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The Probability of Time
The Arrowhead Killer is dead! After a decade of hunting the city of Grimwick’s most notorious serial killer, Detective Liam Smart finally feels the colossal weight of this case lift from his shoulders. Justice for the killer’s fifteen victims has been served — or so he thought.
When a new victim is discovered, Liam fears the killer may have had an apprentice — or worse, he arrested the wrong man. Determined to bring swift justice, he enlists the help of Loralei, a young, enthusiastic historian who may have knowledge vital to unlocking this new mystery.
But as the case’s evidence begins to build, Liam quickly discovers Loralei isn’t just beautiful and smart, she has a secret. And the longer he pursues the killer, the more he gets dragged into the middle of a secret war that’s responsible for reshaping the American political landscape until he has no choice by to join the fight.
The Probability of Time is the first book in The Historians trilogy: a steamy, action-packed thriller about time travel, alternate history, and American secret societies dating back to the Revolutionary War.
When a new victim is discovered, Liam fears the killer may have had an apprentice — or worse, he arrested the wrong man. Determined to bring swift justice, he enlists the help of Loralei, a young, enthusiastic historian who may have knowledge vital to unlocking this new mystery.
But as the case’s evidence begins to build, Liam quickly discovers Loralei isn’t just beautiful and smart, she has a secret. And the longer he pursues the killer, the more he gets dragged into the middle of a secret war that’s responsible for reshaping the American political landscape until he has no choice by to join the fight.
The Probability of Time is the first book in The Historians trilogy: a steamy, action-packed thriller about time travel, alternate history, and American secret societies dating back to the Revolutionary War.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2021
7 people are currently reading
24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 21, 2021
I almost finished the book in one sitting. It is a wonderful and surprising story with twists and turns you will never expect. It is a thriller, a detective story, a love story, making you think a lot about what is real and what is not.
December 25, 2021
The Probability of Time is a fast-paced adventure packed full with political intrigue, time-travel, action (including a car chase!), a CSI type mystery, and even some romance! It has it all!
There's a lot to enjoy about this book, but I think my favorite part was when Liam and Lorelai actually travel back in time. I love anything historical so those scenes definitely scratched that itch.
Overall The Probability of time was a fun read, but the ending is what really got me! What a twist! I was so shocked! My heart goes out to Liam, that's for sure, and I would've liked if he had his own section in the epilogue so we knew exactly what happened to him after the unexpected events that unfold in the final scenes. Props to Koster for delivering an ending with a punch!!
There's a lot to enjoy about this book, but I think my favorite part was when Liam and Lorelai actually travel back in time. I love anything historical so those scenes definitely scratched that itch.
Overall The Probability of time was a fun read, but the ending is what really got me! What a twist! I was so shocked! My heart goes out to Liam, that's for sure, and I would've liked if he had his own section in the epilogue so we knew exactly what happened to him after the unexpected events that unfold in the final scenes. Props to Koster for delivering an ending with a punch!!
March 18, 2020
I purchased this book as part of a writer's lift hosted on Twitter by the author ( @authortimkoster ).
The Probability of Time is certainly ambitious. While I appreciated Koster's aim to go big, I'm concerned he may have tried to go too big for this story. This work has good bones, but as I read it I kept finding myself thinking that it could have used another round of proofreading and editing to properly finesse some of the sharp edges that crop up. For example, sometimes a character's emotional response is explained twice in the same paragraph or Americans in the late 1700s seem to pay no mind to the jarring sound of modern English and even seem to be speaking in a modern dialect themselves.
The battling organizations Koster creates are interesting and his plot has striking features as well. It just becomes a bit lost at times with superfluous inner dialogue and flashbacks. I'm excited and curious to see if Koster expands on this world of his and am eager to see what the future holds for him!
The Probability of Time is certainly ambitious. While I appreciated Koster's aim to go big, I'm concerned he may have tried to go too big for this story. This work has good bones, but as I read it I kept finding myself thinking that it could have used another round of proofreading and editing to properly finesse some of the sharp edges that crop up. For example, sometimes a character's emotional response is explained twice in the same paragraph or Americans in the late 1700s seem to pay no mind to the jarring sound of modern English and even seem to be speaking in a modern dialect themselves.
The battling organizations Koster creates are interesting and his plot has striking features as well. It just becomes a bit lost at times with superfluous inner dialogue and flashbacks. I'm excited and curious to see if Koster expands on this world of his and am eager to see what the future holds for him!
August 2, 2020
The Probability of Time by Tim Koster caught me off guard. It does not follow your typical time travel story. It starts out as a standard police story as we follow police detective Liam Smart whose life is kind of on the rocks. After he meets a mysterious woman named Loralei, it goes from on the rocks, to spinning out of control. You see Loralei is a time traveler. And there is a powerful conspiracy thrown into the mix. There was one action that Liam took that I did not feel was sufficiently motivated or justified. I would have liked to see more development there, but that is a small criticism for what is generally a well-paced thriller.
March 20, 2020
Paradox
Law and order meets Doctor Who, with a dash of conspiracy, murder, and betrayal. It's hard to know who to trust when time is a play thing.
Law and order meets Doctor Who, with a dash of conspiracy, murder, and betrayal. It's hard to know who to trust when time is a play thing.
October 13, 2022
It's a good book. I liked reading it and thought that the main character was relatable and authentic. The whole book comes as a way of explaining cause and effect of past actions and also how it affects the future and has enough scientific mumbo-jumbo to make it seem plausible, even though thankfully there isn't a secret organization that is hell-bent on changing events in history and so on. It's a good story and I think people should pick it up.
