{Review} Last Train to Omaha by Ann Whitely-Gillen

ISBN #: 978-0991832507

Page Count: 296

Copyright: February 28, 2013

Publisher: Ann Gillen Books

Description:

(Taken from back cover)

What happens when a bright young man's promising future is tragically derailed at the age of eighteen?

Thirty-five-year-old James Milligan, the solitary and impenetrable chief architect at one of Chicago's leading design firms, has never recovered from the gruesome death of his best friend nearly two decades before. He's learned that a distant heart is the only way to shut out the nagging guilt and pain that threatens to capsize him at any moment. Only the dying veterans at the Aaron Milligan Palliative Care Center know the depth of the overwhelming compassion that James harbors within himself, and he is determined never to let anyone else into his heart - or his future - again.

However, when caring and patient palliative care nurse Rebecca Doyle enters his world, his hardened exterior begins to crack against his will. Will Martin Diggs, the charismatic and perplexing Vietnam War veteran convince James that it's not too late to reclaim his future?

Charlene's Review:

The only witness to his best friend's death at an early age, James hides away from life behind a tough exterior. Only while visiting veterans at his family's palliative care hospital. Know as "the Shepherd" for his ability to sit beside the hospitals dying patients and ease their transition, James only allows his facade to crack in these tender moments. When he meets Martin Diggs, one of the hospitals veterans, James has no idea that he will soon be facing his past.

Beautifully crafted, Last Train to Omaha is a captivating story of loss and love. The storyline is multi-faceted, and while there are many supporting characters, every single one had an integral part in James' life. I particularly enjoyed the emphasis of the veterans and their stories, and felt Ms. Whitely-Gillen gave a tremendous tribute to our aging veterans.

Last Train to Omaha is a five-star book that elicits emotions that will stay with you long past the ending. I highly recommend this and look forward to Ms. Whitely-Gillen's next endeavor.


*A paperback copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.