Nicholas Quinn is a suspect in the murder of his wife Julia. The reader is told (many times) that he adored her, and there is no way he would have ever hurt her. The police don't believe him and things look bleak when there is a break in his questioning. This is were the book veers towards fantasy, when a man appears and offers Quinn a watch that will allow him to travel backwards in one hour increments to save his wife's life. As he goes back, hour by hour, he is faced with the realization that changing history can have terrible consequences. The author brings in the requisite "bad cops," tragic accident and untimely deaths. We learn of family secrets as poor Nick keeps running into brick walls in his effort to save his wife from the death he knows she faces.
I first read this book when it was published in 2009, and immediately recommended it to everyone I knew. When I decided to spend the past month reading and reviewing old favorites, this one jumped out at me. Although not perfect, it was good enough to stay in my mind for seven years, and I wanted to share it with you.
Doetsch could have done a little better building Nick's character, but I imagine his goal here was to simply have the reader live the hero's angst, and in that area he did amazingly well. Even as I reread this book, I found myself holding my breath and yelling throughout. By the very nature of the book, there was repetitiveness that got a bit tiresome, but for the most part even that was well handled. I believed the love story part of the book and really wanted a "happily ever after" ending.
Doetsch is known for his "The Thieves of " series, but I have always been a fan of his few stand-alone thrillers. This is definitely a book that you don't want to miss.
- Beverly
Publisher - Atria Books
Date of Publication - December 29, 2009