Marshall Bellows is a present day crime fighter and Allan Besley his alter ego in 1956 (after the discovery of a wormhole during the chase of a sick, perverted serial killer). Can Marshall/Allan survive this double life in two times, two seemingly different worlds and two loves or will one the worlds pull him in deeper, where he finds it harder and harder to leave? This first book, Discovery, … begins the fight for Marshall in both worlds. A man with strong convictions with no qualms about “getting his hands dirty” if that is what’s required. Is he judge, jury and executioner? Strange and desperate times require certain measures and Marshall is the man for the job, in both times.
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A fast paced thriller of crimes set in present day London. The killer is a sadist of the foulest sort. After inflicting pain and mutilation on his victim, he heads to his burial site in a park. There he discovers a time warp, or wormhole if you prefer, to 1956. After burying his victim, he heads through the shimmering light that he saw. He is in the exact same spot, but doesn’t realize it as nothing is familiar, his auto has disappeared and the spot where he does his burying is undisturbed. He rushes into what he knows is the city, and discovers it is 1956. He rushes back to the park and sees the shimmering again and crosses through it. There is his auto and his tools. He looks at his watch. He was in the other time zone for over an hour, yet his watch says only a couple of minutes have elapsed. He digs up the newly buried body, drags her through the worm hole and reburies her. He returns to his own time and checks. The body is still there, but now no flesh remains. He realizes he has found the perfect way to dispose of the next one. The police assign Marshal Bellows to bring solve the disappearance of the young woman. He follows the clues left by the surveillance cameras. He too discovers the anomaly in the park and the burial sites. That the body of the newest victim has all the earmarks of being buried for sixty years, the police are puzzled. Marshall discovers the time difference and decides to assume an identity in the past. He is successful beyond his own expectations. He will solve the mystery, but the biggest mystery remains. How does he exist in two different time frames? Why is he so comfortable in the past? Why does time wait for him to return as though it is welcoming him to perform all his duties and living there? https://www.amazon.com/Time-Detective-Book-Discovery-
I had had this book on my radar for some time, the title was so intriguing, so I shuffled my ‘to be read’ pile and The Time Detective – Discovery by Mark Carnelley came to the top. I am glad it did.
The Blurb
Marshall Bellows is a present day crime fighter and Allan Besley his alter ego in 1956 (after the discovery of a wormhole during the chase of a sick, perverted serial killer). Can Marshall/Allan survive this double life in two times, two seemingly different worlds and two loves or will one the worlds pull him in deeper, where he finds it harder and harder to leave? This first book, Discovery, begins the fight for Marshall in both worlds. A man with strong convictions with no qualms about “getting his hands dirty” if that is what’s required. Is he judge, jury and executioner? Strange and desperate times require certain measures and Marshall is the man for the job, in both times.
The Review
The Time Detective – Discovery has a gruesome and explosive start however, I’m glad I persevered. This is an gripping time shift story that deserves more recognition than it has had to date.
The story is set in England and main protagonist, Marshall Bellows is a most attractive character. The reader learns not only about him but also about the relationship he has for his dog and with his neighbours as well as his love story. He sets about leading the investigation into the crimes of a serial killer who has discovered a worm hole in time and space that he uses to his advantage,
Marshall stumbles across the worm hole too and devises a way that he can pursue the killer in the present day and 1956. It is a cleverly conceived plot that leads to a satisfying conclusion.
I really enjoyed The Time Detective – Discovery and am think that it is a fine crossover novel.
Val Penny
Well Worth Your Time!
Author Mark Carnelley’s Crime Fiction with a Sci-Fi edge crosses the parallels of time by enabling travel back and forth between the years 2016 and 1956 via a wormhole.
A-a-h, but it’s the characters who do the traveling that engage the reader’s hot pursuit: James Brampton, a sadistic serial killer who has his work cut out for him; Marshall Bellows, the aboveboard head of the Criminal Investigation Department—the time detective. On this note, I commend the author for his in-depth character profiling. We can thank our lucky stars that James Brampton is a figment of his imagination.
The author also does a great job nailing the logistics of time travel:
When Marshall Bellows went back, it was to that very instant he had left it the previous time he had been there, no matter how long he stayed here in the present. It was only when he was in 1956 that the anomaly of the times began to occur, which was that for every hour spent in 1956, it was always 1/60 of the time that was passing in 2016.
Time travel poses its own dilemmas for Marshall Bellows: romance in both parallels; changing the past.
When you think about it, none of us can fully realize the impact our actions have on others over the course of time. I highly recommend a novel well worth the time it takes you to read it.