Last Day in Paradise

By Robert K. Swisher Jr.

Banjo Ortega, an old Mexican bandit who hates white people, and Rodney Slugger, a down on his luck white cowboy from Montana, are both men who know they are living relics of the old West. But they must hang onto what they are no matter the hardships. Banjo Ortega is 85 years old and scratches out a living on 80 acres of land in New Mexico that has been in his family for generations. William Cook, the new owner of the 167,000 acre Last Day in Paradise Ranch, wants Banjo's land for a subdivision and fences off a tiny trickle of water that Banjo and his ancestors used to water their few sheep. But Banjo will not sell. They must kill him. Rodney Slugger becomes the foreman of the Last Day in Paradise Ranch and meets Banjo when he has to fix the fence that Banjo keeps cutting so his sheep can drink. What first starts out as hatred slowly turns into a deep friendship. Together they fight the efforts of Mr. Cook and his gangsters to buy Banjo's land. This moving novel about the shrinking west, greed, love, devotion, and murder makes a statement that all mankind should have the right to live the way they choose and can work through their differences. ROBERT K. SWISHER JR. has been a ranch foreman and a mountain guide. He knows the outdoors and western history, and has successfully combined these interests in stories, poems and novels. He is also the author of THE LAND, FATAL DESTINY, ONLY MAGIC, THE LAST NARROW GAUGE TRAIN ROBBERY and LOVE LIES BLEEDING, all from Sunstone Press. Of THE LAND, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY said: "If there were a category of historical romances written for men, this moving novel would fit the bill."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0865343942
• ISBN13: 9780865343948
• Release Date: July 2004
• Publisher: Sunstone Press
• Length: 276 Pages
• Weight: 0.74 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Book!

Robert K. Swisher's novel, THE LAST DAY IN PARADISE, delivers a sense of land and time that I find totally compelling. For those of us who enjoy the mountains, and cling to the hope of a better life, Swisher's novel is inspiring and thrilling. He superbly extends some of the themes I enjoyed in his other novels - our relationship with the earth, our need for love, and the struggle between good and bad. I love his portrayals...

Last Day in Paradise

Over the past twemty years I have read all of Robeert K. Swisher's novels. His latest, "Last Day in Paradise" is a modern western, once again exploring the dying cowboy theme, by taking Banjo Ortega, the last living mexican bandit in New Mexico, now slowed by old age and poverty, and making him overcome his hatred for white people when he meets Rodney Slugger, a down on his luck cowboy who both men dicover are only living...

What a great Book, Robert does it again!!!

This author has written a number books that call on his experiences in Northern New Mexico and this is one of his best rivaled only by "The Land" which is a MUST for any bookshelf. The author developes the story to create interest from the first page. He constructs characors in a very realistic manner that makes you feel totally familiar with the individual. The story is written so as not to reveal the ending early and to...

Potential for screen play

Wonderful characters, continuous flow of action, keeps you intrigued from start to the unbelievable ending!!! Good read!