The Killing Time

This is the second in a series of mysteries set in the modern day, well June 2024, except there’s there’s time travelling involved as well. The first book, The Frozen People, felt rather unfinished to me. This rounds out the story started in that book. It wrapped up so neatly at the end that I wondered if this was all we were going to see of Ali Dawson and her cold case team, but I see there’s a third volume coming out later this year.

The crime side of the mystery in the book is completely overshadowed by the hilarious fun of jumping through time at inopportune moments. There are various psychic, medium and mesmerism charlatans (or are they?) involved and Charles Dickens gets a quick cameo. I especially enjoyed the bits at the Great Exhibition of 1851. For the most part the plot is just silly, but occasionally it’s quite touching. And it’s a good job the time travelling is fun because the actual mystery which you’d think would be the heart of the book is paper thin as if the author just couldn’t be bothered with it. Either that or the time travellers will sort out the motivation in the next book < insert shrug emoji here >. I kind of wish these would get away from the mystery novel format. But all the same it was an entertaining read and despite being disappointed with the mystery I’m sure I’ll be there reading the next one.