Readers of Regency romances or FBI thrillers are sure to love A Twist in Time by Julie McElwain, an inventive mix of the two genres. The year is 1815, and Agent Kendra Donovan is inexplicably trapped in England, instead of 21st-century Washington, D.C., where she belongs. Kendra tumbled through a time slip (in A Murder in Time) that has left her stranded in a world of fancy ball gowns and prim and proper society matrons--definitely not women trained in tracking serial killers.
But when Lady Dover--former mistress of the Duke of Aldridge's nephew Alec--is found brutally murdered and mutilated, and Alec comes under suspicion, Kendra must put her investigative skills to work to clear the young man's name.
She becomes frustrated by a society that treats women as second-class citizens, and which only accepts her oddities because the Duke is her patron. But in order to catch a cunning killer, Kendra must learn to adapt to some of the mores that chafe her.
Full of intrigue and passion alike, A Twist in Time is a delightful mix of genres. The blend of romance (like that of Sarah MacLean) and slightly grisly mysteries (like those of Kathy Reichs) makes Julie McElwain's novel hard to categorize. Nevertheless, with its rapid pacing, slew of interesting characters and time travel, A Twist in Time is riveting. Anyone who enjoys the unusual is sure to enjoy Agent Kendra Donovan's adventures. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm