A friend recommended Strangers in Time: A World War 2 Novel by David Baldacci. I found the first few chapters a little slow compared with other thrillers I have enjoyed. But when I met Charlie Matters and saw him return the money he stole from Ignatius Oliver, I was hooked. Charlie didn’t have the easiest life, but through his struggles he quick-stepped around obstacles and blasted through the streets of London by jumping on the back of a trolley so he didn’t have to pay the fare he didn’t have. Normally, Charlie walked or ran for miles, but his worn-out, secondhand shoes that didn’t fit forced him to break a law he wouldn’t normally break if circumstances were different.
Bring in Molly Wakefield, and you have a first-class thriller of engagement, with more investment in characterization than most books across the genres. I will be reading more of
Baldacci in the future, as this novel was one I couldn’t put down. At 433 pages, the book includes multiple plot twists and a 106-page SuperSummary Study Guide that features Background, Summaries & Analyses, Character Analysis, Themes, Symbols & Motifs, Important Quotes, and Book Club Questions.
As a writer, I stand in awe of the author’s skill and the intricate plot structure in Strangers in Time: A World War 2 Novel. If war isn’t complicated enough, I did a much better job explaining the effects of World War 2 to a friend when she wanted a short plot analysis, because I had better absorbed the history while enjoying an excellent story. In addition, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the ending of this book and the Author’s Note at the end of the audiobook. Baldacci addressed the philosophical ponderings of wartime, where people, often very different from themselves—intellectually, geographically, and by class—bond their dark lives together with courage and empathy they might not have in ordinary circumstances. The author’s theory about serendipitous encounters leading to “love trumps all” captivated my interest. How could individual lives be made better through conflict and war?
If you enjoyed Strangers in Time: A World War 2 Novel, you may enjoy Fear Has a Name: A Novel by Creston Mapes. Other Christian Thrillers and Suspense you may appreciate are The Bone Box by Bob Hostetler, Breach of Promise by James Scott Bell, Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, Life Flight: Extreme Measures by Lynette Eason, and If I Run by Terri Blackstock.
