Synopsis
1877. All over the West, frontier towns have sprung up, drawing people in search of new beginnings after the Civil War. The young community of Payday is a paradise of rolling meadows and balmy skies, with a quiet population of ranchers and merchants. Into this Eden comes young editor Sam Flint, whose fledgling newspaper, The Payday Pioneer, earns him friends within the town and trumpets Payday's glories throughout the West. Sure enough, The Payday Pioneer lures settlers to the town. But to Sam's dismay, they are settlers of the wrong kind. Soon Flint finds himself in the middle of an all-out war for control of the town. Perfect Payday is in danger. But Sam Flint will put his life on the line for what he believes in.
Library Journal
The fledgling frontier town of Payday nestles at the foot of the Mogollon Rim in Arizona. The air is fresh, the grass and water are plentiful, and Sam Flint is starting his newspaper, The Payday Pioneer, at the behest of the local merchants. Flint will lure settlers to the new town by advertising it as a veritable Garden of Eden, but he will not compromise his editorial standards and become a pawn. Payday is comprised primarily of men who fought in the Civil War, and the division still stands, with saloons on the north and the south sides of the street. The merchants hope to attract families to homestead in the area, but the first settlers are met with resistance from rancher Col. Clayton Buell. Patrick Cullen reads with a clear, steady voice, providing more vocal distinctions among the characters as the book progresses. However, the packaging leaves much to be desired in a circulating tape. Recommended for Cullen's reading expertise only.--Melanie C. Duncan, Washington Memorial Lib., Macon, GA