Tim Curious: A Murder Mystery set in the American Revolution

Tim Euston #1

by Roddy Thorleifson

Tim Euston was willing to risk his life for his nation’s independence and his opportunity came when a murder led him into a dangerous involvement with smugglers and spies. It was 1777, the end of the second year of the American Revolution, and the town of Yonkers was on the Neutral Ground – the no man's land that separated the British on Manhattan Island from the Americans to the north. On a cold January night, Tim Euston was thrown in jail – accused of robbery by the man who had his hands on Tim’s fourteen-year-old sister, Sadie. Two days later the only adult who could testify to Tim’s innocence was found dead. Testimonies of friends were enough to get Tim out of jail but the father of one of these boys was wrongfully convicted. Who was the real killer? Those with motives had alibis, and many just did not care. Both the man killed and the man punished were poor and powerless. But Tim Euston cared. They were his friends. Tim wanted justice and he would keep looking until the real killer was identified.

Genres: Historical Fiction, American Revolution, Fiction, Historical

306 pages, Paperback

First published April 9, 2015

About the author

See my photo-bio at roddythorleifson.com

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall I enjoyed this, and not just because I'm always hard up for American Revolution settings. Surprisingly edutainment-y with uneven degrees of success.

Tim is an interestingly realistic character. He's not the brightest (and how refreshing that other characters aren't hyping him up as brilliant) and most of the other characters aren't hugely clever, either (i.e. they aren't extra-dumb to make Tim look smarter). His ego puffs up disproportionately to some chance luck -- something surely everyone can relate to. He and his sister are known for being a bit daydreaming and therefore a little scatterbrained or sloppy because of it, which we also see (i.e. not like an informed "flaw" of "clumsy").

This realism verges on annoying at times. Like, it'd be realistic to accompany characters on every bathroom trip -- but the convenient is we don't, because it's not necessary to the story (until it is). Real conversations are full of ums and uhs and digressions and distractions and people talking over each other in a way that's not usually represented in media -- because it's kind of annoying and gets in the way of the story itself. I felt for the characters, I really did, even while I also wanted to shake them a little every time they had a conversation like: "Hypothesis." "Maybe." "But maybe...hypothesis 2?" "Could be." "But hypothesis." "Question?" "Oh I don't know!" "I don't know either." "We don't know." "Talk to you later then." Aaaah, that's exactly how it'd be if a regular person found themselves in that situation, but oh, I don't want to sit through all of it each time!

I'm not sure quite who the intended audience is, but I'd peg it around an 11-14 year old range, maybe? The sentences are very, very simple in construction. It's not quite "See Jane. See Jane run." but I immediately picked up on that tone from the first sentences (see highlights & notes). There's no explicitly mature situations, but at one point Tim explains (to a new acquaintance, rather unlikely imo) that his mother was a kept woman until her teeth went bad, and he and his sister are bastards. Oh, and Tim has to worry about being hung or sent to hard labor. So...slight whiplash. Johnny and Sadie themselves, despite being employed teens learning trades, sound a lot more like younger adolescents, as well, in the way they talk and the way they think.

Other thoughts --

Good things:
- a character list at the start of the book! I referred back to it a few times and it was so helpful. No spoilers, just simple names, ages, and basic occupations.

- a simple map of the area!

- Random historical endnotes after some chapters. The first one threw me off a bit, since it was so unexpected, but I came to look forward to them.

- the illustrations between chapters, which apparently the author did. Had that kind of rough woodcut feel. Usually they didn't really add anything -- many of the scenes illustrated are like... yep, someone's driving down a road again... -- but it was charming.

- lots of little authentic-feeling moments that are perhaps too detailed than is warranted for the narrative but still felt, well, authentic. E.g. describing how an oven would be preheated for bread-baking in a few sentences. More expedient to the narrative to have just said "Bessie was getting ready to bake bread" -- her exact process doesn't actually matter. But I'm a nerd and it was only a couple sentences so that kind of "day in the life" description, when used with a light hand, worked for me. (See also my bad thing below about dialog infodumping and lectures for the darker side of this.)


