Time of Departure

by Douglas Schofield

A debut mystery with a surprising twist, featuring a young state prosecutor investigating a series of murders dating back to the 1970s, and a mysterious ex cop who knows way too much about her.

Florida state prosecutor Claire Talbot is as tough as they come, and not everyone loves her for it. Newly promoted Felony Division Chief, Claire has about as many jealous detractors as she does supporters. Some colleagues are openly skeptical about her youth, her abilities, and even her gender. When a highway project construction crew unearths two skeletons in a common grave, Claire reopens an investigation into a string of abductions that took place before she was born. While researching the file, she meets retired cop Marc Hastings, who once worked on the case. He maneuvers his way into the investigation—and into Claire's life. Marc has an uncanny familiarity with Claire's habits, and she begins to realize that not all is as it seems. The detective urges Claire on, mysteriously convinced that only she can solve the case. Together, they unearth more graves. But then, disaster strikes … and Claire finally discovers what Hastings knew all along. It's a secret almost too shocking for a sane mind to grasp. The key to the killings may lie deep in Claire's own past. But what if Claire's past lies in her future?

Full of spellbinding twists, Time of Departure will appeal not only to thriller aficionados, but to readers who appreciate a strong female lead and a compelling love story. A page-turner that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, Time of Departure heralds the arrival of an immensely talented new crime novelist.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Fantasy, Thriller, Time Travel, Suspense

336 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2015

About the author

Douglas Schofield was raised and educated in British Columbia, where he earned degrees in History and Law. He has worked as a trial lawyer in Canada, Bermuda and the Cayman Islands, prosecuting and defending hundreds of cases of serious crime and, more recently, conducting complex cross-border litigation. Douglas and his wife Melody live on Grand Cayman, along with their highly intelligent talking cat, Juno, who kindly permits them to share his home.

Reviews

[Jaksen · Rating 2 out of 5]

So many good reviews, but sorry this isn't going to be one of them.

(I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.)

First off, the guy can write. I often say that, even about a book which I didn't like, or couldn't finish. The writer writes - transitions, narration, description, all well done. He or she can turn a fine phrase and move the story along. This guy can do that. Most definitely. So why the two stars?

For the continuing implausibility of the story and the constant and almost egregious use of stereotyped characters. Such as a judge who seems out to get everyone and throws out evidence as inadmissible because a proper search warrant wasn't used. But OMG, this evidence involves NINE dead bodies. Oh, come on, come on. You are going to dismiss as evidence NINE dead bodies? I cannot even imagine the public outcry, let alone from the victims' families. Yeah you punish those who went into a house and looked around, and mind you this is an apparently abandoned house. You might toss those responsible in jail, even though one 'searcher' was a private citizen and it was HE who found them. I choked on this. I said trope-trope-trope and even if this writer has a criminal justice/legal/police background and can cite examples where this has happened I am screaming OH, COME ON.

Stereotypes: the heavy, overweight cop or detective who calls the MC, a legal prosecutor, 'girlie' and obviously thinks she's useless because she's female. Okay, these guys do exist, but his sidekick is almost as bad. Another one, the mysterious guy who appears when the MC is in danger or trouble and recruits HER and only HER to solve the case involving several dead or missing women. (Young women, of course.) The friendly judge who issued the (thrown out) search warrant to help out the MC. The caring boss who, however, must do his duty and suspend the MC, and the list goes ever on. Hardly an original character in the bunch. I swear I've seen these all on cop shows on TV, and too many times. (I left out the MC's mysterious mother who says things that are never explained and if that were my mom I'd shove her in a corner and say, What the HECK are you trying to tell me?)

And so much just doesn't 'read right.' The MC wakes up, in bed, in the mysterious guy's apartment in her underwear after a night of drinking. She 'checks' to see if she's wearing a thong. Good God, man, no woman needs to 'check' to see what underwear she's wearing. Even if she forgot what she was wearing the day before, which I doubt, she can FEEL the darn thing. Did a woman proof this before publication? Was at least one editor female?

After reading a little more than halfway I couldn't finish. There was so much I could not believe - and I am able to suspend disbelief with the best of them. I was looking forward to reading this book, liked the start of it, yet the more I got into it, the more disappointed I became.

Two stars.

[Judy Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

A special thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Douglas Schofield delivers TIME OF DEPARTURE —a spellbinding unique mix of mystery, cop-procedural, crime, thriller, romance, and science-fiction/ fantasy.

MIND BLOWING. Cleverly crafted. Time travel. A strong woman and a beautiful compelling love story rolled into one.

Gainesville, Florida state prosecutor Claire Talbot, early thirties, is tough; however, the good old boys are not so keen on the newly promoted Felony Division Chief.

A highway construction crew uncovers skeletons in a grave and Claire reopens the investigation---all which took place before she was born. During the investigation she meets retired cop, Marc Hastings who worked on the case back when. A 1970s cold case involving eight abducted women.

You soon sense something strange lurking –Marc seems to know things about Claire and provides other clues involving the case. At first she thinks he is just an older cop, haunted by a cold case, as most are. She is drawn to him, even though a huge difference in age.

A TWIST: After a complete derailing, readers will be lead down a path….a secret. An eerie creepy feeling. Chilling. The key to the killings are connected to Claire’s past. From memories, past to present to future . .

You are immediately hearing the lyrics and music of Twilight Zone (Golden Earring), and The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling. From drama, psycho-thriller, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and suspense with an unexpected twist. The Time Element

TIME OF DEPARTURE is different, original, out of the box, unexpected, and unique. Agree with a few of the other reviewers. Starts out as a hard- boiled detective crime thriller, clever, and slowly turns into a fantasy type reminding me a little of Andrew Neiderman and Audrey Niffenegger, and in some parts: a mix of Stephen King and Dean Koontz.

By viewing the front cover, you are not expecting what lies between the pages. When you finish you understand.

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” ― T.S. Eliot

“Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future
And time future contained in time past.”
― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Surprise? Yes. Reference: As in literature--"A Chinese box structure refers to a frame narrative, a novel or drama that is told in the form of a narrative inside a narrative, giving views from different perspectives."

Schofield sets up a cop-procedural crime mystery, and in combination of strong characters, time, mystery, events, with a twist. Working from inside out, or outside in?

Readers will enjoy the book if not locking themselves into certain expectations or genres. Some great writing. The unexpected. Entertaining. Take a step back. The end is back at the beginning.

Suspension of disbelief. “The willingness to suspend one's critical faculties and believe the unbelievable; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment.”

“Unless you leave a person both physically and mentally, you are still with that person and there is no real departure!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

JDCMustReadBooks

[Meredith (Trying to catch up!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are looking for a typical mystery that is solely about resolving a case, Time of Departure is not the book for you. However, if you are looking for a mystery that goes outside of the box, then you will love the Time of Departure. Approach with an open mind!

[Rachel Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. That was my first thought when I put this book down just after midnight last night.

I have to admit, about halfway through the book I was beginning to wonder where all of the five star reviews were coming from. I knew there was a twist and I even had a pretty good idea of what it would be, but when the second twist came I was appropriately shocked.

The second half of this book made the clichéd investigative beginning all worth it - and at the end shed a whole new light on those events. I was absolutely pleased with the turn this book took and found myself up way past its completion wondering about the characters.

If you had told me I would feel this way when I first opened this book I would have scoffed, but by the end I was mourning for the losses in this story and wishing there were more to read.

Well done, Mr. Schofield - you may make a mystery reader out of me yet.

Here is my formal review that will go on the shelves with this book:

Time of Departure by David Schofield

What begins with an ambitious young female prosecutor, a mysterious cold case, and an intriguing ex-cop who knows too much about both, ends in a series of twists you won’t see coming.

Claire Talbot has a lot to prove in the masochistic legal world in which she has immersed herself but she puts it all on the line when Marcus Hastings enters her life with an old case that stirs an ominous feeling in the pit of Claire’s stomach. Though the string of missing girls occurred before she was born, Claire senses a familiarity with the case, and with Marc that she can’t explain.

With the ever-infuriating platitude that she will one day understand, Claire begrudgingly follows Marc down a rabbit hole of mystery, phenomena, and romance that will change everything.

A wonderful thrill of a book that takes you to unexpected places it will keep you on the edge of your seat to the very last page.

[DD Flight · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? I'm addicted to Schofield's writing and his latest is in my opinion his best. Although it's not yet widely available (I think publication is scheduled for November or December 2015 - can be pre-ordered through Amazon now), I had an opportunity to read a pre-publication copy and it did not disappoint.

If you've read Schofield's novels you know that he has a penchant for writing for female protagonists and Time of Departure is no different. Prosecutor Claire Talbot finds herself battling her colleagues and enduring stereotypes to climb to the top of her game only to find herself caught up in a cold-case file that introduces her to an all-too-familiar ex-investigating detective Marc Hastings.

Hastings's knowledge of the case and Talbot is eerily encyclopedic, leading her to uncover a string of related cases with his help and guidance. It is not until Hastings' secret is revealed that Talbot learns that her past holds the key to both her investigation and her relationship to Hastings. Through a series of twists and turns that will have you doubting the existence of spacetime, Schofield masterfully takes Talbot through generations to solve the biggest and most heinous crimes of her career. A must-read for anyone who enjoys a good thriller!

[Nancy McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a great book and what a surprise. I was hooked from the beginning by the story of young, state prosecutor Claire Talbot who is the newly appointed felony division chief. She is tough as nails and has to prove herself daily to many old school cops. It didn’t help at all when a newly discovered grave linked back to crimes which occurred thirty years earlier and when a mysterious ex-cop who worked the original cases suddenly appeared to help her. Mid-way through the book I began to realize that all was not as it seemed but by that time I was so involved with the mystery and the emerging and compelling love story that I didn’t care and I couldn’t stop reading. Time of Departure was a wonderful read and one I probably would never have picked up if I had known the surprising twist.

[MariaElena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently had the opportunity to read a pre-publication copy of, "Time of Departure." A few thoughts.

WOW!
I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since I finished reading Time of Departure. That’s a good thing because it’s how I rate a book. If I can’t stop thinking about it, and wondering “what if?” and don’t feel like picking up another book because I’m still involved with the current one . . . well that’s just a freaking great book! A suspenseful mystery that slowly unfolds and becomes a tender love story. Schofield ties up the loose ends perfectly. The end came fast and I found myself wanting to mourn. Enough said . . . this book will fly off the shelves.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sticking with two stars. This book is a smattering of good ideas with bad follow through. The story starts at the wrong place. The author oddly enough acknowledges it as a way of justifying it on page 298. Unfortunately, for the beginning half of the book, it's all confusion.

The characters are lackluster and are void of romantic tension, which made this quite absent of feeling. This book is a love story slightly hidden in a murder/thriller, but a love story all the same and not having tension between the main characters is aggravating. I've said this a few times, but sex doesn't equal tension and just saying they make love everywhere does nothing for them or their story. It's supposed to be tragic, but it's not because you never got a chance to feel their love for each other.

Claire has a complex through only half of this novel where she believes the men around her see her as less than because she's a woman. I only say this because there isn't much credence given to the particular events and actions of the men in this novel to justify it. Her coworker calls her Girlie and she takes offense to that...this is not a subtle insult men use to attack female gender. The only time I've heard it is as an endearment, generally from other women. The author didn't do his research here and more or less hoped his insults were actually, well, insults. However, once Claire goes into the past, where being a woman is even more frowned upon, the only acknowledgement given to it is a passing dig from herself referring to suffrage.

The author goes on and on about being able to change the past, but then nothing changes. The author gets stuck in the logic loop and doesn't try to find a way out of it, which basically means this story doesn't end--it just regurgitates over and over. This is good for certain sci-fi novels, but not for this particular story.

There's a lot of needless waiting. Days just pass without the characters acknowledging the elephants in the room, where they both know things about each other they shouldn't, but choose not to really push on the issues, for what? Pacing purposes. It's baffling and doesn't make sense given Claire's characterization. She's supposed to be a prosecutor, but doesn't try and push for evidence from Marc's mysterious appearance in her life and knowledge of it? These were just odd tactics used to extend the novel for no particular reason. Claire sits around and let's the three remaining girls all die, what exactly was the point of going back? It was simply to ensure her own existence--it really had nothing to do with her mother. However, she does nothing notable in her future (at least in this novel) for her to matter. Maybe if the trial we first see her in had been something lifesaving for someone I could understand, but she saved no one except herself in the past. It's selfishness at its best. I mean, if it was about saving her mother she could have immediately gone, "there's the bad guy take him" when she got there. Mom would be fine because both of the culprits would have been discovered. Claire's existence would still be intact and if Marc and she were truly meant to be they would have had Rebecca at a later time.

I get the argument that if she had never gone back nothing could have changed, but for the timeline she already had and with no explanation as to how at that.

The last portion from Rebecca's point of view wasn't needed. It added nothing that couldn't have been added to a consistent narrative.

Why so much griping about Lipinski when he had no real presence in the past? He disappears except for a phone call? Okay...

Last note. When Claire and Marc catch Lipinski following them they toss away their loaded deadly weapons. What kind of prosecutor and ex-cop throw one gun over a fence and the other down a storm drain? Not "good" ones. It was a stunt in poor taste. Throw the keys, not the thing that could actually harm someone.

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Sentence: My darling daughter, This is your mother’s story.

Claire Talbot, Florida state prosecutor, has been newly promoted to Felony Division Chief. The unearthing of two skeletons by a construction crew reopens a case that happened before she was born; a string of abductions. But who exactly is retired cop Marc Hastings? Not only did he work the old case, but he seems to know things about Claire beyond a stranger’s knowing. Can they solve the old case? What happens when Claire learns the link to her past?

There is nothing quite like starting off with a healthy dose of creepiness, and Schofield definitely provides it. He also writes, initially, in short, very intriguing chapters that keep one reading way into the late night.

Schofield is as good at keeping the reader off-balance, as is the protagonist. One is completely intrigued by all the characters, particularly Claire. He keeps instilling questions in your mind.

The plot is a cracker. It takes until about half-way through to have even a hint of where you are going. Rather than being frustrating, one finds oneself smiling, anxious to continue the journey.

There are amazing wrinkles to the plot that are so well done. One definitely has to pay attention. On the informative side, there is very interesting information on geographic profiling.

“Time of Departure” does have a paranormal factor to it, but it’s also a book that leaves you saying “Wow!”. It is so well done. What is amazing is that the author never tries to explain the events, but you don’t care. The story is so effective you simply keep turning the pages.

TIME OF DEPARTURE (Susp/Para-Claire Talbot-Florida-Contemp) – Ex
Schofield, Douglas - Standalone
Minotaur, Nov 2016

[Squirrel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well written and compelling, but the reader gets annoyed quickly with knowing they are being played. A PROSECUTOR can't get a straight answer out of a strange man clearly stalking her, and she just sits and stays? She goes to his APARTMENT, alone? Why wouldn't she simply walk in with her BOSS, or ask for a police escort for security? "Anything you have to say about the case needs to be said in front of an independent witness. I've brought this person to provide that." Or video it...

So much rings false in this telling. The MC make other choices that would never let her survive a year in any city - running solo in public parks, getting in her car and not checking the car or the area first, not locking the door as soon as she's in? These are just a few of endless slips that scream "written by a man without a woman's input".

A PROSECUTING attorney that doesn't make sure a search warrant is tight - for a serial killer? And the father leaves it to the daughter to walk up and execute the murderer...wow, this 'hero' sure comes across as a scumbag, even if he 'looks like Harrison Ford'.

Quickly figuring out what's going on, its annoying instead of romantic. And creepy bad. The MMC effectively gaslights the MC through much of the book. She gets 'feelings' but 'nothing happens' - gee, he could TELL her why, he could explain the situation, but he'd rather mess with her and creep her out, repeatedly. NOT a 'romantic lead' at all.

It reads like the writer wrote scenes trying to figure out how this could work, then shoved them together into a 'novel'. It comes off as forced, and uncomfortable, ill-considered, throughout. The MCs come off as neither likable nor admirable. Well, sure, MMC can time travel, and MMC could have saved a few women's lives, but then MC might not have his future wife and daughter, so too bad for them. MMC loves his wife SO MUCH he leaves her for 30 years? Huh? And the reader is supposed to LIKE this trash?!

The author conveniently ignores that if any given things don't happen, unknown other things will happen instead. Because life and the world continue. WOULD there have been a train wreck if the multiple murders didn't happen? The characters cannot know. And the ending ... um, RMCP comes to the US, executes a serial killer, and that's the author's 'solution'? Does not work for this reader.

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you decided to read one chapter of a book at midnight and then suddenly it's 2:30 am!

