Strangers in Time – David Baldacci
The prolific kingpin of the crime thriller, takes an unexpected detour with “Strangers in Time,” a WWII-set historical fiction novel centered not on battlefield valor or espionage heroics (though both make appearances), but on the small, persistent acts of survival, sorrow and unexpected kinship that war forces into being.
I’ll admit this was my first David Baldacci novel. He’s not typically on my radar, but I’m glad I started with this one. It’s a quieter, more emotionally-driven story than his usual fare, and though not without its flaws, it marks a sincere attempt to explore the devastation of war through a more intimate, character-focused lens.
[some minor spoilers ahead]
At the heart of the novel is 14-year-old Charlie Matters, a streetwise teen with the soul of Oliver Twist and the grit of a post-Blitz Londoner. Orphaned by the war — his father lost at Dunkirk, his mother killed in an air raid — Charlie scrapes by on his wits, stealing to keep his beloved grandmother afloat until she too, inevitably, dies.
On the opposite end of the social spectrum is Molly Wakefield, 15-years-old and just returned from countryside exile to find her home and family all but vanished: her father missing, her mother institutionalized after a traumatic assault in a tube station during a bombing. Their meeting — equal parts Dickensian and serendipitous — launches a fragile friendship grounded in mutual grief, wartime suspicion and the refuge of a bookstore.
The Book Keep, run by the grieving yet affable Ignatius Oliver, offers both literal and symbolic shelter for these two wanderers. A lover of stories, mourning the loss of his wife, and secretly working as a codebreaker for the Allies, Ignatius becomes their moral and emotional center. The trio’s bond is tender and well-rendered, and Baldacci is at his best when he lets these quiet relationships breathe.
There’s a lot happening in this book — spy intrigue, child thieves, secret missions, government conspiracies, and more — and yet, paradoxically, it often feels slow and scattered. Baldacci’s ambition is clear: to chronicle not just the physical destruction of war, but the moral and emotional wreckage as well. But in trying to do so much, the narrative sometimes loses its center. The pacing falters, and plotlines — some compelling, others unnecessarily convoluted — collide more than cohere.
To his credit, Baldacci doesn’t sanitize the war. He allows his characters to bristle at their government, at the Americans and at each other. The book isn’t burdened by a need for patriotic polish, and its refusal to lean into easy sentimentality is refreshing.
Still, it does succumb to what I’ll call the Kristin Hannah Syndrome: when every terrible thing that could happen, does. I’m not here to question the horrors of the Blitz, but by the time we’re dealing with shootouts, MI6 secrets and long-lost fathers on the lam, I found myself wishing for just a touch more restraint. London may be vast, but the way tragedy clusters here gives it the claustrophobia of a village.
[minor spoilers ended]
That said, the audiobook is a triumph. Performed by a full cast — including Stewart Crank, Alexandra Boulton, John Lee, Nicola F. Delgado, Matthew Lloyd Davies and Joe Pitts — it plays like a BBC radio drama, with each voice lending warmth and weight to the story. It’s one of those rare audiobooks where the performance elevates the material, even when the plot begins to wobble.
The ending, a bit too neat and quick for the mess Baldacci so carefully constructs, left me wanting more and not in the good way. Still, the novel’s heart is in the right place, and despite the narrative clutter, its depiction of found family and the stubborn hope of adolescence won me over.
I’d give Baldacci another shot, especially if he continues to wander off his usual path.
Thank you to Libro.fm, Hachette Audio and the author for a free copy of the audiobook. This exchange of goods did not influence my review.
Rating (story): 3.5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 5/5 stars
Format: Audiobook (personal library)
Dates read: April 14 – April 22, 2025
Multi-tasking: Okay. The dual narration and quick chapters make it easy to keep the characters straight, but frequently it becomes a mess of names and places that are easy to lose if you aren’t paying close attention.
