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The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray By Ollie Simmonds
William Wells did not anticipate becoming sucked into a time-traveling scandal that makes him the prime suspect in many murder cases when he flies to London on his girlfriend’s orders to locate an elusive second-hand store on frying pan alley. Does Wells possess the necessary skills to evade the police and earn the right to possess an old time machine?
I’m grateful for this advanced reader copy of The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray from Reedsy and O.R. Simmonds. There is a lot to like about this book. William Wells buys a gift for his lover, not realising that he has actually purchased a potent time-traveling technology that plunges him into a murder investigation.
William Wells must abandon his regular life in order to flee the law and find out what happened to his lost Abigayle after that and the enigmatic disappearance of Abigayle are added. Wells must take whatever actions are necessary to save Abigayle and clear his name, working with the weird and enigmatic Frenz Belingi.
Both the main character William Wells and his dependable sidekick Frenz Belingi have a satisfying sense of development, which really enhances the narrative. Simmonds did a fantastic job portraying how the characters evolved during the novel. I did, however, occasionally find the dialogue to be a little awkward. To be honest, though, this didn’t stop me from enjoying the novel.
You are left wondering about what might be happening behind the scenes right from the start of the book. Everyone in the book struck me as a potential suspect. The themes of a mystery novel were present in the book almost immediately in various ways.
The mystery Timepiece Wells purchases from Belingi’s shop ends to being a time-traveling device that belongs to a group called The Office of Time Dissemination but has gone AWOL. When Wells returns home and shows his girlfriend Abigayle his find, something unusual occurs, and she vanishes right before his eyes. If Wells wants to have any chance of discovering what happened to Abigayle, he must first learn about the enigmatic Timepiece.
Simmonds does a great job of withholding just enough information from the reader during the story’s steady pacing to keep them guessing. I felt that some of the book’s scenes could have been a little bit more intense, but again, this did not stop me from enjoying it.
This book is a no-brainer if you like time-travel stories. The reader will be kept on the edge of their seat by all the quick-paced action. The development of the characters is also excellently done. I also appreciate how Simmonds skillfully incorporated historical facts into his story and connected them to the plot of his book.
To sum up, I had a great time reading this book. The novel is well-written, and Simmonds does a great job of building a compelling tale with rich characters. I was left wanting more even though the finale seemed to tie up the narrative and was gratifying. The narrative may use some tightening up, but other than that, it was a delight to read, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.
About The Book
William Wells, a gifted but risk-averse US college dropout living an unadventurous life in London, stumbles upon a mysterious timepiece with the ability to alter time. When the Timepiece’s previous owner is brutally murdered by unknown assailants, Will flees, only to see his girlfriend, Abigayle, vanish before his eyes when she comes into contact with this remarkable watch.
He now finds himself alone in an unfamiliar city, wanted for a murder he didn’t commit and the prime suspect in a woman’s disappearance. Whether he knows it or not, Will does have one advantage – control over the most powerful force in the universe: time.
The only problem is that he has no idea how to wield it. Those that do, members of a secretive and long-forgotten organisation, are also on his trail and there are no lines they won’t cross to recover the Timepiece.
The Review
The Timepiece and the Girl Who Went Astray
9 Score
This was a compelling time travel adventure, with plenty of twists and turns and unexpected surprises. The ending was great—I didn’t expect that. I didn’t have the brainpower to figure out if their travels to the past should’ve affected the present/future more, but the characters were enjoyable and the plot was fast-paced except for one place where intricacies of the time travel were being explained. There were 1-page (or longer) descriptions of places or people, which I began to skim since I have a low tolerance for details that don’t play into the plot. Other readers, however, may appreciate the detail as a way of making the scene feel more real. Some F-bombs and other profanity are included, if anyone wishes to avoid those (as I usually prefer). Overall, I found the novel was a very satisfying read with a satisfying ending.
PROS
- This was a compelling time travel adventure, with plenty of twists and turns and unexpected surprises.
- Filled with suspense and unpredictable twists.
- The characters are interesting, the story is fun.
CONS
- The characters are so bad and weak.
- Too many unrealistic actions/responds by the characters...
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