[Vera · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book through a giveaway on Goodreads First Reads, and I was extremely excited about it. I generally love thrillers, and this one started out with so much potential. Prosecutor Claire Talbot is a strong female lead, and her struggles with sexism in her work environment are portrayed in an extremely realistic way. There is just the right amount of detail in the opening scenes to show that Douglas Schofield clearly knows his way around the criminal justice system, but not too much detail as to become overwrought or boring. The decades-old unsolved crime is extremely compelling as well, and at first, Marc Hastings, the mysterious ex-cop who suddenly shows up out of nowhere, seems interesting too. I definitely wanted to find out what he was doing there and why he specifically targeted Claire to help solve the case.

But then it got weird. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but I found the devices used to tie up loose ends in the story to be way too perfect and convenient. The realism that was set up in the first quarter of the book suddenly disappeared, and I found myself losing interest in the characters because of it. I was extremely disappointed with the way the story ends, even though there were some interesting moments along the way.

All in all, I enjoyed the writing style and some of the concepts and characters in this book, but in the end, it didn't turn out in a way that I particularly enjoyed.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of the this ARC from Net Galley in exchange for a review. I was intrigued by the story from the outset since it was a mystery taking place in northern Florida, near where I live. The book was more of a legal thriller type mystery. The main character Claire Talbot is a Gainesville, FL prosecutor. The story provides a lot of information on the legal cases she was working on, as well as several well written courtroom scenes, so it lends itself to a legal genre. Ex-police detective Marc Hastings approaches Claire for assistance with an old 1970's case of several missing girls in their 20's-30's who were suspected victims of a serial killer. Due to lack of evidence, no bodies, and the fact the killer was never found and case was shelved. Marc could not let the case go and so after leaving the force in the late 70's he pursued it on his own. Marc and Claire work together on the cold case and even fall in love. A little more than half way through, the story takes a completely unexpected twist. No spoilers, but at first I was not sure I liked it, but after reading on, I realized it was a completely unique twist, one I have never seen in a book I've read.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am never one to give a bad review on a book, I try to find the underlying good in everything but this book was one of the hugest literary let downs I have ever come across. If you would like to read a book where you are either confused or frustrated the entire time, this IS the book for you. I do not wish to spoil it for those who do decide to read it but this book is the prime example of a good plot line gone horribly bad. What could have been a unique story all on its own went to garbage due to lack of research and planning. If he would have taken a step back and took the time to look at the story as whole after completion he would have noticed the gaping holes and questions left unanswered. There is not one happy ending in this book, only let down after let down.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery isn't usually my genre of choice, but I have to admit to getting pulled in to this storyline...perhaps because, in addition to the mystery, there's a romance and a sci-fi twist. I found the writing to be a bit choppy, but I suspect that writing style might reflect the mystery genre. It didn't change my life, but it was an entertaining page-turner once I got in to it.

[Reff Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were some flaws, but it was a fresh premise--what happens if your past predicts the future. Good setting, interesting characters--this is a no-brainer trip of fun, and sometimes you need something like this to chase away the grey days. You won't be able to put it down.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most intriguing and enticing books I have read in a long time. It begins as one thing and changes into something completing different. I will be thinking about this story for a very long time.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't good...but I enjoyed reading it!

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a weird little book. It's a quick read, and I found the author's writing style really good - he writes concisely but also with adequate detail. (I like when writers give you ages and things like that so I can picture them in my mind.) But it was almost like reading two different books: a crime book and then a sci-fi book. I don't want to give too much away so I'm putting the rest of this in spoilers. We spend time with Claire Talbot at her office and learn who her dimwit colleagues are, we meet Marc Hastings, a man who seems to know weird strange details about her, even things like when she's going to meet him at a bar. And then Claire gets on an Amtrak, the train derails, and she wakes up in 1978.

I'd been somewhat spoiled there was time travel in this book, so Claire's experience in the hospital, when she finally realizes she's back in the past, wasn't a total surprise to me. But at this point, we know the killer and I had a sneaking suspicion this was going to be like 11/22/63 where she wouldn't be allowed to save any of the girls that Harlan and Doris Tribe kill. And in fact, because of a time "rule" she figures out, she and her fetus can't be in the same timeline at once, so as soon as her mother conceives baby Claire, adult Claire disappears from the 70's. And she never returns to 2011. So Marc raises their daughter Rebecca alone, he reunites with her for a month or so in 2011, and then Claire goes back in time to start their relationship. Kind of a bummer.

