This is part of my Summer Reads series where I’ll be sharing book recommendations – a series of “not just cookbooks”.
Q. What do you do when the book you want to read has a huge waitlist at the library?
A. Check out the author’s other books while you’re waiting, of course!
Such was the case with Gillian McAllister’s Just Another Missing Person which came highly recommended by my friend Jan Scott of Betty’s Bookshelf (sign up for their newsletter with excellent book recommendations here). I was late to the game to place a hold at the library but noticed that McAllister has authored many other books, and last week the library came through with a Reese’s Book Club pick – Wrong Place, Wrong Time.
From the publisher:
Can you stop a murder after it’s already happened?
It is midnight on the morning of Halloween, and Jen anxiously waits up for her 18-year-old son, Todd, to return home. But worries about his broken curfew transform into something much more dangerous when Todd finally emerges from the darkness. As Jen watches through the window, she sees her funny, seemingly happy teenage son stab a total stranger.
She doesn’t know who the victim is, or why Todd has committed such a devastating act of violence. All she knows is that her life, and Todd’s, have been shattered.
After her son is taken into custody, Jen falls asleep in despair. But when she wakes up…it is yesterday. The murder has not happened yet—and there may be a chance to stop it. Each morning, when Jen wakes, she is further back in the past, first weeks, then years, before the murder. And Jen realizes that somewhere in the past lies the trigger for Todd’s terrible crime…and it is her mission to find it, and prevent it from taking place.
Both the story of a mother’s love and the sacrifices she will make for her child, and a thriller with a brilliant twist, Wrong Place Wrong Time is a one-of-a-kind novel that begs to be read in one sitting.
Ok, I love me a good British twisty thriller but a book involving time travelling… Hmm. I’m the person who has to rewind films involving this type of thing to make sure I know what’s going on – would I be able to manage a book that delves back YEARS in time? And a book where each leap back in time involves something that will eventually explain the crime which takes place in the first few pages of the book?
I needn’t have worried, the storyline intricately weaves “breadcrumbs” of the plot together in such a way that it’s not difficult to keep up. Indeed, in each chapter, I found myself identifying what I thought were clues to “present-day” activities or behaviours of the main characters although many times the things I thought were clues didn’t end up being significant to the story (excellent diversionary tactics by McAllister). I finally put everything together when Jen did and THEN everything made sense. It’s a roller-coaster of a read and you WON’T be able to put it down.
Yes, Wrong Place, Wrong Time is a version of Groundhog Day. And it makes you think about choices, consequences (and unintended consequences). It’s a story of second chances, choices, and a mother’s unconditional love for her son. If you can suspend belief about the whole time loop/time travelling/(which is not really fully explained – HOW/WHY did this happen to Jen?) it’s an EXCELLENT summer read. Highly recommended!
Buy Wrong Place, Wrong Time on Amazon (this affiliate link should bring you to the Amazon store in, or closest to, your country).
For free worldwide shipping, find Wrong Place, Wrong Time on Blackwell’s.
Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains a Blackwell’s affiliate link. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
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Buy my books! In the French kitchen with kids and French Food for Everyone: le goûter (after school snacks), le dîner (dinner) and le petit déjeuner (breakfast) are out now! Click here for details and how to order!
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