A Shortcut in Time

A man must restore order to his community after he travels fifteen minutes into the past in this “beguiling combination of small-town drama and science fiction” (Booklist).

“One of the best time travel novels I’ve read—reminiscent of Richard Matheson’s Somewhere in Time [Bid Time Return]. A calm, unhurried, mature writing style with deft characterization and involvement.” —Frank M. Robinson

Euclid Heights, Illinois, is a town of many shortcuts between houses, through orchards, and across fields. Josh Winkler, a local artist and longtime resident knows these irregular pathways well, but he is flabbergasted when a hasty dash down a familiar walk deposits him fifteen minutes in the past. At first, Josh is more intrigued than alarmed by this accidental time travel. Then a disoriented young woman appears, claiming to be from 1908. . . .

As his life, his family, his town, and even history itself begin to unravel, Josh gradually realizes that his only salvation may lie in a shortcut in time.

Charles Dickinson has written a moving and unforgettable book about the way the past can affect the present, as well as, sometimes, the other way around.

“Dickinson’s small-town setting and domestic details make this a charming story of one man’s effort to save his community and his own place in time.” —Publishers Weekly