Wrong Place Wrong Time from Gillian McAllister is hands down the best thriller I have ever read. It’s astonishingly good from start to finish and it will be worth all of the hype it will doubtlessly gain upon its release. Five stars just doesn’t seem enough.

Wrong Place Wrong Time follows Jen who is living every parent’s worst nightmare. Her happy, funny, astonishingly clever son commits a terrible crime; he murders a complete stranger on his way home from a night out. Jen doesn’t know who the man is nor why Todd did what he did, she only knows her boy is in custody with his promising future lost. That night Jen falls asleep in despair, but when she wakes up Todd is at home, and it’s yesterday. Each morning she wakes up another day before the murder with another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lie the answers and Jen has no choice but to find them.

This story is so very clever, the way that McAllister has Jen solving the mystery surrounding the murder in reverse is just magnificent storytelling. Each day that Jen finds herself in has some significant meaning, linked to finding the answers as to why Todd commits the crime he does. The issue for Jen, however, is that to discover the answers she first needs to figure out what questions she needs to be asking, and of whom. There are so many twists and turns as we uncover more pieces of information. Wrong Place Wrong Time is a perfect puzzle that becomes clear at towards its ending and will have you scraping your jaw off the floor.

Whilst the main focus of this novel is Jen’s pursuit of the answers to the mystery surrounding the murder, there is also the theme of parental self-doubt and guilt. I thought McAllister dealt with this so beautifully. Jen, like all parents, worries about how well she has parented Todd. She begins to wonder if she has made mistakes that has contributed to this crime. I won’t say how her feelings around this are resolved as it would spoil things but I will say that the exploration of Jen’s anxieties surrounding her parenting and her love for Todd added real depth to this story.

Overall this was a fantastic and unforgettable thriller that I cannot recommended highly enough.

I do not have enough words to express how much I love this author's books. Every single one has blown me out of the water. Every single one has exceeded my (very high) expectations. And... blow me down if she hasn't gone and done it again. Believe the hype...!
So... Jen is waiting up for her teenage son Todd to come home from an evening out. She sees him approach the house but is shocked when she witnesses him killing a man who approaches him. He is arrested and taken to the police station where Jen and husband Kelly soon follow.
Next morning and Jen is all ready to go again, to fight for her son, when she realises that it is the day before, yesterday, and the incident hasn't happened yet. Mind Blown, yeah?
Long story short, and I mean short as I think you need to go in as blind as possible, Jen keeps going back in time, quite why is a mystery but she knows it has something to do with Todd and what happened, She hopes what she finds in the past will re-shape the future.
This book blew me away. It is so novel and unique and so far from anything I have ever read that I struggle to find the right words to really do it justice.
Honestly, if I could, I'd just finish my review here and now with just an instruction to trust me and just read the darned book, you won't regret it, I would.
In fact, it's actually quite hard to say much more about the book plot wise. Also, to mention much about the characters could also spoil things as they need to be met and understood backwards. Honest that does make sense and, although I would imagine to be tricky, expertly executed. All I can say is that they were all very well described and acted perfectly within their remits.
Pacing was also perfect, occasionally I did think that a certain part dragged a tad but that was usually cos it was imparting some important information that needed to be spelled out and I think it only dragged as I was too eager to get on with what in the heck was really going on. Impatient, moi!?
The plot was the killer here... and it was so brilliant and clever and perfect. And the backwards nature of how it all unfolded just made it even more special. Even told chronologically it would have shined so the backwards thing was no gimick.
All in all a cracking read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm only sad cos I have to wait a year for her next one. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Phenomenonal! After seeing her 18 year old son stab a man in the street outside their home, Jen finds herself waking up the morning before the assault and then the morning before that. She comes to realise that she is being given a unique opportunity as she travels back in time, uncovering secrets, lies and most importantly, she develops a better understanding of herself as a parent.
This is so cleverly done, and I really enjoyed fitting the pieces together. It was like a literary jigsaw puzzle and was extremely satisfying.

Amazing! Gillian McAllister never fails to deliver, I've loved all of her books and seem to find a new favourite character in every one. Her characters are well thought out and created in a relatable sense, that means we can take the roller coaster of emotions and decisions along with them. I really enjoy the way Gillian created this story with alternative timelines, yet made sure each one was easy to follow - I didn't find myself searching back and forth to keep up. Definitely a few late nights racing through this one trying to guess the who's and why's, ultimately failing because the ending was so brilliantly conceived.

I’d like to thank Penguin Michael Joseph UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time’ by Gillian McAllister in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jen, married to Kelly, is sitting up late into the night waiting for their son Todd to return home. As she watches him from the window walking along the road she becomes aware of another man close by, then something terrible happens. When Jen wakes the following morning she discovers it’s the day before and as subsequent days arrive the further back in the past she becomes. When will she be able to extricate herself from this living nightmare?

This is a thriller with a totally unique plot that’s so complicated I can’t even begin to guess how the author has managed to write it, and so convincingly too. It’s packed with suspense, intrigue and unexpected twists and turns that had my head spinning, wanting Jen to get back to normal time but knowing it wasn’t going to be that simple. Ms McAllister is a superb author that this book proves in spades. The characters have depth and as the story progresses we learn more about Jen and Kelly and their backgrounds. I can enthusiastically recommend it.

Wow! This is another great novel from Gillian McAllister.
It is a cleverly written, original and complex masterpiece in storytelling that kept me gripped throughout and I totally recommend it.
5 shiny gold stars!!!

A superbly plotted time loop novel where a crime is committed at the start by Jen’s teenage son. She then wakes up a day earlier and successive days earlier in both the current and more distant past and gets a chance to investigate the motives and the mystery behind what happened. There is also an undercover cop story woven in with it which is unclear as to whether it is linked to the past or the present, until the storylines eventually merge in a jumble of clever twists.

One of the cleverest plots I have ever read, with likeable, sympathetic characters who you are keen to understand better. A compelling page-turner that I wholeheartedly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the advance copy to read and review.

Absolutely brilliant! What a great concept - starting with the night Jen witnesses her son kill someone just as the clocks go back and continuing backwards as she tries to discover why. This is a page turner and wrong foots you as you think you’ve worked it all out. 100% my kind of book. I’ve just placed my order for a paperback copy for my husband. Can’t wait to discuss it with him. Such an original idea with great plotting and succinct writing.

Wrong Place Wrong Time tells the story of Jen, a happily married lawyer who, in the first chapter, witnesses her teenage son commit murder. The rest of the book sees Jen wake up on numerous different dates going back in time, which helps her to gradually piece together what is happening and make changes to avoid her son committing the crime.

Whilst the beginning was dramatic and I was invested straight away, the first part of the book did feel a little slow. It then picked up the pace, everything started to slot into place and I couldn't finish it quick enough. Looking back, I think that the start of the book felt slow as I was getting used to the 'backwards' style of the book and there was some important scene setting.

The premise of the book is genius with the crime being committed at the start, then going backwards from there. It means that both the reader and main character are trying to make sense of everything at the same time and I loved this aspect of it.

This is easily the best book I have read so far this year.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Absolutely brilliant.
I will admit that it took me a wee while to get into this book, I am not keen on anything remotely sci-fi so I thought this one was going to be too unrealistic. Once I got into it though I began to appreciate what was going on and my perceptions of the characters changed as the story unfolded. It didn't take too long for it all just to click with me!
One of my favourite films is The Time Machine from 1960 and although this book doesn't go as far back or forward in history as it does, it is along the same premise, it is fascinating to read about the change in culture from as recent as the early 2000s, so much has changed without us even realising!
What a truly satisfying ending too, all the loose ends are tied up and I though ah yes of course!
Excellent!

📚 Wrong Place Wrong Time By Gillian McAllister - Publication Date 12th May 2022 📚

Jen is waiting on her son Todd coming home , looks out and sees her son stab someone!! Both her and her Husband Kelly run out, to see what’s happening. Why has her lovely boy Todd, has done something so out of character?! Jen is quite rightly hysterical.

So the story starts off with this terrible night. Jen wakes up the next morning...... worrying how they will sort all this, will Todd still be at the police station...... slowly but surely, Jen realises something Isn’t ‘right’ ........

Jen is waking up the day before instead of the day after which goes further and further back in time! Can she use this to fix things?!

It took me a few chapters to get used to the different time frames but oh my days........ when my fibro Fog brain steadied ......... I could not put this down.
Absolutely genius bit of writing!!! I can’t imagine the amount of work put into this storyline.
Fast paced, gripping, thrilling and a Bl**dy fantastic read!! 📚👏🏽📚👏🏽

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ plus for me!!

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"He comes to life. 'All right then. Time is just a way of us thinking we are free agents. That our actions have cause and effect. That's what makes us think that time flows in one direction, like a river.' 'But it doesn't?' Todd shrugs, looking at her. 'Nobody knows,' he says..."

Present day Crosby, Merseyside and lawyer, Jen, working for her retired father's legal firm, and distant husband Kelly witness beloved, bright teenage son, Todd, stab a stranger in the street, in front of their house. It's the stuff of nightmares. Todd is arrested and Remanded In Custody, but when Jen wakes the following morning, Todd's back home and it's the day before. It hasn't happened. How has this happened, how far back will Jen need to go to ensure Todd is not a murderer?!

Day by day, time ticks backwards and it becomes clear to Jen that each particular day has something to teach her, to help her find out why Todd did what he did. There are two narratives, Jen as she travels back in time and Ryan, a green police officer working undercover with an Organised Crime Gang. Immaculately plotted, every few chapters provides a reveal (or is it a red herring?) for the reader to develop a theory about what is happening. I was wholly invested in Jen and her family, immersed in the unfolding events. The attention to detail, such as Jen noticing her old phone or toenail polish as well as her grabbing her "do-over in parenting" with both hands, add to the realism of the seemingly unlikely premise. As ever, the author (who I was fortunate to meet at the Tasting Notes Live book event recently) has written people-first crime fiction that's head and shoulders above other books in the genre for its character development, its cliffhangers and its complexity. Her books get better and better, so Wrong Place Wrong Time comes highly recommended!

This book is flawless. Honestly, it is a brilliant book. Every so often a book comes a long that just blows your mind and this is one of those. I love crime fiction and I love quirky time travel books so to read a book that combines the two was always going to be a winner for me but this one is most definitely a 5 star plus read! It has everything, a unique storyline, a perfect crime story and such real characters with heart and soul that you actually care about. Often crime thrillers have great storylines but you don’t always care about the characters but this book has both elements just right and I genuinely feel sad finishing this book and leaving Jen, and her family behind.

This was such a unique idea for a book, I loved it! The way the story unfolded backwards was very clever and I liked that each date she woke up on revealed one small part of the mystery. I wasn't sure how onboard I'd be with the idea but it worked so well. I really enjoyed it and I loved the way it ended.

An absolute revelation of a book! I devoured it within 24 hours. An easy five stars from me - please read this book if you haven’t already!

Jen witnesses her 18 year old son, Todd, commit a murder of a stranger, for no apparent reason. She is beside herself (of course!) but when she wakes the next day, it’s not tomorrow but the day before. This keeps happening, until she realises she’s travelling back in time to stop the murder.

Honestly, such a novel idea for a book, the timeline told backwards in such a gripping way. I really don’t want to spoil any of the plot because I loved having no idea where it was going. There were a few jaw-drop moments, like when we found out who Angela was, the Jen’s dad reveal etc. I loved Jen as a character (although is she the most naive lawyer to ever have lived?!) and thought Kelly was really well curated too.

Love that the author wrote this during lockdown - something fantastic to come out of the pandemic! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Can you stop a murder after it's already happened?

Jen is waiting for Todd, her teenage son to return home, it's late and she's getting concerned, then she sees him walking down the street and breathes a sigh of relief, what happens next is every parents worst nightmare, he gets into an altercation with another man and stabs him, within minutes the police are on the scene and Todd is arrested and taken into custody. Jen and her husband Kelly return home from the police station not knowing how to deal with this, but when they wake the next day Todd is at home and Jen realises it's yesterday, the crime hasn't been committed yet, each day she wakes and it's another day earlier, why is she being sent back in time and is she going to find the answers and be able to stop her boy ruining his future?

Wrong Place, Wrong Time begins in the present day, with a crime committed seemingly for no good reason and life for those involved is changed forever, but what if you woke up the next day to find it never actually happened, that it wasn't a bad dream, but you were being sent back in time to possibly change those course of events. This is what happens in this story and it blew my mind! Each time Jen went to sleep she woke up further back in the past, it started off a day at a time, then it jumped to weeks, months and even years, each time seemed to be a significant event for Jen, to enable her to find answers as to why Todd committed that awful crime in the future, and hopefully prevent it from happening. I applaud anyone who can write a book but the concept of writing it backwards is just pure genius and this author deserves a standing ovation! The premise is authentic, the writing is superb and the twists just kept coming, McAllister had me on the edge of my seat throughout and I had to keep remembering to breathe, it was THAT good! I have to say that this is her best one yet and so well deserving of the five stars I've awarded it. This is one book by this author you definitely do not want to miss.

I'd like to thank Penguin Michael Joseph UK and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

I can’t overstate what an incredible achievement this book is. It starts off as a run of the mill psychological thriller (although there’s a very clever little twist in the first chapter) but by the end it’s so much more, an epic sci fi romance. I adored it.

Wow! This is a cracker of a thriller and a unique storyline as it’s one that’s told backwards!

I’m recommending you don’t read too much about it, just trust this amazing storyteller to take you on a fantastic, exciting, mind blowing ride.

Jen is married with a teenage son, for whom she is waiting up one evening. As he arrives home, there’s a terrible event that throws Jen into a nightmare - especially when she wakes the next morning to find herself somehow in the past.

I loved it.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph for the opportunity to preview and many congratulations to Gillian McAllister on a fabulous 5* read.

What have I just read?

Well, I think it has to be one of the best books I have read this year!

I’m not going to say much about it, because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but this is a fast paced book, which travels back in time all the way through, with well developed characters. If you like an excellent thriller this one is for you. Enjoy the ride!

My jaw actually dropped at some parts too!! This was very cleverly written and I can feel a book hanger over coming on..


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. It had a unique storyline that kept my attention and I did not know what to expect or how it would end.