The Last Valentine

February 2, 1998
On February 14, 1944, their first anniversary, Navy Lt. Neil Thomas bids his wife, Caroline, farewell at Union Station, Los Angeles. They never meet again. Before he can set eyes on the son born in his absence, Neil's fighter plane goes down in the Pacific. He is declared missing in action, but love never dies in this avowedly "inspirational" first novel from Utah executive Pratt. Each anniversary, Caroline returns to Union Station to await her husband. On their silver anniversary, two days after learning that Neil died a hero's death among Philippine partisans, she makes her final pilgrimage--with supernaturally happy results. The telling of the story by Neil Jr., himself a lonely widower, to cynical reporter Susan Allison, spawns a parallel romance. Originally self-published, the novel is steeped in roses and friendly songbirds. Pieces of the puzzle fall thuddingly into place. Sentence fragments abound. The point of view shifts alarmingly. Yet the book's sincerity is palpable, and the war scenes add a little grit to its anodyne message: that love triumphs over death. Doubleday Book Club and Literary Guild alternates; author tour.