Happy day, it's here! The Lane Betrayal first entry in the new Time Box series. Author John A Heldt provided an ecopy for review.
John Heldt has become one of my favorite (actually, my very favorite) authors. I have read and thoroughly enjoyed all his previous works.
The Lane Betrayal is no exception. As usual Mr. Heldt has surpassed previous works with this new entry. Not surprising, he seems to do that with each new series he writes. He keeps setting his personal bar higher and higher. Okay, enough gushing.
This new series does present a bit of a departure from Heldt's usual work; more emphasis on suspense and action. His work continues to be directed at a more mature audience. Not "R" rated by any means, think "G" moving to "PG-13". We still have his trademark attention to detail, on both the historical level (Civil War) and personal level. His characters are well developed and sympathetic. We are drawn into their lives immediately. There are also serious bad guys this time around; life and death serious.
Time travel of course, but presented with a different feel, more serious and less light-hearted than earlier works. The gist of the story: The Lane family takes to the past (the closing days of the Civil War) in an effort to thwart the unethical plans of his partner in a tech firm that has developed a time travel device. Of course the family's actions do not completely derail the dastardly schemes of his former partner (wouldn't be a very long book if they did now would it?) and they have to contend with being pursued by a hit man out to get them.
This leads to a much more suspenseful story filled with great detail and focus on historic figures without losing the family dynamic we have come to enjoy and expect in Heldt's work. I have to say, one of the best parts of the book for me was the tip of the hat to John Jakes North and South. It was a fun addition to the story.
As I said, more mature themes; war (I mean c'mon the Civil War?), adult relationships (Yep, someone actually has sex, tasteful of course) politics, intrigue, suspense, it's all here. Can't wait to continue this series. Enjoy!
Mike