We get weird standalone chapters interspersed from Lipinski, Claire's drunk colleague in CID; Marcus, once Claire leaves to confront Harlan; and then the last chapter is from Rebecca once she's an adult. In this chapter, we see her kill Harlan. It was kind of anti-climatic, TBH. it's mostly stuff that we don't need to know (yes, she's a badass and kills a man who is about to kill his 6 year old child) or stuff that doesn't matter (she sees her mom from the Amtrak rail station, which we already knew).

I dunno, I wanted more from this I think, especially because the first 100 pages or so were so strong.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers Ahead! I'm really conflicted about my feelings with this book; Schofield is an incredible writer and the plot line for this novel is incredible, but the ending of the book is so lackluster. The first half before the sci-fi plot twist is by far the better half of the book. Schofield does do an excellent job hinting at what is to come in the future (or I guess the past).

I just don't understand why Claire told young Marc everything about where she came from but old Marc refused to tell Claire anything about how he knew everything about him. Also the whole having sex with old and young Marc and then having his baby who was actually older than her mom was kind of off putting.

The best part of the book is the beginning when Marc convinces Claire to help solve the murders with him. BUT the murderer is revealed (twice!) and he never gets convicted; instead Rebecca kills him. I just feel like that was so forced to be a father, mother, daughter thing.

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easily digested in two days' time, but a really bad mash of murder-mystery meets the "Time Traveler's Wife." Extreme stereotypes abound, as noted by other reviewers the characters aren't anything more than that. Seriously unbelievable details: like the daughter simply reads this story and instead of thinking her father is insane, she suddenly believes her mother is a time traveler? The mechanics of the magic are never explained; it all gets pretty confusing after a certain point, especially near/at the end. Meh.

[Bethany Wilk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tripped me out! I thought I was reading one kind of book, then midway through, it morphed into a completely different species. I think I liked the first half of the book better, but I appreciated how neatly all the mysteries were tied up in the end. With all the Girl on the Train-type shock endings that are out now, I loved how this surprised me without having to use the whole "unreliable narrator" trick (which I'm really tired of!)

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I very rarely give a book 5 stars but to me this book deserves 5 stars. I had never read a Douglas Schofeld book. This book is like none I have ever read. It starts out pretty normal but a little more than half way through it takes a very unexpected turn. Claire is a Florida State Prosecutor who teams up, skeptically, with a retired cop on a very old cold case of kidnapping & murder. There are a lot of surprises all the way to the end. Just remember this is fiction & enjoy.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author is a good writer and I did manage to finish the book. I immediately found the story line of a lawyer and ex-cop conducting an investigation unbelievable, but I was intrigued enough with the mystery to keep reading. Then, it took a sci-fi turn. I don't really like sci-fi/fantasy and was really disappointed this had been labeled as "thriller." It is well written, so if time travel/parallel lives are your thing, you'll probably enjoy it.

[Jeff Brateman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really quick read, so you know it's not terribly complex. The writing style was sufficient enough to keep me engrossed all the way to the end. Let's just say the last 100 pages left it hard for me to put the book down until its conclusion. 3/5 because it was also clearly written by a man about a woman, so it emphasized irrationality and emotional decisions from someone who should clearly had better sense.

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all Scholfield can really write, second I think he can plot and plot and plot. I love a time travel mystery. I like love stories, I don't know that I understood everything but I really, really enjoyed it. I am sad it is over and to choose to think it is not.

[Lexxie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent read. Time travel is always tough and it's hard to make the explanation seamless. All I can say is that the book was good enough that I wanted to finish it. I wasn't biting my nails and wasn't blown away by the characters or the writing but it was fine.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, unbeknownst to me when I started it, has my three favorite genres. Detective/murder mysteries, time travel, and magical realism.
It was a little confusing in a couple of places, but, considering the mix of genres, that’s to be expected.

[Shana · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5, slightly rounded up. Mystery? Check. Time travel? Check. Intriguing romance? Check. It had so many elements that would have made for an excellent, thrilling, and captivating novel, but unfortunately the execution just wasn't there for me.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was just ok. I'm not a big fan of time travel novels and I didn't realize that's what it was until I was halfway in so I went ahead and finished it.