It’s with a measure of sadness that I review this last book of the O’Malley series by Dee Henderson and say goodbye to this remarkable family. The only thing that will make me feel better is if you promise to read every one of them, and soon.
Stephen is the only member of the family that has not yet converted to Christianity or settled down. A firefighter for years, he changed jobs and has been a paramedic for most of his career, competent in his profession and caring with the patients. Meghan is a nurse in the ER who has known Stephen since his days at Trevor House, and has found much to admire in him, all except for his refusal to listen whenever anyone wants to talk about Christ.
Jennifer O’Malley has just succumbed to her long battle with cancer. Her last wish was to see all of her family happy, and especially for them to come to Christ. The night following her funeral, Stephen takes off on a long road trip, unable to deal with his grief or to comply with her request. His brothers and sisters seemed to come by religion more naturally; he just can’t see Jesus as a friend. There are just too many strings attached to being a Christian.
On his way out of town, he stops to see Meghan, who has since retired from nursing. She was in a car accident which took the sight from her eyes, and while Stephen arrived on the scene and did everything he could to help her, she will never have that sight back. He feels guilty that he was not able to save her, but she doesn’t allow that to interfere with their friendship. As he continues on his way, she stays in touch, one of the only constant friends he has on his journey.
Finally after months on the road, he feels settled enough within himself to return, but he doesn’t know if he’ll return to being a paramedic. He’s seen too much and his resistance is gone; the sight of blood now makes him sick. But he’s got other things to worry about – Meghan has inherited a jewelry store and discovered that the owner was running a theft ring. Now one of the men involved wants the jewels back, and will do whatever he can to get them, including hurting Meghan.
The O’Malley series draws to a close as Stephen realizes that not only will Jesus be his friend, but his very best friend in the world, and he is able to put Jennifer’s death to rest in his mind.
(This book was published in 2003 by Multnomah.)
Previously reviewed books in this series: