What do you think?
Rate this book
In Time For Revenge
He invented a machine to take people to the future
Then he was accused of murder, but he can't remember killing anyone.
Billionaire genius Byron Gaines is accused of murdering his wife and her lover, but he swears he didn't do it. This couldn't have come at a worse moment: he is so close to a breakthrough in his research. He's about to invent a device that will change the world forever. The irony is, if only he had a little more time, he'd be able to make his legal problems disappear--along with himself.
Travel to the near future with unforgettable characters and evocative depictions of imminent technologies. See how society could evolve in both utopian and dystopian ways.
Then he was accused of murder, but he can't remember killing anyone.
Billionaire genius Byron Gaines is accused of murdering his wife and her lover, but he swears he didn't do it. This couldn't have come at a worse moment: he is so close to a breakthrough in his research. He's about to invent a device that will change the world forever. The irony is, if only he had a little more time, he'd be able to make his legal problems disappear--along with himself.
Travel to the near future with unforgettable characters and evocative depictions of imminent technologies. See how society could evolve in both utopian and dystopian ways.
562 pages, Paperback
Published October 16, 2019
312 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
About the author
Jasper T. Scott
102 books513 followersJasper Scott is a USA Today bestselling author of more than 20 sci-fi novels. With over a million books sold, Jasper's work has been translated into various languages and published around the world.
Jasper writes fast-paced books with unexpected twists and flawed characters. Join the author's mailing list to get two FREE books: https://files.jaspertscott.com/mailin...
Jasper writes fast-paced books with unexpected twists and flawed characters. Join the author's mailing list to get two FREE books: https://files.jaspertscott.com/mailin...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
October 29, 2019
What an appealing book description! It started out well, the time machine is exciting, and while I'm not an expert, the science sounded believable. The writing is decent, but it didn't take long for me to dislike the main protagonist Byron Gaines, and this is never a good sign. Byron is an arrogant genius tech billionaire (worth 37 billions, let's not forget this part) and I was glad he got the wife he deserved; he certainly didn't have my pity.
And then, oh my goodness, the whole thing started quickly to completely fall apart at 8%, I struggled until I stopped at 14%, end of Part 1. The next day, I thought I'd give it another shot, and finally called it quits at 16%, it showed no signs of improvement; it still felt unbearably juvenile. Jasper T. Scott should have read a couple of legal thrillers - John Grisham definitely comes to mind - or even watched subpar TV series, even soap operas before writing this book. The author doesn't seem to have the foggiest notion of legal or police procedures regarding a murder case; it's truly appalling. I was dismayed to see that this is not the author's first mystery...
All the evidence is purely circumstantial and the suspect - Byron - is interrogated by the police while obviously under the influence. When I stopped reading, there had been no talk of looking at DNA evidence, no blood tests for alcohol or drugs, seemingly no investigation was conducted. Byron confessed to a crime he didn't remember, and that was that. A billionaire tech genius. The author also committed what I consider an unforgivable litetary crime: having his protagonist behave entirely out of character. Byron, as we saw, is a tech genius, arrogant and commanding, a tough man prone to violent outbursts, and let's not forget worth 37 billion dollars. Now, when taken into custody and interrogated by the police, he behaves like a four year-old. It's not as if he were a reclusive, nerdy, meek, absent-minded professor type. If that were the case, it might - *might* - have been slightly more believable. Only slightly, because the handling of the case is so farfetched, the mind boggles.
I'll stop here; suffice it to say that I found the whole plot laughable. Or I might have found it laughable had my intelligence not been so outrageously insulted. This is, without a doubt, one of the worst so-called murder mysteries I have ever read, and quite possibly the worst. Whatever happens afterwards, I don't care. The whole ridiculous legal ordeal will surely be dissected over and over, and going through that preposterous legal charade once was already one time too many. I would have liked to see how the time machine worked, but I can't stomach any more of the dismal murder plot. Here, I'm speculating because I don't know, I didn't get that far, but I hope Byron's lawyer was in on it, otherwise the plot is even more ... preposterous (yes, there's that word again).
Avoid this book if you are a fan of murder mysteries, and if you are even only minimally familiar with the law. If you don't mind an implausible and illogical scenario, an unlikable character whose behaviour changes according to the author's whims, by all means, have a go at it. I prefer to think that Byron Gaines, the unpleasant, arrogant billionaire tech genius who acts like a toddler when accused of a crime, got lost in the ether and that his wife, best friend, and trusted lawyer laughed all the way to the bank.
Fans of Blake Crouch and Michael Crichton, don't be fooled by the blurb, stay away from this mess.
And then, oh my goodness, the whole thing started quickly to completely fall apart at 8%, I struggled until I stopped at 14%, end of Part 1. The next day, I thought I'd give it another shot, and finally called it quits at 16%, it showed no signs of improvement; it still felt unbearably juvenile. Jasper T. Scott should have read a couple of legal thrillers - John Grisham definitely comes to mind - or even watched subpar TV series, even soap operas before writing this book. The author doesn't seem to have the foggiest notion of legal or police procedures regarding a murder case; it's truly appalling. I was dismayed to see that this is not the author's first mystery...
All the evidence is purely circumstantial and the suspect - Byron - is interrogated by the police while obviously under the influence. When I stopped reading, there had been no talk of looking at DNA evidence, no blood tests for alcohol or drugs, seemingly no investigation was conducted. Byron confessed to a crime he didn't remember, and that was that. A billionaire tech genius. The author also committed what I consider an unforgivable litetary crime: having his protagonist behave entirely out of character. Byron, as we saw, is a tech genius, arrogant and commanding, a tough man prone to violent outbursts, and let's not forget worth 37 billion dollars. Now, when taken into custody and interrogated by the police, he behaves like a four year-old. It's not as if he were a reclusive, nerdy, meek, absent-minded professor type. If that were the case, it might - *might* - have been slightly more believable. Only slightly, because the handling of the case is so farfetched, the mind boggles.
I'll stop here; suffice it to say that I found the whole plot laughable. Or I might have found it laughable had my intelligence not been so outrageously insulted. This is, without a doubt, one of the worst so-called murder mysteries I have ever read, and quite possibly the worst. Whatever happens afterwards, I don't care. The whole ridiculous legal ordeal will surely be dissected over and over, and going through that preposterous legal charade once was already one time too many. I would have liked to see how the time machine worked, but I can't stomach any more of the dismal murder plot. Here, I'm speculating because I don't know, I didn't get that far, but I hope Byron's lawyer was in on it, otherwise the plot is even more ... preposterous (yes, there's that word again).
Avoid this book if you are a fan of murder mysteries, and if you are even only minimally familiar with the law. If you don't mind an implausible and illogical scenario, an unlikable character whose behaviour changes according to the author's whims, by all means, have a go at it. I prefer to think that Byron Gaines, the unpleasant, arrogant billionaire tech genius who acts like a toddler when accused of a crime, got lost in the ether and that his wife, best friend, and trusted lawyer laughed all the way to the bank.
Fans of Blake Crouch and Michael Crichton, don't be fooled by the blurb, stay away from this mess.
June 16, 2025
2/5⭐️
Time travel, mech suits, robots, and a post-apocalyptic biblical reboot? Sure, why not. This book leans hard into the sci-fi time travel trope pile, complete with all the usual suspects: end-of-days chaos, futuristic weaponry, and, of course, the old 666-on-the-hand Antichrist motif. I’ll give credit where it’s due: the premise is gutsy, and I enjoyed the end-times twist with its overt biblical references. It’s not every day you get Armageddon served with a laser cannon.
That said, the execution? Not quite as polished. The dialogue is often clunky and stiff, like it was written by someone who’s only ever heard people talk in action movie trailers. The prose itself could have benefitted from another solid pass through editing; it’s serviceable but far from elegant.
My biggest gripe? The female characters might as well have been holograms. They were flat, underwritten, and almost entirely irrelevant beyond being emotional props or plot devices. A bit more depth or personality wouldn’t have killed anyone… well, except maybe in the story, where a lot of people do get killed.
The protagonist is laser-focused to the point of being borderline robotic himself. A dash of introspection or nuance could’ve made him a lot more relatable, but instead, he comes off a bit too self-righteous and conveniently competent.
Time travel, mech suits, robots, and a post-apocalyptic biblical reboot? Sure, why not. This book leans hard into the sci-fi time travel trope pile, complete with all the usual suspects: end-of-days chaos, futuristic weaponry, and, of course, the old 666-on-the-hand Antichrist motif. I’ll give credit where it’s due: the premise is gutsy, and I enjoyed the end-times twist with its overt biblical references. It’s not every day you get Armageddon served with a laser cannon.
That said, the execution? Not quite as polished. The dialogue is often clunky and stiff, like it was written by someone who’s only ever heard people talk in action movie trailers. The prose itself could have benefitted from another solid pass through editing; it’s serviceable but far from elegant.
My biggest gripe? The female characters might as well have been holograms. They were flat, underwritten, and almost entirely irrelevant beyond being emotional props or plot devices. A bit more depth or personality wouldn’t have killed anyone… well, except maybe in the story, where a lot of people do get killed.
The protagonist is laser-focused to the point of being borderline robotic himself. A dash of introspection or nuance could’ve made him a lot more relatable, but instead, he comes off a bit too self-righteous and conveniently competent.
February 3, 2020
What a story. Billionaire genius is accused of murdering his wife. Suspense to the end until we find out who really did it. A new author and hopefully will be reading many more.
October 19, 2019
Whatever you're looking for, this book has it. There's plenty of Sci-Fi but no Alien Invaders or Space Battles with Laser Blasters, Ion Guns, Pulse Cannons, etc. It would be impossible to place this book in just one genre. It started like it was going to be a great Murder Mystery, and it surely is. But, the Time Travel technology the main character has been developing with his friend and engineer partner has apparently been stolen by this friend and his gold-digging wife. It seems his wife has been cheating on him with his partner for some time.
After losing a lot of sleep while returning early from a long business trip he finds these two in his own bed and flies into a murderous rage. He wakes up the next morning with a limited recall of the prior evening and discovers evidence he has murdered them both. The bloody bodies he vaguely recalls from the night before have been disposed of and he has made an attempt to destroy other incriminating details.
This all takes place early in the book. You may think with Time Travel capabilities he's able to escape from justice but, he's sentenced to a minimum of a thirty-year prison term.
I personally dislike book reviews that try to summarize the story. However, in this case, I thought an appetizer was appropriate. You've got to read this book. I couldn't put it down.
Review by THE HOLEY ONE
After losing a lot of sleep while returning early from a long business trip he finds these two in his own bed and flies into a murderous rage. He wakes up the next morning with a limited recall of the prior evening and discovers evidence he has murdered them both. The bloody bodies he vaguely recalls from the night before have been disposed of and he has made an attempt to destroy other incriminating details.
This all takes place early in the book. You may think with Time Travel capabilities he's able to escape from justice but, he's sentenced to a minimum of a thirty-year prison term.
I personally dislike book reviews that try to summarize the story. However, in this case, I thought an appetizer was appropriate. You've got to read this book. I couldn't put it down.
Review by THE HOLEY ONE
October 21, 2019
In time for revenge
A truly unique and intriguing story. This tale did not use the usual author shortcuts of magic, interminable space battles with angry aliens,etc. The author employed the more time-honored methods of originality, imagination and long, long hours at the desk and many re-writes to get this novel done and done well.
For the first time in many, many moths, I’ve read an enjoyable, no enthralling, novel that wasn’t rife with mistakes of all kinds. It was a blast and a pleasure to read. Thanks.
DCM
A truly unique and intriguing story. This tale did not use the usual author shortcuts of magic, interminable space battles with angry aliens,etc. The author employed the more time-honored methods of originality, imagination and long, long hours at the desk and many re-writes to get this novel done and done well.
For the first time in many, many moths, I’ve read an enjoyable, no enthralling, novel that wasn’t rife with mistakes of all kinds. It was a blast and a pleasure to read. Thanks.
DCM
December 17, 2019
Maybe some people would enjoy this book but i am not a one of them.
It started off pretty good, and quickly got boring and silly, and the police are cartoon characters.
And the breaking up part is so badly written its sickening.
And again, too make STUPID characters.
It started off pretty good, and quickly got boring and silly, and the police are cartoon characters.
And the breaking up part is so badly written its sickening.
And again, too make STUPID characters.
July 18, 2020
I really wanted to like this book. It feels like a bit of research or even life experience would have improved it.
November 27, 2020
How did this get a 4.17 is beyond me. DNF. Couldn't make it past the first time jump. Why?
1) Six months of Freezeout and the divorce proceedings haven't begun? Any woman that can freeze you out for a month has issues.
2) Is BG so dumb/angry that he can't see an OBVIOUS setup with Victoria?
3) This was mentioned in another review. If Byron, with all his money, can't afford a better lawyer than Dan Collins (who hadn't lost in 3 years? He must not have been trying any cases then) then there are no good lawyers in Denver. The DA's case was so full of holes, it isn't funny.
4) Byron had no backups for that machine except ON that machine? Seriously? And then, he was able to rebuild it purely from memory? Again....seriously?
5) Was he SO sure that they went 30 years in the future to commercialize the Mark 2? And what was he thinking he was going to do with them IF he found them? He obviously was ill prepared for what he found to start with.
6) Commercialize the MK 5. Ruin them THAT way.
As I said, I didn't finish. My eyes were tired from being 'rolled'.
1) Six months of Freezeout and the divorce proceedings haven't begun? Any woman that can freeze you out for a month has issues.
2) Is BG so dumb/angry that he can't see an OBVIOUS setup with Victoria?
3) This was mentioned in another review. If Byron, with all his money, can't afford a better lawyer than Dan Collins (who hadn't lost in 3 years? He must not have been trying any cases then) then there are no good lawyers in Denver. The DA's case was so full of holes, it isn't funny.
4) Byron had no backups for that machine except ON that machine? Seriously? And then, he was able to rebuild it purely from memory? Again....seriously?
5) Was he SO sure that they went 30 years in the future to commercialize the Mark 2? And what was he thinking he was going to do with them IF he found them? He obviously was ill prepared for what he found to start with.
6) Commercialize the MK 5. Ruin them THAT way.
As I said, I didn't finish. My eyes were tired from being 'rolled'.
May 8, 2021
Oh this book! Almost had it down, and I enjoyed the read. But the characters weren't explored effectively and they had unrealistic motivations and actions. So much so that it's annoying... But because I did enjoy it and as anyone knows of a book has you thinking about it the day afterwards it deserves due credit. It also took me into an entirely unexpected direction, and I may not have even chose to read it had I known... It also tackles some issues that some may find offensive, and gets a bit convoluted at times. But it is well written and entertaining.
October 6, 2020
I really liked this book.
So many twists and turns it is hard to keep up. (A good thing!) Absolutely not a predictable story by any means. Realistic characters in a near future world that is very believable and not over the top. It also has an interesting take on bible prophecy. Very imaginative. Well done, Mr. Scott!
So many twists and turns it is hard to keep up. (A good thing!) Absolutely not a predictable story by any means. Realistic characters in a near future world that is very believable and not over the top. It also has an interesting take on bible prophecy. Very imaginative. Well done, Mr. Scott!
October 2, 2023
A bit of a damp squib
This book started with promise but soon squandered its advantage. I didn't buy the main character's unexpected redemption as rich swine often stay rotten swine irl. It would have been better to leave him as an anti-hero and give him a novel-long redemption arc. As for the story, I lost interest in it halfway through. Had to force myself to finish it.
This book started with promise but soon squandered its advantage. I didn't buy the main character's unexpected redemption as rich swine often stay rotten swine irl. It would have been better to leave him as an anti-hero and give him a novel-long redemption arc. As for the story, I lost interest in it halfway through. Had to force myself to finish it.
Read
October 11, 2023Man talk about twist and turns
This is a great book and I will read it again in the future. This story has so many twist and turns it's not until you finish the book you can see the whole story. Even the love story was full of suspense.
If your looking for a good book to read this is it. You don't need to be a Sifi fan to enjoy this book
Happy reading My2cents2
This is a great book and I will read it again in the future. This story has so many twist and turns it's not until you finish the book you can see the whole story. Even the love story was full of suspense.
If your looking for a good book to read this is it. You don't need to be a Sifi fan to enjoy this book
Happy reading My2cents2
May 10, 2020
Excellent read
Great imagination by the writer The characters are so well done mind you it takes some thinking to follow the ins and outs of this really interesting storyline. Thoroughly enjoyed this but I've liked all of Scott's workm
Great imagination by the writer The characters are so well done mind you it takes some thinking to follow the ins and outs of this really interesting storyline. Thoroughly enjoyed this but I've liked all of Scott's workm
September 1, 2020
In time for revenge is a tale of a very disturbed man intent on revenge. This is all told on a backdrop of dystopian sci fi and time travel. The sci fi is inventive and the ending kept me guessing. Highly recommended.
October 24, 2020
An unusual and entertaining time travel murder mystery story with plenty of unexpected plot twists. Sometimes the writing itself felt a little simplistic, but the story and characters were engaging and it kept me reading at a great pace ask the way through.
July 23, 2020
Quite fun - light weight time travel story. At least there aren't any dystopian monsters!
May 14, 2021
Have really enjoyed this book! Solving a murder mystery with the inclusion of time travel made a good story.
July 30, 2021
Enjoyable!
I really like the way this author writes. His attention to detail and his ability to spin a good story make for a fun read.
I really like the way this author writes. His attention to detail and his ability to spin a good story make for a fun read.
April 23, 2023
An enjoyable book I felt that it may have lost its way towards the end but pulled it back. Time travel, sci-fi murder mystery. Different type of story from Jasper but well recommend.
March 17, 2024
Good ending
This book was a little hard to keep reading. Got pretty involved and kind of hard to follow.
But glad I stayed with it. Ended well.
This book was a little hard to keep reading. Got pretty involved and kind of hard to follow.
But glad I stayed with it. Ended well.
November 27, 2019
Just Barely in Time
This is one of the most logical books featuring time travel that I've ever read, and I've read a number of them through the years. While there is very little hard science in this science fiction novel, the story makes up for it.
Passion, murder with tons of money as motivation, theft on a grand scale and love are put together in a neat package that is like a paper fortune teller or an 8 ball. Every time you ask a question, you get a different future.
Depending on how emotionally aware you are, reading this book could result in tears, anger up to rage, fear for the protagonist, or the happiness of the good things in life. And finally an answer?
"What is Heaven like?"
This is one of the most logical books featuring time travel that I've ever read, and I've read a number of them through the years. While there is very little hard science in this science fiction novel, the story makes up for it.
Passion, murder with tons of money as motivation, theft on a grand scale and love are put together in a neat package that is like a paper fortune teller or an 8 ball. Every time you ask a question, you get a different future.
Depending on how emotionally aware you are, reading this book could result in tears, anger up to rage, fear for the protagonist, or the happiness of the good things in life. And finally an answer?
"What is Heaven like?"
October 19, 2019
Here is a time travel story I could really sink my teeth into!
It is hard to find a time travel story with a different slant on things. Leave it to award winning author Jasper T. Scott to surprise me with new ideas in this genre. This is a well-thought out and provocative look at just what changes can be looked forward to in society, ideology, and technology in both short and long-term. Coupled with some drama, danger, backstabbing, double-dealing exploits worthy of a dedicated detective or mystery writer, this book spans several genres with aplomb. I would heartily endorse In Time For revenge to any and all readers.
It is hard to find a time travel story with a different slant on things. Leave it to award winning author Jasper T. Scott to surprise me with new ideas in this genre. This is a well-thought out and provocative look at just what changes can be looked forward to in society, ideology, and technology in both short and long-term. Coupled with some drama, danger, backstabbing, double-dealing exploits worthy of a dedicated detective or mystery writer, this book spans several genres with aplomb. I would heartily endorse In Time For revenge to any and all readers.
November 19, 2019
Future despair
Of all Jasper’s books, I have to say that I just could not really connect with the protagonist. I could not really connect to Byron until the very end. For all the money and scientific expertise, he made some really terrible decisions. But maybe that’s what kept me into this story. Wondering when he actually stop the obsession for revenge and begin to live life or flat out fail. To be honest, generally speaking we are always looking to the hero to “save the day and get the girl.” For this one, I was secretly waiting for him to fall flat and end up losing it all in the end.
Of all Jasper’s books, I have to say that I just could not really connect with the protagonist. I could not really connect to Byron until the very end. For all the money and scientific expertise, he made some really terrible decisions. But maybe that’s what kept me into this story. Wondering when he actually stop the obsession for revenge and begin to live life or flat out fail. To be honest, generally speaking we are always looking to the hero to “save the day and get the girl.” For this one, I was secretly waiting for him to fall flat and end up losing it all in the end.
October 25, 2019
This story has it all time travel intrigue and one man quest for revenge. Full of twists and turns and numerous shocks. Just when you think that you know who's who Jasper throws in a twist.
The character's are very believable and the story thoughly engrossing. I found it very difficult to put down. Would definitely recommend as I think this is Jasper's best story so far
The character's are very believable and the story thoughly engrossing. I found it very difficult to put down. Would definitely recommend as I think this is Jasper's best story so far
November 9, 2019
Murder, greed and revenge! What a twisted little tale. Jasper T. Scott weaves a tale of twist and turns through time. You think you have it some what figured out, then the book takes a wide left turn and everything you thought you knew, goes flying right out the window. This is another book I would not mind see coming to life. The tech that Mr. Scott describes would be truly amazing.
November 12, 2019
You will get your money's worth
An interesting story with intelligent twists that I really enjoyed. I did find the hopping around between the characters and their anon to be confusing since it did impact the understanding of the story.. th aqua t translates into: this is not a quick skim read. You need to dog. Into this author.
An interesting story with intelligent twists that I really enjoyed. I did find the hopping around between the characters and their anon to be confusing since it did impact the understanding of the story.. th aqua t translates into: this is not a quick skim read. You need to dog. Into this author.
January 12, 2020
Credulity has to be suspended at times as, if you read the book seriously, then it all falls down. I found the middle quite boring and considered giving up but persevered and was glad I did as the end is quite fast paced
Overall a good read which has exciting moments and interesting concepts. The robots were my favourites which reminds me of all the old sci fi. Let’s hope we get some soon!
Overall a good read which has exciting moments and interesting concepts. The robots were my favourites which reminds me of all the old sci fi. Let’s hope we get some soon!
October 30, 2019
OK Mystery Good SyFy 3.5 Stars
This kind of fails as a mystery. Billionaires would have a team of lawyers to defend against a double homicide case. The SyFy aspect of the story I thought worked well and was interesting.
This kind of fails as a mystery. Billionaires would have a team of lawyers to defend against a double homicide case. The SyFy aspect of the story I thought worked well and was interesting.
November 14, 2019
Fortunately this is standalone
For audio book:
pros - great plot and in my opinion this is the only plus.
cons - terrible narration (in all meanings). If not the desire to see what happens at the end I would dnf it after 50 pages.
For audio book:
pros - great plot and in my opinion this is the only plus.
cons - terrible narration (in all meanings). If not the desire to see what happens at the end I would dnf it after 50 pages.
December 5, 2019
Time travel!
This book is wonderfully written and almost impossible to put down! The twists keep you on your toes and you can just FEEL Byron's anger and need for revenge. I highly recommend this one!
This book is wonderfully written and almost impossible to put down! The twists keep you on your toes and you can just FEEL Byron's anger and need for revenge. I highly recommend this one!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews