Novel: The Last Sunset at Buxton

The Last Sunset at Buxton is J. Alan's second novel. It is a story about overcoming discrimination in the early 1900's.

Black sharecropper Artemus Montgomery flees Mississippi with his family after rescuing his wise-cracking friend, Shorty, from a lynching attempt led by KKK spearhead Red Sommer. They seize upon a timely offer from a recruiter for a coal mining community in southeast Iowa called Buxton, and uproot their lives to escape to that area.

Artemus’ first assigned mining partner in Buxton is Patrick Delaney, who is also new to Buxton. Patrick has followed his Irish immigrant father’s examples of working in mines, and holding grudges against blacks. Despite Artemus’ generally peace-loving disposition, the two men butt heads both underground and above, where they have been assigned to adjacent mining housing.

Meanwhile, Artemus’ and Patrick’s wives become close friends and each tries to change her husband’s prejudiced mindset (Artemus’ male chauvinism and Patrick’s racism).

Both men are building better, safer ways of life for their families, but their very lives are threatened when Red, lusting for blood and revenge, tracks down Artemus in Buxton. How far will Artemus go to eliminate the threat posed by Red? Will Patrick become a friend or remain a foe?