What do you think?
Rate this book
The Bavarian Woods #1
Inherit the Past
When laid-off California architect, Max Hollander, inherits his grandparents’ house in Bavaria, it seems like the perfect opportunity to start over. If all goes well, he’ll sell it and make enough money to tide him over. More importantly, he hopes taking his antagonistic son Ryan on the trip will help rebuild their trust in each other and maybe even give them a chance to investigate a longstanding mystery that has haunted their family.
Twenty years ago while Max’s mother was staying at her parents’ house in Riesen, Germany, she and her father disappeared, never to be heard from again. Now, as they search unsuccessfully for that same house, Max and Ryan become lost until they serendipitously meet three Germans who help them find it. But their luck is short-lived: before day’s end they will get swept back in time . . . with no way to return to the present.
Realizing the same thing may have happened to his missing relatives, Max and companions set out to find them. Their quest soon embroils the hapless group in a murder investigation that widens the rift between father and son and places both lives in danger.
Inherit the Past is a story of family, love/relationships, guilt, and redemption.
Twenty years ago while Max’s mother was staying at her parents’ house in Riesen, Germany, she and her father disappeared, never to be heard from again. Now, as they search unsuccessfully for that same house, Max and Ryan become lost until they serendipitously meet three Germans who help them find it. But their luck is short-lived: before day’s end they will get swept back in time . . . with no way to return to the present.
Realizing the same thing may have happened to his missing relatives, Max and companions set out to find them. Their quest soon embroils the hapless group in a murder investigation that widens the rift between father and son and places both lives in danger.
Inherit the Past is a story of family, love/relationships, guilt, and redemption.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 7, 2014
26 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 26, 2015
Inherit the Past starts with two old women, who don't seem to like each other very much, sharing a meal and arguing about a terrible, mysterious secret. Margrit wants to share the secret with her grandchildren in a tell-all letter. Lotte seems determined to stop her.
I was hooked immediately. What secret? Why is Lotte so determined to keep Margrit quiet?
The next chapter skips forward several years, as Margrit's grandson and Lotte's niece explore a legacy left by Margrit's death. They find a heavy wooden door in the cellar of her ancient home and when they step through it, they are thrown, one-by one, whirling, into a rocky cave in medieval Germany.
American born Max, his rebellious teen son, Ryan; Sofie, her son Tobias, and her old aunt Lotte (yes, the same Lotte) begin an adventure, trying to survive. They find Max's mother and his grandfather, who disappeared through the time portal 20 years ago and have established new families.
You might think the secret has been revealed.
But what about Lotte's husband Viktor? And what secret is Lotte still trying to hide?
Susan Findley, of Columbia, writes in a straight forward, easy to enjoy fashion. As a librarian I would recommend Inherit the Past to anyone who wants to read a good story, but doesn't want to see graphic violence or sex.
I was hooked immediately. What secret? Why is Lotte so determined to keep Margrit quiet?
The next chapter skips forward several years, as Margrit's grandson and Lotte's niece explore a legacy left by Margrit's death. They find a heavy wooden door in the cellar of her ancient home and when they step through it, they are thrown, one-by one, whirling, into a rocky cave in medieval Germany.
American born Max, his rebellious teen son, Ryan; Sofie, her son Tobias, and her old aunt Lotte (yes, the same Lotte) begin an adventure, trying to survive. They find Max's mother and his grandfather, who disappeared through the time portal 20 years ago and have established new families.
You might think the secret has been revealed.
But what about Lotte's husband Viktor? And what secret is Lotte still trying to hide?
Susan Findley, of Columbia, writes in a straight forward, easy to enjoy fashion. As a librarian I would recommend Inherit the Past to anyone who wants to read a good story, but doesn't want to see graphic violence or sex.
March 22, 2015
A great read.
An enchanting and engaging story with something for everyone.
Magic, Time travel, History, Murder mystery, Romance and Travel book readers will all enjoy this tale of an American father and son in search of their inheritance and ancestry. Unbeknown to them, at the outset of their journey, they get more than they bargained for when they stumble upon their late grandmother's cottage in Bavaria.
An enchanting and engaging story with something for everyone.
Magic, Time travel, History, Murder mystery, Romance and Travel book readers will all enjoy this tale of an American father and son in search of their inheritance and ancestry. Unbeknown to them, at the outset of their journey, they get more than they bargained for when they stumble upon their late grandmother's cottage in Bavaria.
September 25, 2017
Susan Finlay's "Inherit the Past" is a totally engaging time travel mystery set in 18th century Bavaria.
Findlay's world-building is vivid and three dimensional. I can say the same for her characters. The plot is believable, captivating and imaginative.
I recommend "Inherit the Past" to anyone fond of time travel novels.
Findlay's world-building is vivid and three dimensional. I can say the same for her characters. The plot is believable, captivating and imaginative.
I recommend "Inherit the Past" to anyone fond of time travel novels.
July 26, 2018
A good time-travel adventure.
