Timeshare
Do You Believe in Yesterday?
Timeshare - Do You Believe in Yesterday is the first book in a continuing
series by Joshua Dann.
Unlike many time travel books where the hero or heroine is thrust back
in time against their will this book has a unique angle in that the time
travelling is done through an agency. Each and every time traveller
is a volunteer who wants to go back to the past.
Timeshare Unlimited is a travel agency with a difference. Established in the year 2006 it provides an escape from the bleak times of the 21st century. A chance to take a trip back to the good old days and witness past events such as the sneak preview of Gone With the Wind in Riverside, 1939.
But you can't escape into the past forever, each journey to the past is a return trip. There are no one way tickets. And when faced with a dismal future is it any wonder that some of the clients want to remain in the past?
John Surrey is an ex-LAPD cop and a writer of childrens' stories. After working in the Fugitive Squad he is the perfect choice for Chief of Security at Timeshare Unlimited. It is his part of his job to return the travellers to the 21st century.
After making a small fortune by investing money in the past in ventures he knows are going to reap a profit, he instantly makes enough money to set up his family abroad, away from the horrors of LA. Practically alone he has few ties with the future so what happens when he wants to remain in the past himself?
When John Surrey meets aspiring actress Althea Rowland at a Hollywood party in 1940 it's love at first sight and that is exactly what happens.
But things are not as simple as they first appear. Not only is John monitored by Timeshare Unlimited it appears that he cannot alter the past. And when he realises that according to history Althea died in England during the coming war he is determined to remain in the past and spend whatever time they have left together. And if he can somehow change history all to the good.
This is a wonderfully written book and I just loved the descriptions of the 1940's Hollywood stars. As John rubs shoulders with Clark Gable, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart and Ian Fleming it gives the reader plenty of opportunity to star spot and remember these great movie stars as they were at the time when Hollywood ruled the movie world.
There is also a lot of humour in this book as John's knowledge of the movies to be made and books to be written give him the chance to "show off" and help history on its way. My personal favourite was the "Bond" humour.
I can certainly say that this book is unputdownable. I read it in one marathon session which ended in the early hours of the morning. Ever the optimist I was hanging out for happy ending, after all when time travel is involved I firmly believe that there is always an opportunity to change things.
A great book with original ideas, something which is becoming increasingly rare in the reading world these days.
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Also by Joshua Dann : Timeshare: Second Time Around and Timeshare: A Time For War
Read an Interview with Joshua Dann