Neutral:
- chapters had titles, I think typically lines or snippets of lines from that chapter. I don't particularly care about chapter titles one way or another, but I see people bring them up in discussions of things they wish books did more of (like the aforementioned character list or having a map).

- character language seems to sometimes veer more modern ("that kid," "mom") then occasionally drops into thy/thou/thee terms.

- Tim and others in his peer group seemed young for their age. He's 16 and Sadie is 14, but at the start they're mentioning playing tag with the "other children" despite being employed adolescents being trained in trades. Compare to the classic Johnny Tremain, who was 14 and felt a lot more mature than Tim. [Yes, I know, not a contemporary work to the time, either.] Still not a wise, mature adult by any stretch, but Tim reads like he was originally written as, like, a 12 year old and the author just swapped the exact number in a revision. Especially considering the time period demanded a lot more maturity a lot more quickly, and I don't know that Tim and Sadie would have been that sheltered in their upbringing. Even Dan, the 18-year-old who spent a season as a sailor, calls himself a boy like Tim and that just.... doesn't sound right.

- The very beginning was a bit rough, and honestly I think that opening gambit could have been just done away with. The only lasting purpose it seems to really serve is having Tim meet a supporting character. Oh sure, a couple other things happen, but I kept waiting for maybe there to be some obvious acrimony between characters because of these events that just never really panned out. It felt like it might as well never have happened (and despite sister Sadie being quite involved in the opening scene, she immediately disappears and has no dialog for several chapters -- she develops better later on, but like I said: rough start).


The bad:
- Very heavy on dialog, which sometimes slowed the pacing to a crawl, especially since a lot of the characters are often very uncertain of what's going on and what their right move ought to be (which is absolutely understandable and relatable! It just means you get a lot of exchanges that don't really go anywhere while they hash out the options.).

- Otherwise clunky dialog sometimes: A lot of the conversations feel more like interviews than discussions. Someone gets to going (a whole little paragraph to themselves) while the other participant drops in a brief one-line question to set them off on the next paragraph. Despite the factual end notes to add historical detail, the author still sometimes falls back on characters infodumping in general and once or twice on things that I'm not convinced they would have known that much about (like spy craft and numeric codes). It's comes off very much as the author stepping aside to give the (young) reader a lesson on whatever (going along with what I said about the tone, sentence complexity, and character maturity).


Conclusion
This is the first book of a series, so naturally at this point, the question is: is it worth reading the next book? And the verdict is... neutral. I wouldn't be opposed, but I'm also not rushing out to get the next one, either.

There was a preview of the first few chapters of the next one which (a) felt very similar in set-up to this one (Nat finds Tim at the exact wrong time and assumes the worst), while (b) having no sense of continuity ("you again? Of course... aren't you the one...") in that moment. There's a little bit of that later. And ohhh, poor Timbits runs his mouth twice as hard. Anyhoo -- it just doesn't feel like it promises anything new or any real progression. It's only 2 months later from this book and nothing has really happened in the interim. It looks like eventually in the series Tim gets to Saratoga... perhaps I'll skip ahead.

[James Wiens · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader I enjoy historical novels where I can get a sense of the perspective of the history of the time, of how they lived their day-to-day lives, and the issues they faced in order to keep living. I enjoyed learning about New York during the revolution. For example, I hadn’t thought of a “no man’s land” where people were searched before entering the city. I was surprised to learn that people could still pass back and forth with relative ease. Another revelation was the risk of a smuggler or someone convicted of a civil crime being jailed or forced to serve in the British Navy. The teasing of Tim showed that life for a teenager was similar to today with potentially merciless teasing of another person’s flaws. It showed teenagers as they truly have been throughout the years. It also showed that Tim was facing many issues and problems including working to just survive. I didn’t think much of the carpenter forcing Tim to do dangerous work, in place of himself and his son, without telling Tim of the risk. It did, however, add realism to the novel. It helped show how a revolution was no simple affair, with the revolutionaries possibly acting for their own profit, and not altruistically. I liked the way neither side was portrayed as too positive or too negative. War was not idealized. The occupying British and the freedom fighting Americans included people who acted in their personal interest. As well the challenges people having to live through during a difficult time were brought into focus. The end left me assuming there would be a sequel. The writing style was different from what I have recently read, but I enjoyed this novel, and wondered-hoped-there would be a sequel. In conclusion, if you like historical novels, this is worth the read.

[Ann Friesen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When reading a historical novel about characters that are common people, rather than famous or upper class it makes a better read. It is more accessible to everyone and more interesting because you don’t always see historical events from that point of view.
For me Tim’s complaints about his bad luck were a bit of a character flaw, because a “hero” would rise above that sort of thing. I would give him a little more self and esteem, have him trust in himself a bit more.
I appreciated that this book that didn’t push a particular political ideology or philosophy. That kind of writing can prevent some of the reader’s ability to identify with the main characters.
I found Tim’s desire to participate in a battle made him more endearing as a young, passionate boy who wanted to make the world a better place. I was a bit annoyed by Sadie being under a constant threat by Thomas Pellis. I would have liked her to have had more control over her own situation but perhaps that wouldn’t have been historically accurate. Women had very little power in those times.
All in all, I liked learning about the history of the time through the story augmented by the author’s comments and explanations about life during that period.

[Andrew Fallak · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1777 British forces had captured Manhattan Island but the Americans had recaptured most of New Jersey. Yonkers, New York, lay in a “Neutral Ground” where apprentice Tim Euston,16, and his younger sister Sadie,14, work for their room and board and a floor to sleep on. Through a series of mishaps they find themselves involved with smugglers and spies. Their employers are Tory and despise seditious materials. The teens are Patriot and secretly read and memorize seditious materials, especially Tomas Paine’s Common Sense. Tim is eager to serve the Cause of Liberty but is too young for the military but his clumsy attempts at solving a murder lead him to success, though hardly due to his powers of perception. Bald luck can triumph where logical analysis fails. An excellent glimpse into the lives of ordinary working people in the eighteenth century, and into the primitive methods of spies.

[Robin Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

The subject matter has been well researched, and Roddy Thorleifson's characters are both interesting and credible. Occasionally, the heavy reliance on dialogue to relate the story, made for a slow read. With regard to the explanetory notes, which occur from time to time, to inform the reader of the reasons for, or history behind an aspect of the story, while certainly interesting and relevent, they felt, to this reader, as if they were an afterthought. Roddy Thorleifson is more than up to the task of incorporating the information into his text, which could only enhance one's reading experience. The delightful illustrations are simple and aptly descriptive. All in all, a good read and a book I do not hesitate to recommend .

[Heather Fast · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Tim Curious we see sixteen year old Tim Euston and his fourteen year old sister Sadie. Both are indentured servants. Tim cuts and delivers firewood and Sadie is a kitchen maid. Both are dreamy and mistake prone and are cruelly teased for their shortcomings. In Loyalist New York they secretly delight in seditious pamphlets, reading and memorizing the words of rebels against the king. The book is acceptable for young readers, and has plenty of historical accuracy. A subtle introduction to the effects of political upheaval makes it equally good for adults.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for teens or adults learning about American history. This book is well researched and contains both accurate details and clear illustrations. I enjoyed reading about Tim's adventures in New York during the War of Independence. A fun way to bring history to life!

[Al Thorleifson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the draft of this book and enjoyed the vivid descriptions. The illustrations reflect the same vivid scenes. The characters are easy to get to know; their conversations are precise, down to earth. It is easy to get a sense of the lives of ordinary people in that revolutionary time.

[Jealrr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book presents an excellent story. It is thoroughly researched and strongly and clearly written. It has a strong plot and is very well-nuanced. The chapters flow and transition nicely, keeping readers focused. This book, set in the US Revolutionary War, captures attention while teaching people much about the time period. I learned a lot from this book. Highly recommended.

[Reader Views · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Sheri Hoyte for Reader Views (11/15)

Article first published as Book Review: ‘Tim Curious – A Murder Mystery of the American Revolution’ by Roddy Thorleifson on Blogcritics.

“Tim Curious” by Roddy Thorleifson takes place in New York State during the second year of the American Revolution. Tim Euston, dubbed Tim Useless and later Tim Curious, is willing to risk his life for the independence of his nation, but is turned away from the military for being too short. Tim’s opportunity to defend his nation does eventually come, in a manner much different than he ever imagined.

