Gripping and intense… and utterly humorous.
Murphey plunges readers into a layered world of time travel and parallel universes in this engrossing third installment in the Physic, Lust and Greed series. The year is 2046. Ninety-three-year-old Sean Brody is content in life except he has a single regret: he has always played it safe in his long life and has never taken a risk. For Marshall Grisson and Marta Hamilton, Sean is the man who can go to the past and bring Sheila Schuler, their friend and fellow traveler, back. But there is no guarantee that Sean will be able to change any aspect of the past. Moreover, he could lose his life in the process. When Marshall approaches Sean with the proposal, the latter is not too keen. But Marta is one determined woman, and she has her ways to get the job done. Murphey elaborates his time travel world with precision and skill, colorfully detailing the nuances of time travel experiences and the unexpected hindrances Marta and others repeatedly come across on their quest to bring Sheila back from the past. Sean’s journey to his childhood contains plenty of twists, turns, and genuinely exhilarating moments. Murphey writes with an assured hand, crafting an intimate portrait of his large cast of diverse characters amid the roller-coaster time travel chaos. Marta and others in the team remain a close-knit unit, and readers will relate to their all-too-self-seeking motivations. Sean is an absolute darling, and so is the fierce Marta. Her determination and tough-as-nails personality make it easy for the reader to root for her. Marshall is his usual adorable self. Groose, Elvin, Gretchen, Naomi, and Gillis are equally convincing. Lucre and others at the Hemisphere are disdained by Marta’s team as a corrupt bunch of snooty high-rankers and rightly so. The novel spins out into several story lines, switching between the perspectives of different characters and timelines. Meanwhile, the ongoing tussle between Lucre and Marta’s team creates a tense dynamic as the latter enhance their efforts to retrieve Sheila from the past. Murphey’s convincing view of Sean’s all-too-human desire of revisiting past and correcting his earlier mistakes is relatable, and the corporate and political intrigues will keep readers hooked right up until the heartfelt ending. Along the way, Murphey examines love, friendship, loss, trauma, and regrets. Expertly blending elements of physics and soap opera, Murphey’s time travel tale is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.
Killing Time
(Physics, Lust and Greed #3)
By Mike Murphey
Acron Publishing
Pub date May 11, 2021
ASIN B08XJZL84B
Price $4.90 (USD) Kindle edition
Looking forward to reading this one on my Kindle!