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Time Exposure
Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, TIME EXPOSURE is an historical mystery framed by a modern story linking the past and present through current technology.
In present day Washington, D.C., renowned digital photographer Maggie Thornhill discovers the mummified remains of a human male behind a false wall in the cellar of her Georgetown brownstone. The brownstone has been in her family since famed Civil War photographer Joseph Thornhill owned it. Family history maintains that Joseph vanished shortly after Lincoln’s assassination. Buried with the corpse is a satchel containing Joseph’s field diary, letters, and a photograph of a civilian on the battlefield. Maggie believes she’s found her lost ancestor’s body. Now she must prove it’s him so the mystery can be put to rest.
In 1860 Joseph is a restless and dissatisfied portrait photographer for the Mathew Brady Gallery. When the Civil War erupts, he enlists as a spy for the U. S. Secret Service. Using his professional duties as cover, he investigates the deaths of several government agents. While shooting battle scenes, Joseph inadvertently photographs a civilian in the background, someone who should not have been there. By the time he suspects it’s the killer, the man is long gone.
The traitor has, in fact, been hired by unscrupulous industrialist, Samuel Lindsey, to kill the government agents in order to protect Lindsey’s munitions company from scrutiny. Joseph learns that Lindsey’s company not only produces sub-standard weapons for the North but also runs guns to the South.
As he pursues the killer, Joseph is wounded on the battlefield, captured, and tortured by Confederates but ultimately escapes. During his flight, he photographs proof of Lindsey’s treason, cases of guns stacked in a southern railroad depot, and brings the evidence to the President. Lincoln is assassinated, however, before he can act, and Joseph’s report is sealed by President Andrew Johnson.
Lindsey realizes that he must tie up loose ends to ensure that his guilt remains undiscovered. He directs his hired gun to kill the last remaining Joseph Thornhill.
A century and a half later, Maggie discovers through DNA evidence that the body in her basement is not that of Joseph as she suspected. Through tenacious research, she locates the long-sealed portfolio that Joseph presented to Lincoln to document Lindsey’s treasonous activities. Maggie utilizes cutting-edge facial recognition software to digitally analyze Joseph’s photograph of the civilian. What she finds shocks her. Further research reveals that Lindsey’s company is still in business today and under investigation by the FBI. Maggie enlists the help of her future father-in-law and long-time family friend, Senator Fitz Wade to get inside information on that investigation. However, the Senator is less than forthcoming. She suspects he is hiding something or protecting someone, perhaps his son, Maggie’s fiancé, T.J. Wade.
She visits the Senator’s home to confront him but the Senator’s wife, Dorothy, blindsides her instead. Dorothy warns Maggie to drop her relentless investigation but with the help of a family photo, Maggie pulls together the missing pieces. Dorothy, in fact, owns the company, which true to tradition, is selling guns to enemies of the U.S. American soldiers are once again dying in the name of profit. But worse, Dorothy is the descendant of the civilian killer.
Now that Maggie knows the truth, she has to die.
In present day Washington, D.C., renowned digital photographer Maggie Thornhill discovers the mummified remains of a human male behind a false wall in the cellar of her Georgetown brownstone. The brownstone has been in her family since famed Civil War photographer Joseph Thornhill owned it. Family history maintains that Joseph vanished shortly after Lincoln’s assassination. Buried with the corpse is a satchel containing Joseph’s field diary, letters, and a photograph of a civilian on the battlefield. Maggie believes she’s found her lost ancestor’s body. Now she must prove it’s him so the mystery can be put to rest.
In 1860 Joseph is a restless and dissatisfied portrait photographer for the Mathew Brady Gallery. When the Civil War erupts, he enlists as a spy for the U. S. Secret Service. Using his professional duties as cover, he investigates the deaths of several government agents. While shooting battle scenes, Joseph inadvertently photographs a civilian in the background, someone who should not have been there. By the time he suspects it’s the killer, the man is long gone.
The traitor has, in fact, been hired by unscrupulous industrialist, Samuel Lindsey, to kill the government agents in order to protect Lindsey’s munitions company from scrutiny. Joseph learns that Lindsey’s company not only produces sub-standard weapons for the North but also runs guns to the South.
As he pursues the killer, Joseph is wounded on the battlefield, captured, and tortured by Confederates but ultimately escapes. During his flight, he photographs proof of Lindsey’s treason, cases of guns stacked in a southern railroad depot, and brings the evidence to the President. Lincoln is assassinated, however, before he can act, and Joseph’s report is sealed by President Andrew Johnson.
Lindsey realizes that he must tie up loose ends to ensure that his guilt remains undiscovered. He directs his hired gun to kill the last remaining Joseph Thornhill.
