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Drawn Back
As it turns out, whoever said “you can’t focus on the future when you’re living in the past” didn’t know the half of it. Ask history professor Patrick O’Connell, who is learning the hard way that fresh starts in life rarely come without complications.
Moving out of the small apartment the university found for him to become the caretaker of Julia Wirth’s beautiful old house in Portland’s West Hills, Patrick quickly finds that there are two not-so-small problems with the arrangement.
First, there’s Julia’s granddaughter, Rachel, who is determined to help Patrick move on from his divorce. But her persistent—if not entirely unwelcome—attentions are the least of his worries, it seems.
No, the far bigger problem is that, in Julia’s house, the link between past and present is much more than simply a matter of history. And when Patrick finds himself drawn back to 1929 to solve the long-forgotten murder of Julia’s father, he can’t be certain whether his actions will keep history on course, or jeopardize the futures of the very people he’s trying to protect.
Moving out of the small apartment the university found for him to become the caretaker of Julia Wirth’s beautiful old house in Portland’s West Hills, Patrick quickly finds that there are two not-so-small problems with the arrangement.
First, there’s Julia’s granddaughter, Rachel, who is determined to help Patrick move on from his divorce. But her persistent—if not entirely unwelcome—attentions are the least of his worries, it seems.
No, the far bigger problem is that, in Julia’s house, the link between past and present is much more than simply a matter of history. And when Patrick finds himself drawn back to 1929 to solve the long-forgotten murder of Julia’s father, he can’t be certain whether his actions will keep history on course, or jeopardize the futures of the very people he’s trying to protect.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 14, 2014
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8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 8, 2015
A history professor moves into a house in 1991 that time travels him back to 1929 to solve a mystery. The tie-ins are done very well. And the author showed how well he knew the Portland area. Recommended.
May 8, 2015
What a page turner! I was continually--excuse the term--drawn back to this story. A wonderful mystery and an equally wonderful trip through time. Not only was I caught up in the story, but it felt as if I was experiencing the real Portland, Oregon of 1929. The sights, sounds, tastes and smells--not all of them pleasant--were presented in vivid detail. The characters were fully alive as well--we got to know them as real people, ones we cared about, they weren't used as cute, charming props in a quaint time machine. What I particularly loved about the book was that Patrick O'Connell's adventures in time were filled with danger and real risk. His decisions and actions mattered, and that kept the suspense--and stakes--very high. A terrific first novel. I look forward to the author's next book!
March 28, 2015
Loved the story, unique idea. After walking around Portland a little, the story really came to life. Characters were real, not two dimensional. Very well written for a first time author in the genre, wish he could write a sequel. Heard this author speak at 2015 Left Coast Crime and bought the book. Well worth the investment. More please!
March 3, 2016
Fun story with a decent mystery and all loose ends tied up. It was as believable as any time travel book.
January 22, 2017
I really enjoyed the overall story but it was drawn out a little longer than needed IMHO.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews