Time to Burn/Ellery Lloyd
August 4, 2026/Harper
It would have been easy for Ellery Lloyd–a pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing team–to get stuck in a quagmire considering the intricate plot of Time to Burn, which is told from two different perspectives crossing over different decades. Instead, Time to Burn unfolds as a multi-faceted mystery that plays with the possibility of time travel and the devastating effects if even the slightest bit abused.
Tempus Tours is owed by controversial genius, Inigo Frank, operating as a time travel company for the uber-rich to experience pivotal moments in history. To commemorate his accomplishments, Frank enlists the critically lauded documentarian Phoebe Hunt to act a fly on the wall at Tempus. Once there, she finds that Inigo Frank startlingly resembles her father in his resolve, charisma, and confidence.
Phoebe’s father–and the group community he’d founded, called The Living Family–was the subject of the documentary that propelled her career. In 2007, a fire razed their shared home to the ground and forever destroyed his name, as it is widely speculated that Roger Hunt absconded with the shared assets of his followers after having set the flames himself.
During Phoebe’s first day shadowing Inigo at Tempus, the firm is thrown into chaos when a time travel experience goes wrong: one man comes back badly injured, his wife not at all. As Inigo calls his team to arms and plans a reconnaissance mission, Phoebe realizes that the woman they’re returning to save isn’t who she says she is. Phoebe knows Sasha from her days with The Living Family. Due to some youthful transgression against Sasha that still haunts her, and mindful of her mentor’s warning not to involve herself in the action she is capturing, Phoebe elects not to reveal Sasha’s actual identity unless necessary.
Sasha’s disappearance is no accident. She’d slipped away from the group with a specific mission in mind, although her objective isn’t revealed for some time. The action flips between Phoebe in real time as she works with Inigo to learn about Tempus and observe his recovery effort, and Sasha as she navigates 1941 London with specific pit stops to make. Those who enjoy historical thrillers and time travel books will appreciate the rich details of London during the height of World War II, from the description of the streets to the condition of the bunkers housing the displaced citizens.
When Phoebe is approached by a man who identifies himself as Lucian and explains “glitchers” –people who have experienced an alternate reality which lingers in their memories, due to changes in history caused by time travel–she dismisses him as one of Inigo’s many unhinged stalkers or detractors. But then Phoebe experiences glitching herself, the latter experience so life-upending that Phoebe questions not only Tempus and Inigo’s intentions but also realizes that Sasha’s actions in the past have the power to destroy her own present and future.
But are Sasha’s actions nefarious? Back in The Living Family, Sasha was the quiet, observant girl who read detective novels and collected keys to match with the right doors. Could it be that Sasha’s mission has nothing to do with revenge at all? Clearly, it’s tied to The Living Family, and as the action unspools–both in Sasha’s 1941 and Phoebe’s present-day–each woman takes time into her own hands to both re-imagine the past and change the future.
Ellery Lloyd’s Time to Burn is a gripping time-traveling thriller that ably navigates its many twists and turns to a deeply satisfying ending. It also plays with the advantages of time travel, such as the ability to leave a note or a clue to be discovered or using information from the past to benefit those of the future. (Biff’s Sports Almanac, anyone?). Sasha had done her homework before disappearing into 1941, and it’s fascinating to see how that plays out. While pacing slows in some areas, in part because the story isn’t completely linear, every scene serves a purpose.
The only shortcoming of this thriller is the lack of tools to guess the ending, to include what really transpired the day The Living Family’s home became ashes. For those who enjoy playing detective, it’s hard to do with Time to Burn. Regardless, this time travel thriller, with its two strong female leads and abundance of tantalizing mystery, is sure to please Lloyd’s fans.
*About the reviewer: Sarah Reida’s debut adult novel, Neighborhood Watch, received a Kirkus Star and was honored as an Amazon editorial pick as one of the Best Books of the Year So Far 2024. She is seeking representation for her sophomore novel, a small town mystery involving beer and murder. Join Sarah’s elite group of Instagram followers here.
