What Time Devours

Finally, A. J. Hartley's protagonist Thomas Knight returns to thrill Hartley's readers. In Hartley's latest novel What Time Devours,the fast-paced action begins in the first pages as Knight discovers the terrifying face of a dead woman against his window. Because the novel opens with a murder leading to multiple layers of intrigue, What Time Devours might easily be cast as an intense thriller. However, readers should not ignore the historical and literary accuracy woven between theft, murder, and deceit. Through Thomas Knight, Hartley reveals his own knowledge of European history and geography. Knight's character also appears quite knowledgeable about the trends and topics in current scholarly work about William Shakespeare. One might easily compliment Hartley's thorough research, but this reader senses that the preparations for this novel were too enjoyable to categorize as "research." Read What Time Devours. You will enjoy the story, the thrills, and the characters.

In Illinois, Evanston Township High School English teacher Thomas Knight looks out his window to see the woman's face plastered against the pane; her eyes look vacant. He goes outside and checks on her to find her dead. Police Detective Lieutenant Polinksi leads the investigation into a victim with no ID except a stick-it note with Thomas' name and address on it. He insists he never met her, but obviously the cop say she came to see him. Not long after that former student David Escolme calls Thomas. He explains he works at the prestigious Vernon Fredericks Literary Agency and needs to meet Thomas to show him something Thomas agrees to meet him at the prestigious Drake Hotel where David is staying while attending a Shakespeare scholarly conference. At the Drake, a distraught David insists he had and lost a handwritten copy of Love's Labor Won, an alleged play by the great Bard that has never been proven to exist though there is a footnoted historical reference that it did. He further explains that his client is renowned author Daniella Blackstone who he explains cannot write a sentence; her former partner Church is the obvious author of their collaborations. Thomas believes that the dead Jane Doe is Blackstone. Soon afterward, David vanishes, a web sight that listed him as an agent at Fredericks no longer exists, and he is not on the register of guests at the Drake; soon afterward someone tries to kill Thomas; hospitalizing him with a bullet wound. Although his shoulder hurts, David re-enters the scholarly world of Shakespeare; a place he fled from a decade ago to teach school. Fans will enjoy the return of Thomas who is estranged from his wife Kumi, but hopes for a reconciliation. This time the conspiracy of sorts changes from the Church and his brother's death (see ON THE FIFTH DAY) to Shakespeare and his student's death. The story line is fast-paced from the onset and never slows down as Thomas minding his business ends up in a modern day tragedy. Fans of A.J. Hartley will appreciate a brief visit from Atlanta museum curator Deborah Miller of MASK OF ATREUS who stops by at the hospital to say hello on her way to field work (sequel for her, perhaps). WHAT TIME DEVOURS is an entertaining thriller as the Shakespearean scholars are as cutthroat as Richard III. Harriet Klausner

For those who have already read AJ Hartley's work, What Time Devours definitely lives up to expectations. Like On The Fifth Day and The Mask of Atreus, this is a great thriller with plenty of action and drama. This time, though, Hartley also shows us a more thoughtful and reflective Thomas as he grapples with more than just "the bad guys." Definitely worth reading.

To my delight, Thomas Knight, the protagonist of A.J. Hartley's On The Fifth Day, has returned in the fascinating new mystery, What Time Devours. The new book combines exciting story developments and interesting historical and literary details. It is fast-paced and enormously entertaining. The new book involves a lost Shakespeare play called Love's Labours Won. It is set around Chicago, London and Stratford in England as well as the Champagne region of northern France. Following the appearance of a dead woman leaning against his kitchen window, Thomas Knight, an Evanston High School English teacher, finds himself caught in a series of developments that sends him searching for a lost play which was, according to some, written by Shakespeare. One surprising pleasure of What Time Devours is that it is a wonderful travel mystery. Those of you who have visited Stratford, England, should fondly reminisce about Shakespeare's birth place - - a picture post-card timbered house with an exquisite garden, as well as ancient halls and the streets of Stratford - - as Thomas Knight pursues the mystery of the lost play. Those of you who have visited Westminster Abbey are likely to empathize with Tom: " In this building, every monarch of England had been crowned since William the Conqueror in 1066... The depth of antiquity, the weight of it, was unlike anything Thomas had ever experienced."(Read Chapter 24.) If you are a European history buff you should find the book highly intriguing. For example, when was the last time you read about the Kingdom of Navarre? How does it relate to Shakespeare's plays or Mary Antoinette? (Read Chapter 44.) Enjoy the book!

Having read Hartley's previous books, "The mask of Atreus" and "On the fifth day" I eagerly awaited the publication of his latest thriller which I managed to find last week in Philadelphia airport. I have not been disappointed. This book is a triumph as it possesses all the elements one wants in a great mystery and it is so well crafted. It is full of action, intrigue and some unexpected twists of plot. The writing is excellent and full of pace. It will grip you from the outset and have you burning the midnight oil as you will not be able to put it down. What a fantastic start to this New Year! Read and enjoy! If you should read this Mr. Hartley Please, Please let's have more.