May 23, 2021
Twists, turns, and heart-rending truths
I just finished this book, and I know it was good because I'm in the post-book fog. This books takes the reader on a fast-paced journey to an unexpected destination!
I just finished this book, and I know it was good because I'm in the post-book fog. This books takes the reader on a fast-paced journey to an unexpected destination!
March 22, 2021
Intriguing
An interesting concept, nicely executed. Whilst investigating a high profile murder, cop Liam becomes caught between rival time travelling factions and has to decide who to trust.
An interesting concept, nicely executed. Whilst investigating a high profile murder, cop Liam becomes caught between rival time travelling factions and has to decide who to trust.
February 21, 2021
I enjoyed reading this and hope to read more in the series. It is a good time travel book with lots of great characters and a terrific ending. Koster is a great writer.
July 4, 2021
Koster's debut novel is a twisting narrative of mystery, history, and science fiction. The tale follows a broken detective desperate for a win after sacrificing so much of his life fighting for justice, and the strange woman he meets in a bar that changes his life forever.
It is quickly evident that Koster did a great deal of research into history and scientific theory, which was explained very well and created a level of believability and intrigue in what could've quickly become a cheesy narrative. Instead, the world, and the rules of it, are made clear, and the stakes keep you turning pages late into the night wanting to know how the characters are going to come out on top in this wonderfully complicated mess they find themselves in.
I very much felt for the protagonist, Liam, who is quite relatable - a flawed man trying to do his best in unbelievable situations. Through the course of the story, the change he undergoes is beautifully tragic. On the other hand (I believe in part to give the reader a sense of what Liam likely feels in regard to Lorelai) the female protagonist remains more aloof, less easy to relate to or trust. As a woman reading the story, there were times I found her inconsistencies as frustrating as Liam did. Also, while at times their relationship seems heated and genuine, at other times, the romance falls flat because we don't truly get to know the real Lorelai until the last pages, which makes their interactions come off as more about lust than the love the characters proclaim they feel for one another.
While I'm personally torn on the epilogue, and how I feel it impacts the story, it certainly opens the door to interesting possibilities for future installments, and many readers may enjoy the final twist to an adventure already laden with surprises.
Overall, Koster's debut novel was well-crafted and highly entertaining. I would certainly recommend it to fans of crime dramas or historical conspiracies or time travel. I suspect book 2 will be even better and look forward to it.
It is quickly evident that Koster did a great deal of research into history and scientific theory, which was explained very well and created a level of believability and intrigue in what could've quickly become a cheesy narrative. Instead, the world, and the rules of it, are made clear, and the stakes keep you turning pages late into the night wanting to know how the characters are going to come out on top in this wonderfully complicated mess they find themselves in.
I very much felt for the protagonist, Liam, who is quite relatable - a flawed man trying to do his best in unbelievable situations. Through the course of the story, the change he undergoes is beautifully tragic. On the other hand (I believe in part to give the reader a sense of what Liam likely feels in regard to Lorelai) the female protagonist remains more aloof, less easy to relate to or trust. As a woman reading the story, there were times I found her inconsistencies as frustrating as Liam did. Also, while at times their relationship seems heated and genuine, at other times, the romance falls flat because we don't truly get to know the real Lorelai until the last pages, which makes their interactions come off as more about lust than the love the characters proclaim they feel for one another.
While I'm personally torn on the epilogue, and how I feel it impacts the story, it certainly opens the door to interesting possibilities for future installments, and many readers may enjoy the final twist to an adventure already laden with surprises.
Overall, Koster's debut novel was well-crafted and highly entertaining. I would certainly recommend it to fans of crime dramas or historical conspiracies or time travel. I suspect book 2 will be even better and look forward to it.
December 16, 2020
Anyone who follows me knows I'm a sucker for a good time travel story and The Probability of Time did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the twists and turns throughout the novel. As with most time travel stories, there's a great mystery to be solved lurking beneath the surface, and there were also several twists I truly enjoyed. The twist at the end was really awesome--I don't want to spoil it so I'll just say it's a great payoff for taking the journey with our main characters. I do wish the characters would've had a safety discussion before they got down to sexy times, but that's the romance author in me who just loves consensual safe sex between her two main characters. If you enjoy time travel stories, pick this one up! Definitely recommended.
September 18, 2022
“I’m a historian, you know that. What you don’t know is that I'm a historian from many, many, years in the future.”
There is an old saying that tomorrow's yesterday is today and Liam Smart of the Grimwick Police Department learns that lesson the hard way in The Probability of Time. The action starts on the night when the Arrowhead Killer, a culprit Liam helped bring down, is to be executed. That same night Liam meets Lorelei and his world will never be the same.
First time author Tim Koster does a great job laying the foundation for his time travel universe. This book has historical action, alternate timelines, and warring temporal factions. The action gets started quickly and never lets up until the end. The ending is left unsettled so I do hope there is a sequel soon.
There is an old saying that tomorrow's yesterday is today and Liam Smart of the Grimwick Police Department learns that lesson the hard way in The Probability of Time. The action starts on the night when the Arrowhead Killer, a culprit Liam helped bring down, is to be executed. That same night Liam meets Lorelei and his world will never be the same.
First time author Tim Koster does a great job laying the foundation for his time travel universe. This book has historical action, alternate timelines, and warring temporal factions. The action gets started quickly and never lets up until the end. The ending is left unsettled so I do hope there is a sequel soon.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews