The Time Spring

by John A. Heldt

When Nick Robinson, 22, returns to his late mother's Florida home, he expects to settle an estate and prepare for business school. Instead, he discovers the hidden diary of an infamous ancestor, a bootlegger who revealed the existence of a nearby time spring.

Intrigued by the diary's revelations, Nick convinces Zach Taylor, his best friend, to test the legend. The college roommates eagerly explore the past until a single mistake strands them in 1943. Unable to return to 2026, the young men are forced to build new lives amid the turmoil of World War II.

Back in the present, Kayla McIntire, Zach's fiancée and Nick's close friend, must confront the fallout of their shocking disappearance. As questions mount and hope fades, she uncovers both clues and possibilities. With time running out, she faces a choice that could alter the course of many lives.

Spanning centuries and continents, THE TIME SPRING is an epic tale of friendship, love, sacrifice, and the enduring desire to find a way home.

672 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 25, 2026

About the author

John A. Heldt is the author of twenty-six bestselling time-travel novels. The former reference librarian and award-winning sportswriter has loved getting subjects and verbs to agree since writing book reports in grade school. A graduate of the University of Oregon and the University of Iowa, Heldt is an avid fisherman, sports fan, coin collector, and reader of thrillers and historical fiction. When not sending contemporary characters to the not-so-distant past, he weighs in on literature and life at johnheldt.blogspot.com.