Henry Wood: Time and Again

Rating: 3 star

Author: Brian Meeks
Genre: Mystery
Subgenre: Murder mystery, Time Travel
Length: 264 pages

Blurb:
The second book in the Henry Wood Detective Series.

Fans of Dashiell Hammett, who long for days of Bogart and Becall, will appreciate Henry Wood's sleuthing.

1955, Manhattan, and Henry has just gotten the call. Mickey is dead. His long time mentor and friend, run down outside their favorite bar, The Dublin Rogue. It looks like a simple hit and run, but keen eyes notice there is only one empty parking spot on the street, and the pile of cigarette butts in the gutter tells a different tale. Somebody was waiting, but who?

A novel in black and white, it harkens back to the days before Google, cell phones, and computer data bases. Henry must use cunning to uncover the truth, because everyone connected to the case has an agenda. There is much sleuthing and just the slightest hint of science fiction hiding in the closet of Henry's basement. All of it, though, is there to give him a chance to uncover the answers.

Take a journey back in time and see Manhattan as it was when the Yankees always seemed to win, and Brooklyn had Ebbets Field and the Dodger. There is history, intrigue and hints at romance that will keep you turning page after page until it is time to flip off the light.

If you like a mystery, then Time & Again is for you.

Time travel mechanism: A closet that delivers newspapers from the future. There is no explanation of how the device works.


Review:
I decided to read this novel because somewhere I read that it was a time travel story. Well, they were wrong. Ok, it has maybe five sentences involving a time travel closet that delivers newspapers from the future to help the main character solve the mystery, but that's it. So as a time travel story it's a dud. I'm not sure why it was even in the story as the author could easily have chosen some other way to provide the clues. As a murder mystery it was pretty good even if it had a slow start. Although the murder to be solved takes place at the very beginning of the story, the first third of the book introduces the characters, the romantic interest, and has lots of description to set the noir detective story atmosphere. It's not until half way into the book that things get interesting and the pace picks up with the introduction of an ancient artifact, the antikytherea mechanism. This is a real historical treasure discovered around 1900. The book adds some fictional information about it and an exciting back story. The plot then continues unfolding at a quick pace until the murder is solved at the very end of the book. I had difficulty following a few of the details of the final scene which transpired extremely quickly. The ending was good and had some suspense. I liked the middle part of the story the most. The characters were well developed, believable, and entertaining.

I received my kindle version as a free download from Amazon. 

Time Travelers Never Die

Rating: 4 Stars

Author: Jack McDevitt
Genre: Fantasy
Subgenre: Time Travel
Length: 400 pages

Blurb:
When physicist Michael Shelborne mysteriously vanishes, his son Shel discovers that he had constructed a time travel device. Following his father's trail through history-from the enlightenment of Renaissance Italy through the American Wild West to the civil-right upheavals of the 20th century-Shel makes a devastating discovery that sends him feeling back through the ages, and changes his life forever.

Time travel mechanism: A hand held electronic device that lets you select the time and place you wish to travel to. There is no explanation of how the device works.

Review:

While this is not a literary masterpiece, I must admit I really enjoyed reading it. Watching Shel and his friend David visit all the historical events and people was great. The solution to the time travel paradox was credible - The time traveler dies from a heart attack before performing any action that would create a paradox. There was only one small section toward the beginning of the story where I could not understand the explanation of the logic around time travel. After rereading that part several time, I gave up and continued on. The writing style is easy to read but at time the transition between some paragraphs was abrupt. If you like time travel stories where the emphasis  is on the time travel and not some other plot aspect, then you will love this story. It does have a plot but it is almost incidental which was ok.

I borrowed this ebook from my local library.

Rowena's Key (The Golden Key Chronicles #1)

Rating: 4 Stars

Author: A.J. Nuest
Genre: Fantasy
Subgenre: Romance, Time travel
Length: 109 pages

Blurb:

The key would unlock his future and the safety of his kingdom, but he never imagined the sorceress would unlock his heart…
Antiques restorer, Rowena Lindstrom, finds herself the owner of an ancestral armoire containing a hidden key and a magic mirror leading to another realm! But the handsome warrior prince waiting on the other side is truly the final straw. This must be an elaborate joke, right? As she struggles to discover the truth, Rowena learns Prince Caedmon Austiere needs the key to save his kingdom. In the end, she cannot deny him anything. Including her heart.

Time travel mechanism: A magic mirror is gradually discovered and effectively portrayed as a window into another time. It is well done while not really explaining how it works.

Review:
I read this novella in one sitting. It's a time travel romance fantasy story. I'm not a romance reader (this is the first of that genre I've ever read) but I love time travel so I decided to give it a try. The time travel was well done and while not the focus of the narrative (the romance was the focus) there was enough of it to keep me interested. The writing was excellent. The characters were very believable and well developed. The plot moved along nicely. I was very impressed with the dialogue, especially the old English. I was taken by surprise by the plot twist at the end. While I'm not a fan of cliff hanger endings, I guess that is necessary when writing a serial novella. The romance scene toward the end was "steamy" which I also guess goes with the genre. If you like fantasy romance, I think you'll love this one. 

I received a free ebook version from the author for an honest review.

The Mighty Peculiar Incident at Muddy Creek

Rating: 3 Stars

Author: Ian Thomas Healy
Genre: Western
Subgenre: Time travel
Length: 14 pages

Blurb:
A Short Story- When the train doesn't stop in the Old West town of Muddy Creek, Sheriff Jesse Hawkins goes to investigate. What he finds is a mystery that goes far beyond anything in his experience: a car full of people frozen in time. This story is included in the collection Tales of The Weird Wild West, also by Ian Thomas Healy.

Time travel mechanism: A small lantern-like device that can transport people back in time (and presumably return). No further explanation of how it works is provided. When broken, it stops time.


Review:
This is an entertaining, quick read, with a simple plot, authentic western dialogue, and some humor. It is partially successful  in addressing the paradox regarding if you change the past then you change the future. The story is well written with a good pace, although the introductory scene is a little slow. The author was setting the mood but could just as well have eliminated the initial scene and started immediately with the scene about the train missing the stop at the station.

I received my kindle version as a free download from Amazon.