As I mentioned in a previous book review, I’m a bit of a fan of time travel fiction. So after reading and enjoying Off to Be the Wizard (affiliate link) by Scott Meyer. the AI fed me My friend Marian on Telegram recommended Split Second (Split Second Book 1) (affiliate link) by Douglas E. Richards.
The premise revolves around a time-travel capability which can only send things back in time a split second (hence the title) rather than the weeks or years that other science fiction in the genre tend to exploit for their storyline.
The story involves two secretive groups who may posess some level of time-travel capability, trying to stop the knowledge escaping, while perhaps using the technology for their own purposes. We mostly follow the story of a woman and an experienced private investigator evading capture by the shadowy organisations.
This book pressed a lot of buttons for me. Kidnapping and clever evasion tactics along with deception and a little time travel thrown in. There’s a lot of time spent building the story, with a fair amount of exposition detailing the capabilities and limitations of the technology. I found that part just as fascinating as the storyline itself. I enjoyed nerding out on the detail given for how and why everything works the way it does in the books’ universe.
I listened to the Audible version which included some great voice acting from Kevin Pariseau. I particularly enjoyed the characterisation of the private investigator, and the leaders of the two factions. It was an easy listen, and this was right up my street. I’m looking forward to picking up another of Richards’ books.
Split Second (Split Second Book 1) by Douglas E. Richards - ★★★★☆ 4/5 stars