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Please Note: I received an advance copy of this novel from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
An impossible crime. A detective on the edge of madness. The future of time travel at stake. From the author of The Warehouse.
January Cole’s job just got a whole lot harder.
Not that running security at the Paradox was ever really easy. Nothing’s simple at a hotel where the ultra-wealthy tourists arrive costumed for a dozen different time periods, all eagerly waiting to catch their “flights” to the past.
Or where proximity to the timeport makes the clocks run backward on occasion—and, rumor has it, allows ghosts to stroll the halls.
None of that compares to the corpse in room 526. The one that seems to be both there and not there. The one that somehow only January can see.
On top of that, some very important new guests have just checked in. Because the U.S. government is about to privatize time-travel technology—and the world’s most powerful people are on hand to stake their claims.
January is sure the timing isn’t a coincidence. Neither are those “accidents” that start stalking their bidders.
There’s a reason January can glimpse what others can’t. A reason why she’s the only one who can catch a killer who’s operating invisibly and in plain sight, all at once.
But her ability is also destroying her grip on reality—and as her past, present, and future collide, she finds herself confronting not just the hotel’s dark secrets but her own.
At once a dazzlingly time-twisting murder mystery and a story about grief, memory, and what it means to—literally—come face-to-face with our ghosts, The Paradox Hotel is another unforgettable speculative thrill ride from acclaimed author Rob Hart.
Review:
I really enjoyed Rob Hart's previous novel, The Warehouse, with it's Amazon-esque mega corporation controlling America. The Paradox Hotel, Hart's newest science-fiction thriller, speculates on what would happen if time travel were found to be possible. Would the ultra-wealthy take time travel vacations to, say, 1776 Philadelphia to watch the signing of the Declaration of Independence ? Would they try to manipulate the past to gain even more power? Both seem likely.
This novel is full of the fun aspects of how time travel would work, and (of course) of all the potential pitfalls. It is also a wonderful character study of a person experiencing grief. Add to that a timey-wimey mystery, and you have yourself a highly entertaining novel. I loved it!
What I Liked:
Time Travel (The Good, The Bad, and the Timey-Wimey):
The novel takes place sometime in the distant future where time travel has been invented, and monetized by the U.S. government. The Paradox Hotel is a launching off point for time travel "vacations" by those who can afford it. There are people traveling to ancient Egypt, the Aztec period of Mexico, and all sorts of other destinations! But how will that work? I won't spoil it, but I'll just say that the author has had fun fleshing out all the details.
January Cole works as the head of security at the hotel. But she has also traveled back in time to stop people from trying to change the future. Too much time travel leads a person to become Unstuck. There are different stages of being Unstuck, from small moments of déjà vu in the first stage, to all out madness in stage three. January is in denial, but she is nearly at stage three, which makes it hard for her to be taken seriously when she starts to see the future deaths of some of the guests.
Characters:
January, the main character, is not immediately likable. Since the hotel is it's own little universe, everyone who works there has become part of a found family. But January, always rude and sarcastic, has never felt close to her co-workers. This changes when she falls in love with Mina, another employee at the hotel. Mina draws her in, and helps her learn to be part of the life of their little community. When Mina tragically dies (before the start of the novel), January reverts back to her introverted ways. But others now know she is actually a smart, fierce friend. They try mightily to keep her connected with the group.
January's grief is a huge part of the book. How do you deal with the death of a loved one if that was the only person who you felt really got you? January actually has lots of other people cheering her on. But her grief is so deep that she can't see it.
Mystery:
This was another entertaining aspect of the book. The U.S. government, hard up for cash, is taking bids from Billionaires to take over the hotel and time-travel tourism. There are ego's in abundance as entitled mega-rich guys (yes, all guys), come to the hotel for a conference. But January sees parts of a future where several people wind up dead. Who is trying to stop the conference? Is it one of the groups opposed to time travel? Or could it be someone who is trying to get rid of their competition? And, who let the dinosaurs loose in the hotel lobby? It's all connected. This is a complex mystery, but it keeps the story moving forward.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Release Date: February 22nd, 2022
Author: Rob Hart
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Page Length: 336 pages
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-book
Recommendation: This is really entertaining, and establishes Rob Hart as right up there with Andy Weir as one of the best science fiction writers around now. Read this book!
