresponsible man more likely to add to the problem than aid it.
As the decent citizens in Paradise Meadow begin banding together to fight against Mayor Rutherford, Brannon fears vigilante justice will result. Good people are so upset at the mistreatment they have suffered that they are more set on revenge than doing what is right. Brannon, Creek, and a few others try to remain impartial and hold things together, but as events unfold their lives and safety may just be threatened by the very people they are trying to protect.
When right and wrong turn upside down a lot of bad choices can be made, and eventually any good outcome becomes questionable. This novel puts our humanity into check and reminds us that our values must align with God's or they will lead to destruction. Can Paradise Meadow survive? Eventually the citizens themselves will be the deciding factor.
This third Stuart Brannon novel is full of memorable characters and page-turning action. Riding the trail with Stuart Brannon is never, ever boring!
