The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

The Last Train to Key West by Channel Cleeton – 320 pages

ARC courtesy of Berkley Books and Netgalley for an honest

Book Blurb:

Everyone journeys to Key West searching for something. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape. The Cuban Revolution of 1933 left Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position. After an arranged wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to the stranger she’s married, her new husband’s illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life. Elizabeth Preston’s trip from New York to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles as a result of the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own. Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys. 

My Review: 4 stars

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The Last Train to Key West was an enjoyable retreat to an island I just visited in February, right before the stay at home order was placed. If you haven’t been there, I highly suggest it. Although I really liked Cleeton’s last two books, I was glad to learn that this was a new stand-alone with a new setting and fresh charcters. 

In all her books, the author expertly portrays the small details that allows the reader to imagine the place, the smell and the people with clarity. I felt like I was there – and because I was just visited I can attest to her doing a fabulous job. The hotel I stayed at had been recently refurbished after 2017’s Hurricane Irma hit the Keys. Many of the staff told us stories about the destruction and the harrowing moments. I can’t even imagine 1935’s zinger without the same radar capability, cell phones and proper storm protection.

Three female characters that connect through different storylines is not unusual and I always end a book liking or rooting for one more than the others. This book was no different. Helen and Mirta were the chapters I looked most forward to. Their underdog situations made me cheer for their chance at happiness and of course, survival.

It was evident that a lot of research was done to accurately convey the breadth of this storm. Learning about the train and the massive amount of service men that perished was awful. I found myself Googling for more info which is always a good sign when I finish a book. Kudos to Cleeton for bringing Mother Nature’s wrath to the page with a good story surrounding it.

Quotes I liked:

After all, what more do we want than for someone to see us as we are, to acknowledge our pain, and to offer a moment of relief?”

“People ask how you’re doing, but they don’t really want to know if you’re struggling or not; they want the answer that enables them to go about their day without feeling guilty.”

“We are defined by what we do for others, by our relationships, by what we have to offer.”