Book Review- Gillian McAllister's Wrong Place Wrong Time

Jen witnesses her eighteen-year-old son murder a stranger outside of their house. Shocked and terrified, Jen and her husband must return to their home, while their son is arrested. The next morning, Jen wakes up and realizes that she has returned to the previous day, the morning before the murder. Each time she goes to bed, Jen jumps to a different day in the past, sometimes years in the past, each day holding a piece of the puzzle to solve the murder. Jen works to crack the case, but struggles as each time she travels further into the past, she must decide who she can trust with the news of both her time travel abilities and the impending murder.

I like a good mystery and I was excited when my neighborhood bookclub selected Gillian McAllister’s Wrong Place Wrong Time. I had been eyeing this book and was intrigued by the premise. I liked the intensity of the opening chapter, which starts with the murder. I was compelled to keep reading and finished half the book in a single sitting. The story has some solid surprises and I was kept guessing until the last forth of the book, when I anticipated the twist- still a very good twist!

The overall concept is strong and unique. The time travel component adds a level of intrigue. How Jen is able to time travel is never explained, however, I like the idea that whatever entity is making this possible, is taking her to the points in time that are key to solving the mystery. It’s a clever idea. It also gives Jen the problem of figuring out who she can trust with this information and who might think she is crazy. The flip-side to this time travel element is it started to feel tedious during the second half of the book. I think the framing of the chapters starting with a time jump bogged down the pacing. I also found the epilogue to be unnecessary and wish the book had ended with Jen.

On a whole, I enjoyed Wrong Place Wrong Time. I don’t believe that I have read McAllister’s other books, but I will seek them out and look forward to her future works. Her character development is fantastic and I liked her twists.

Book Review- Lisa Jewell's The Family Remains

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for a copy of Lisa Jewell’s The Family Remains.

The Family Remains is a sequel to Jewell’s 2019 novel, The Family Upstairs. The first novel in the series ended without necessarily requiring a sequel, yet left many of the characters adrift after escaping a traumatizing situation. The Family Remains brings a sense of closure to their lives, allowing the characters time to rebuild and process. Although, of course the story is not so simple, as that would make for a very dull book!

In The Family Remains, siblings Lucy and Henry are faced with confronting their past, when Henry decided to track down an old friend. Henry is a mysterious character and it is unclear if unresolved childhood damage has turned him into a dangerous adult. Lucy, who has been living under a different identity and fears exposure, is compelled to risk her secrecy and fly to Chicago to find Henry. Exposure for the siblings is further risked when the body of a pop-star washes ashore on the Thames, a decades old murder that involves the siblings.

You do not need to have read The Family Upstairs to understand or enjoy The Family Remains. They are independent books. However, I feel that my experience of the sequel was enhanced by reading the first book. I wish I had read them back-to-back, as I had forgotten many details of The Family Upstairs Jewell does not often write sequels, but I was pleased that she decided to revisit these memorable characters and give them closure, especially Henry.

I’m a huge fan of Lisa Jewell and I have read most of her books. Although I enjoyed The Family Remains, I felt it was a little slower paced and not as engaging as her other books. Perhaps it was due to the necessary information drops to remind us of the events in The Family Upstairs. Also, the first book was very chilling and unexpected, while The Family Remains had less overall tension. It was more of a closure story than a straight-up mystery, which made me feel happy for the characters that I had grown to like, but also didn’t lends itself to the normal surprise of her other books.

One small thing that drove this California native crazy…Lucy’s family goes to burger chain In-and-Out during their visit to Chicago. This chain does not exist in Chicago! Because I knew this, it momentarily took me out of the story.

If you’re a fan, absolutely read The Family Remains. If you’re new to Jewell, read The Family Upstairs.