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Downtime

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Synopsis

FBI Agent Morgan Nash is on assignment in London when his case goes awry and he finds himself moments away from a bullet through the heart. But fate has other plans: Morgan gets knocked out pursuing a suspect... and wakes up in 1888. While cataloging ancient manuscripts at the British Museum, Ezra Glacenbie accidentally pulls Morgan out of the twenty–first century—an impromptu vacation that may become permanent for Morgan if they can't locate the spellbook Ezra used. Further hampering Morgan's quest to get home is the irresistible temptation to investigate history's most notorious serial killer: Jack the Ripper. But in repressive Victorian London, it's the unexpected romance blossoming between Morgan and Ezra that becomes the most dangerous complication of all.

Review

The overlong Downtime by Tamara Allen is a historical novel that transports its hero back to a most interesting time. Tough and sometimes reckless, F.B.I. agent Morgan Nash is on the trail of a mole in his organization in 2011 when he suddenly finds himself in the Victorian London of 1888. Three men working at the British Museum have been reciting arcane Latin verses from an ancient tome when, to their great astonishment, an American from the future appears in their midst. Since both Nash and one of the Englishmen, Ezra Glacenbie, are extremely handsome and gay sparks are destined to fly, and they do. One of their many problems is the cultural divide between an "out" brash American and a necessarily closeted Victorian gentleman. Another is the fact that Ezra is a genuine psychic and he keeps receiving messages from dead people, including infamous Jack the Ripper and his victims. Nash is blunderingly determined to catch the Ripper even if doing so changes history. There are several effectively-drawn characters and the depiction of underground gay life in the 1880s seems authentic. However much too much time is spent in setting up the characters and the local color, there is a considerable amount of repetitive dialogue, and ultimately the plot gets almost fatally bogged down. Less would have definitely been more in this case.

-- Roy Liebman