Inherit the Past takes the main characters and reader on an adventure to Bavaria and then into the past. It is more of a love story than it is a science-fiction novel, which provides enough thrills, twists and turns to satisfy the explorer in all of us.
Inherit the Past takes the main characters and reader on an adventure to Bavaria and then into the past. It is more of a love story than it is a science-fiction novel, which provides enough thrills, twists and turns to satisfy the explorer in all of us.
April 9, 2022
It was supposed to have been not only a fact-finding trip, this adventure to Riesen, Germany. To Max, it was supposed to have doubled as a male-bonding, bridge-repairing experience between himself and his son, Ryan. The divorce had taken away much of the relationship he’d had with his son, and he wanted to find his way back to what they had had.
Ryan’s having nothing to do with it—especially after, quite by accident, the two of them meet the lovely Sofie and her son, Tobias. Even more so when it seems to his young eyes that his dad is already falling for another woman so soon after leaving his much-loved mother.
A dramatic turn of events happens to them all when they are suddenly thrust through a portal of time while exploring Max’s grandmother’s house. The four of them, along with another, rather odd woman by the name of Lotte, are whisked back in time to an earlier Germany. From here, they do what they can to survive on their own.
It becomes clear to all of them that what had happened to them might have been the same thing that caused the disappearance of Max’s mother, Monika, and his grandfather, Karl. A number of years before this, the two of them had disappeared while visiting the same house the five of them had been exploring.
Now this accidental, and frightening, plunge into time had a purpose—to find Karl and Monika and to bring them home.
But how to get home again? Someone has the key, and someone else will kill to keep that secret from being found out.
Fantastic book. Time-travel stories are not easy to write; there is a lot of research involved in order to create a believable world. The author has done just that. Her characters, along with old-world Germany, come alive in a whirlwind of dust and drama. I loved the actors in this drama—each and every one of them had a very real, very colorful persona. The story line never failed, from the first page to the last.
Everything a reader could want is in this book – love, both requited and unrequited; deception; murder; loss; reconciliation—you name it.
This book does have a cliffhanger ending—I hope Ms. Finlay can get the sequel out soon. I just have to know what happens to … oh, no, that would be telling …
Ryan’s having nothing to do with it—especially after, quite by accident, the two of them meet the lovely Sofie and her son, Tobias. Even more so when it seems to his young eyes that his dad is already falling for another woman so soon after leaving his much-loved mother.
A dramatic turn of events happens to them all when they are suddenly thrust through a portal of time while exploring Max’s grandmother’s house. The four of them, along with another, rather odd woman by the name of Lotte, are whisked back in time to an earlier Germany. From here, they do what they can to survive on their own.
It becomes clear to all of them that what had happened to them might have been the same thing that caused the disappearance of Max’s mother, Monika, and his grandfather, Karl. A number of years before this, the two of them had disappeared while visiting the same house the five of them had been exploring.
Now this accidental, and frightening, plunge into time had a purpose—to find Karl and Monika and to bring them home.
But how to get home again? Someone has the key, and someone else will kill to keep that secret from being found out.
Fantastic book. Time-travel stories are not easy to write; there is a lot of research involved in order to create a believable world. The author has done just that. Her characters, along with old-world Germany, come alive in a whirlwind of dust and drama. I loved the actors in this drama—each and every one of them had a very real, very colorful persona. The story line never failed, from the first page to the last.
Everything a reader could want is in this book – love, both requited and unrequited; deception; murder; loss; reconciliation—you name it.
This book does have a cliffhanger ending—I hope Ms. Finlay can get the sequel out soon. I just have to know what happens to … oh, no, that would be telling …
February 10, 2015
Inteesting story about Max, a man who inherits his grandmother's house in Reisen, Germany after her death. He travels to inspect and hopefully quickly sell his inheritance, accompanied by his sullen teenage son but they end up hopelessly lost and unable to find the house. He meets a single mom named Sophie and her nine year old son who agree to help them find their way. The four journey to Max's grandmother's house now also joined by Sophie's great aunt who seems to know more about his grandmother than she lets on. While exploring the house they find a door in the basement that is actually a time portal and they all get swept back to 1789. I liked this book and the characters although the story at times dragged for pages with characters obsessing about secrets, feelings and basically whining about their situation. While I can't give it a 5 star rating, I was intrigued enough to want to read the next book in the series to find out what happens to them next.
September 8, 2015
I enjoyed reading this book, partly because it was set in Bavaria and I was traveling in Germany at the time I read it. The twist on time travel is creative and interesting and the plot is a mixture of contemporary normal and compelling historical.
The writing is ok, but not particularly stellar. Enjoyable, yes, but not stunning writing or beautiful language.
The writing is ok, but not particularly stellar. Enjoyable, yes, but not stunning writing or beautiful language.
August 22, 2015
Marooned in time
Was it faith, or were these people, meant to find each other. Families reunited in the past to make the future.
Was it faith, or were these people, meant to find each other. Families reunited in the past to make the future.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews