Gillian McAllister offers a smart, intriguing, twisty story that plays with time and offers second chances, revelations, betrayals, deep connections, and an unusual route to uncovering the truth. I loved it.
Gillian McAllister's twisty mystery Wrong Place Wrong Time plays with time, and I love books that play with time.
The story begins with a mother awaiting her teenage son's return home late one night. She peers out the window to see him walking down the street--then she sees that he is armed, and to her horror, she sees him kill another man on the street.
But when she awakens the next morning bracing to face the living nightmare her family has begun living in, she's relieved to find that her son hasn't killed anyone, he hasn't been arrested, and in fact, none of last night's events have happened after all. She must be losing her mind. But she knows that last night was real.
But somehow she's reliving yesterday again. She really and truly is. She can't explain what's happened, but she quickly realizes that now she may be able to stop the murder before it occurs. Can she shift the future by changing the past?
She wakes again the next day to find that it is now the day before yesterday. Time is moving backward, and if she can't figure out how it's happening, she must at least figure out why.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time offers a smart, mind-bending structure that is complex and interesting but not difficult to follow. McAllister develops her characters fully and uses the time jumps wonderfully--to explore relationships, truth-telling and lies, assumptions, terrible realizations, and heartwarming reassurances.
Main characters have plausible reactions of disbelief, wonder, irritation, and fatigue to the unfathomable goings-on, which I loved. McAllister's twists never feel like red herrings, nor do they make me feel irritated by manipulation. I loved watching every building block slot into place as we wound our way back through time toward the truth.
The story was fascinating and touching and chilling and sweet. I absolutely loved it.
Do you have any Bossy thoughts about this book?
If you like books like this, you may want to check out these other Bossy books I've read that play with time.
My Greedy Reading Lists Six Riveting Time-Travel Stories to Explore and Six Second-Chance, Do-Over, Reliving-Life Stories highlight some of my very favorite books that twist time!