One night in January 1777, Tim ends up in jail on trumped up charges of robbery by the local mercantile owner Nat Pellis, and his uncle Thomas Pellis. Tim was actually defending his sister, Sadie, from the unwelcome hands of Thomas Pellis. A few days later the only man who could testify on Tim’s behalf was found dead. When the father of one of Tim’s friends was wrongly accused and convicted of that death, Tim knew he would not stop looking until he found the real killer.

“Tim Curious” is a delightful mix of mystery and intrigue, sprinkled with healthy doses of history, drama, and humor. Roddy Thorleifson does an excellent job weaving relevant historical facts into his story, educating and entertaining his readers simultaneously. I thought I knew my American history, but was pleased to find that I learned several interesting facts on my journey through the story, and I must admit there were several instances I found myself feeling thankful that I was born a couple of hundred years later.

I loved the characters of Tim and Sadie, brother and sister very much alike in their thinking and mannerisms. The siblings’ forthrightness with each other is engaging and draws a certain loyalty to them, and their efforts to solve the mystery. The book is very nicely illustrated by the author as well. His black and white sketches add an authentic feel to the story and help create a deeper connection to the setting and the characters.

I enjoyed “Tim Curious” by Roddy Thorleifson and recommend it to American history buffs and fans of entertaining light mystery. I think the young adult crowd is perfectly suited for this story with the educational elements and the experiences of a young boy coming of age in the 1700s.

[Morawel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it's a great mixture of characters, suspense and history. The historical facts were interesting, and improved the reading experience. I also enjoyed the illustrations, which helped to give life to the characters. The hero, Tim and his sister, Sadie are engaging characters, and it is difficult not to be caught up in their adventures.

[Alfred · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a genre that I don't usually read, but I was feeling like reading outside the box for a change, and gave it a go. I would call it a coming of age novel with a murder mystery thrown in. It is written in a very authentic style without being too difficult to understand. It takes a fairly neutral stance to the international politics of the time without leaning too far on either the British or American point of view. I quickly found myself identifying with Tim and caring what happened to him and Sadie as well as many of the other positive characters. The various dangers of the times faced by the characters seemed authentic and added to the suspense. The author must have done a huge amount of research to create the feel of the times. I particularly liked the occasional historical notes that the author added in order to explain some aspect of the period with which the reader may not be familiar, I found it very entertaining and definitely plan on reading the sequels to find out what happens to everyone next.

[Heather Fast · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Tim Curious we meet sixteen-year-old Tim Euston and his fourteen-year-old sister Sadie. Both are indentured servants. Tim cuts and delivers firewood and Sadie is a kitchen maid. Both are dreamy and mistake prone, and are cruelly teased for their shortcomings. In Loyalist Yonkers, New York, they secretly delight in seditious pamphlets, reading and memorizing the words of rebels against the King. We meet them as Sadie is being attacked in the street by the drunken brother of her employer. With the help of children Tim rescues her but is falsely accused of robbery. This is as close to disturbing as the book gets, making the book acceptable for children and sensitive readers. Plenty of historical accuracy. A subtle introduction to the effects of political upheaval on the minds of ordinary people makes it equally acceptable for adults. The language is easy enough, descriptions are brief and little time is spent on personal reflection. A novel for both young and old.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations were one of the really positive aspects of this book and I wish there had been more. Another plus were the non-fiction passages at the ends of chapters that explained historical background. The dialogue was not hard to understand but I wonder whether it was historically accurate. It often seemed unnecessary. The book has murder mystery on the cover, but the murder was not the main point of the novel. Tim was distracted by his sister’s safety, his dreams of being a soldier, his apprenticeship as a carpenter, and by the threat posed by the smugglers who tricked him into doing their dangerous work. This made the book more episodic than plot based. But a lack of focus on a search for a murder was not this books downfall. What I wanted was to see was Tim growing up and gaining some greater knowledge of himself. I am hoping that in the next in the series he might start to mature.

[Dennis Snarr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A review of Tim Curious written by Roddy Thorleifson ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author ,Roddy Thorleifson, demonstrates his great story telling ability, as he takes the reader along on a journey of intrigue , set in the time of the American War of Independence. We are given a glimpse into the difficult and dangerous lives of the common people of that time as we follow Tim, his sister Sadie , friends and enemies as they try to survive and thrive. Historically accurate descriptive writing brings the characters to life as the plot develops and the pace quickens, bringing the story to a satisfying conclusion. Yet the reader is left wanting the story to continue.... An enjoyable read for both young and young at heart.

[Carol De · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading Tim Curious thinking it would be just a story, but it was so much more. It’s so authentic and so historical. I might have enjoyed history in school if only I’d had books like this to read when I was younger. I grew fond of Tim because while I felt sorry for him I thought he was a great person and not recognized by others for all he was worth. I liked the way the villains were real people, and I was surprised to learn about the suspiciousness and distrust. Characters were trying to be on both sides and they could never know where the other stood. The illustrations added a lot to my overall satisfaction of the book. I kept thinking of how my grandson would like this, and I’ll be passing it along to him.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is well-developed, fast-paced, interesting and set in the War of Independence. The main characters are a brother and sister who solve the mystery of a murder. In Tim Curious, Tim is a 16-year-old who has been caught up in the spirit of revolution. He was rejected by the army for not being sufficiently old or tall, but finds a chance to make a contribution. Exciting events allow him to prove he is ready to serve. You both empathize with his problems and cheer his accomplishments. It provides a good introduction to the time frame where the action takes place. Chapter illustrations help bring it to life. An excellent resource for grade 5 students and up.

[Lois Tessier · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Tim Curious, author Roddy Thorleifson blends great storytelling with good writing. The description of the region around colonial New York is wonderfully rendered. The chapter illustrations are beautiful. This story has a truly evil villain in the horrid Thomas Pellis (Tim and Sadie’s nemesis). He's at his best when he’s at his worst!
I love the way Sadie bosses her big brother around, - and how he realizes she’s usually right!
All in all, Tim Curious is a wonderful historically accurate novel and one of the few books I have read lately that kept me up all night.

[Susan Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book about life in the Revolution. I'm glad there was nothing creepier than the murder. I really liked Tim's sister Sadie. Every teenage boy needs a sister like her. I love the way Thorleifson's captured the atmosphere and the feeling of life for ordinary people in the 18th century. Too many historical novels are about the rich. Just because kids are poor doesn't mean they lives can't be interesting.

[Robert Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. I'm not sure of the intended audience. I would think that it is aimed toward young adolescents, but I felt rather uncomfortable with it having a sexual predator as an underlying theme. Otherwise I did enjoy the educational and historical inserts of information. Although I didn't always find the two main characters credible, I did enjoy their adventures and did get carried along by the story . Robert Butler

[Kevin Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the historical detail, and you can tell he knows what he's talking about. I liked the way that Tim was always getting frustrated and confused. It really kept me on the hook. I read it in two days. My son read it too.

[Tom Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was hard to put down - historical fact and fiction, well-written personal stories, looking forward to a followup.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked most is the accuracy of the imagery. I could actually visualize what was happening, and the imagery evoked emotions of excitement and suspense. I was afraid of the potential harm for Tim and his sister. I could really feel the pain caused by the envy of Tim in the boy who wanted Tim’s job delivering goods to the city. I was fearful for Tim when he went to into the city with materials that he didn’t know about. Hidden materials that could cause his death. Being able to see images and feel their emotions is what keeps me reading a book. An example is the description of Tim getting captured, getting a sack put over his head, and being taken in a boat was so vivid! Another is the exultation he felt when he discovered that he had been captured by the right people.

[Elizabeth Goossen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A crackling adventure, sure to delight students of the Revolutionary War. On the dangerous Neutral Ground, in the not so sleepy village of Yonkers, New York, a plucky young Patriot is falsely accused and cruelly deceived, but manages to emerge the hero of a sting operation. Bone numbing winter weather, a trouble-maker friend, and a smart-Alec little sister almost crush his courage, but Tim presses on to a surprise ending. As good for middle school kids as it is for history buffs of any age.