“Only the dead have seen the end of war.” — George Santayana

This sobering quote opens David Baldacci’s latest novel, STRANGERS IN TIME, a stand-alone title set in Great Britain during the Blitz of World War II that so devastated London and the surrounding areas.

Our protagonist is 14-year-old Charlie Matters, who lost his parents and grandfather to the horrors of the war. He now lives with his grandmother amidst the rubble-filled neighborhood where he grew up. They are desperate for food and basic necessities, so Charlie fakes going to a school that has since shut down due to the bombings and scavenges the area for what they need to get by. One day, his travels bring him to a bookstore called The Book Keep, where he watches the thin middle-aged gentleman who runs the quiet location. While Ignatius Oliver is dealing with another customer, Charlie takes it upon himself to snatch an interesting book and run away with it.

"This incredible, heartfelt read is destined to be a classic and is further proof that Baldacci is more than just a prolific author. He is an abundantly gifted writer who continues to crank out high-quality fiction that is unmatched."

Charlie then spies Ignatius walking on his street and sticking something to his front door. It ends up being a label that must have fallen from Charlie’s coat that has his name and address on it. This prompts another visit to The Book Keep, where he returns the book with a small payment for the inconvenience and officially makes the acquaintance of Ignatius. They have a cordial and somewhat somber interaction as they share the grievous facts behind the dead they each mourn. Ignatius recently lost his wife, and he runs the store that she started as a tribute to her. Charlie leaves quietly but knows it is not the last time they will cross paths.

The third part of this relationship comes in the form of 15-year-old Molly Wakefield, who returns home after nearly five years in the country where she was placed to get her out of wartime London. Unfortunately, she does not come back to the happy family she remembers. The housekeeper, who appears to be the only one left in their posh London home, informs her that her mother was sent to live in an infirmary, while her father went off on an unspoken mission and has not been seen or heard from since. When their house is hit one night during the Blitz, Molly loses her housekeeper and is now an orphan of sorts.

It makes sense for the three displaced characters to meet up. And they do…in a big way. Ignatius ends up taking in both the orphaned Charlie, who recently lost his grandmother, and Molly. Fate does seem to have it in for them as one day Charlie is accosted by two long-orphaned boys he knows from the bombed-out section of town. Lonzo Rossi and Eddie Gray are aware that he frequents the bookstore, which they feel might have a few spare dollars lying around. They force Charlie to take them there, but they are chased by a police constable. That pursuit ends tragically as both the constable and Eddie are struck and killed by a bus. Lonzo and Charlie break away and head off, knowing that the death of an officer on duty undoubtedly will see them imprisoned.

As they go out in search of Charlie, Molly presses Ignatius for details of his late-night letter delivery business. What she learns is completely unexpected as he tells her a tale of wartime spy games in which he and his late wife were involved. In fact, he blames those games for the actions of his beloved spouse, who took her own life by diving off a cliff. Once they reunite with Charlie, the connections with Ignatius’ secret prior life become more evident and may lead the trio to answers about who Molly’s father really is and where he may still be.

The story that drives STRANGERS IN TIME is so authentic you will believe that David Baldacci was born in the UK. This incredible, heartfelt read is destined to be a classic and is further proof that Baldacci is more than just a prolific author. He is an abundantly gifted writer who continues to crank out high-quality fiction that is unmatched.