A century and a half later, Maggie discovers through DNA evidence that the body in her basement is not that of Joseph as she suspected. Through tenacious research, she locates the long-sealed portfolio that Joseph presented to Lincoln to document Lindsey’s treasonous activities. Maggie utilizes cutting-edge facial recognition software to digitally analyze Joseph’s photograph of the civilian. What she finds shocks her. Further research reveals that Lindsey’s company is still in business today and under investigation by the FBI. Maggie enlists the help of her future father-in-law and long-time family friend, Senator Fitz Wade to get inside information on that investigation. However, the Senator is less than forthcoming. She suspects he is hiding something or protecting someone, perhaps his son, Maggie’s fiancé, T.J. Wade.
She visits the Senator’s home to confront him but the Senator’s wife, Dorothy, blindsides her instead. Dorothy warns Maggie to drop her relentless investigation but with the help of a family photo, Maggie pulls together the missing pieces. Dorothy, in fact, owns the company, which true to tradition, is selling guns to enemies of the U.S. American soldiers are once again dying in the name of profit. But worse, Dorothy is the descendant of the civilian killer.
Now that Maggie knows the truth, she has to die.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 20, 2012
4 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Kennedy
7 books26 followersAbout the Author
With a Masters’ Degree in Science and more than 28 years as a science museum director, Lynne Kennedy has had the opportunity to study history and forensic science, both of which play significant roles in her novels. She has written six historical mysteries, each solved by modern technology.
Time Exposure: Civil War photography meets digital photography to solve a series of murders in two centuries.
The Triangle Murders was the winner of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Mystery Category, 2011, and was awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Award for independent books of high standards.
Deadly Provenance has also been awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion and was a finalist for the San Diego Book Awards. With the release of Deadly Provenance, Lynne has launched a "hunt for a missing Van Gogh," the painting which features prominently in the book. "Still Life: Vase with Oleanders" has, in actuality, been missing since WWII.
Her fourth book, Pure Lies, won the 2014 “Best Published Mystery” award by the San Diego Book Awards, and was a finalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award.
Time Lapse, her fifth mystery, premiered at the end of 2016 to all 5-star reviews.
Lynne’s newest novel, Hart of Madness, premiered August of 2018 to all 5-star reviews.
She blogs regularly and has many loyal readers and fans. Visit her website at www.lynnekennedymysteries.com
With a Masters’ Degree in Science and more than 28 years as a science museum director, Lynne Kennedy has had the opportunity to study history and forensic science, both of which play significant roles in her novels. She has written six historical mysteries, each solved by modern technology.
Time Exposure: Civil War photography meets digital photography to solve a series of murders in two centuries.
The Triangle Murders was the winner of the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Mystery Category, 2011, and was awarded the B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree Award for independent books of high standards.
Deadly Provenance has also been awarded a B.R.A.G. Medallion and was a finalist for the San Diego Book Awards. With the release of Deadly Provenance, Lynne has launched a "hunt for a missing Van Gogh," the painting which features prominently in the book. "Still Life: Vase with Oleanders" has, in actuality, been missing since WWII.
Her fourth book, Pure Lies, won the 2014 “Best Published Mystery” award by the San Diego Book Awards, and was a finalist in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award.
Time Lapse, her fifth mystery, premiered at the end of 2016 to all 5-star reviews.
Lynne’s newest novel, Hart of Madness, premiered August of 2018 to all 5-star reviews.
She blogs regularly and has many loyal readers and fans. Visit her website at www.lynnekennedymysteries.com
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 23, 2024
A clever twist on Lincoln and Booth.
June 10, 2016
Author Lynne Kennedy has fashioned an intriguing historical mystery in "Time Exposure," a story that jumps from modern-day Washington to the battlefields of the Civil War and then back to the present in the Nation's Capitol.
Kennedy writes with great skill and it's clear that she has done her research as she tells the story of an investigation into the death of a long-dead man found walled up inside a basement wall. I'm not going to delve deeply into the plot because it's never my intention to spoil the reading experience for those who have not yet read this or any other book. I will say, however, that the narrative is sprinkled with both historical figures as well as fictional ones and that it is a tale that combines high adventure with romance both in the past and in the present.
Kennedy has a strong narrative style; one that moves the story forward on almost every page. She does wander occasionally into descriptions of events that are perhaps not necessary to the plot, but she writes well enough that this is not a major obstacle.
She also has a knack for developing strong female characters in addition to the men populating the pages of her novel. I consider that a major plus.
If I have a quibble with this book it's that the conclusion seems rushed to me. The bulk of the novel takes place during the Civil War but when the scene shifts back to the present the investigation moves almost too quickly. Connections are made that seem far-fetched given the evidence, at least in my opinion.
That said, this is an enjoyable read with a unique twist on one of history's most heinous crimes. I have no trouble recommending it to those who like Civil War stories and other historical fiction.
Kennedy writes with great skill and it's clear that she has done her research as she tells the story of an investigation into the death of a long-dead man found walled up inside a basement wall. I'm not going to delve deeply into the plot because it's never my intention to spoil the reading experience for those who have not yet read this or any other book. I will say, however, that the narrative is sprinkled with both historical figures as well as fictional ones and that it is a tale that combines high adventure with romance both in the past and in the present.
Kennedy has a strong narrative style; one that moves the story forward on almost every page. She does wander occasionally into descriptions of events that are perhaps not necessary to the plot, but she writes well enough that this is not a major obstacle.
She also has a knack for developing strong female characters in addition to the men populating the pages of her novel. I consider that a major plus.
If I have a quibble with this book it's that the conclusion seems rushed to me. The bulk of the novel takes place during the Civil War but when the scene shifts back to the present the investigation moves almost too quickly. Connections are made that seem far-fetched given the evidence, at least in my opinion.
That said, this is an enjoyable read with a unique twist on one of history's most heinous crimes. I have no trouble recommending it to those who like Civil War stories and other historical fiction.
November 17, 2012
‘Time Exposure’ by Lynne Kennedy
Published in the USA, September 2012. ISBN: 978-1479331505
When having some work done at her Washington home, digital photographer Maggie Thornhill finds a mummified corpse in her basement. Could this be her ancestor Civil War photographer, Joseph Thornhill, who disappeared just after the end of the Civil War and whose body has never been found?
The story starts in Washington City in July 1861 with the main narrator Joseph Thornhill, a young man who with his friend and mentor Alex Gardner, undercover of taking photographs to record the Civil War becomes a spy for the U.S. Secret Service. In the course of his observations of the war Joseph uncovers a killer. As he tracks the man he discovers the reason for the killings and realises that he is dealing with arms dealing, profiteering and treason.
Eventually Joseph is wounded and captured by Confederates. Although, he later escapes with proof of his suspicions, can he bring the evil doers to justice? Through Joseph’s diary and photographs found with the body Maggie links the arms company with one still in business today. But is the body that of Jospeh Thornhill.
Whilst the story of the mystery of Joseph Thornhill is intriguing, the descriptions and history of the American Civil War provides fascinating reading. Lynne Kennedy has seamlessly blended fact and fiction to produce a modern mystery with its solution set in the past. With some clever twists this tale will keep you guessing to the end.
----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
Published in the USA, September 2012. ISBN: 978-1479331505
When having some work done at her Washington home, digital photographer Maggie Thornhill finds a mummified corpse in her basement. Could this be her ancestor Civil War photographer, Joseph Thornhill, who disappeared just after the end of the Civil War and whose body has never been found?
The story starts in Washington City in July 1861 with the main narrator Joseph Thornhill, a young man who with his friend and mentor Alex Gardner, undercover of taking photographs to record the Civil War becomes a spy for the U.S. Secret Service. In the course of his observations of the war Joseph uncovers a killer. As he tracks the man he discovers the reason for the killings and realises that he is dealing with arms dealing, profiteering and treason.
Eventually Joseph is wounded and captured by Confederates. Although, he later escapes with proof of his suspicions, can he bring the evil doers to justice? Through Joseph’s diary and photographs found with the body Maggie links the arms company with one still in business today. But is the body that of Jospeh Thornhill.
Whilst the story of the mystery of Joseph Thornhill is intriguing, the descriptions and history of the American Civil War provides fascinating reading. Lynne Kennedy has seamlessly blended fact and fiction to produce a modern mystery with its solution set in the past. With some clever twists this tale will keep you guessing to the end.
----
Reviewer: Lizzie Hayes
February 9, 2015
historical mystery
Just finished the best book I've read in the last year! Lynne Kennedy's "Time Exposure", is set during the civil war , and follows two photographers , who also work for the North as spy's, without getting into all the twists and turns in the story, I must say, as a civil war buff, I found this book held my interest from cover to cover. Be prepared for a surprise ending!
Just finished the best book I've read in the last year! Lynne Kennedy's "Time Exposure", is set during the civil war , and follows two photographers , who also work for the North as spy's, without getting into all the twists and turns in the story, I must say, as a civil war buff, I found this book held my interest from cover to cover. Be prepared for a surprise ending!
December 16, 2014
Kennedy has the knack
This was another fun read...a little over-the-top plotwise but its an arguable sequence of events and given the constancy of greed and political corruption I found myself sympathetic to the story. The conclusion is less compelling but I do recommend this one. Lots of Civil War info.
This was another fun read...a little over-the-top plotwise but its an arguable sequence of events and given the constancy of greed and political corruption I found myself sympathetic to the story. The conclusion is less compelling but I do recommend this one. Lots of Civil War info.
January 23, 2017
We are proud to announce that TIME EXPOSURE by Lynne Kennedy is a B.R.A.G.Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews