Mostly Murders

“Find the clue, find the killer.”

What would you do if you had all the time in the world? Sylvie Mitchell is a typical fifteen-year-old girl, until one fateful day when her sister is murdered and her father disappears at the same time, leaving Sylvie, her little brother and her mother behind with their grief and doubts. Why did Sylvie’s sister have to die? What happened to their father? And why is Sylvie experiencing weird glitches in time?

A YA time travel thriller with lots of heart set in a small town in New England in the 1980s. All These Threads of Time is a focused, polished mystery set in a world of time travel complete with temporal paradoxes, causation effects, different timelines and time travel rules, and the dangers of meddling with powerful forces beyond normal, human comprehension. But it is also a tender portrait of a teenager dealing with loss and trauma, a story of friendship, family, duty and the lengths people will go to for their loved ones.

For anyone old enough to remember the 80s, it is a nostalgic trip down memory lane, with the many references firmly anchoring this novel in what is now a bygone era. For younger readers, this offers fun glimpses into the world of their parents’ or even grandparents’ youth with archaic artefacts like listening to Guns n’ Roses on the Walkman or having to look up facts in the home encyclopedia.

I listened to the audiobook of this novel, and I enjoyed the narration by Samantha Leal, ranging from calm and quiet to tense and deeply emotional as the story moved from initial buildup to dramatic twists and turns.

Many thanks to Sarah Crowne for the Audible audiobook code for this novel. I received this copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

YA – Thriller – Murder Mystery