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Most of the action takes place in and around the town of 'Blainesville', Ohio, in the year 1922, although there are frequent excursions forward to the present day to pick up various supplies (whisky, life saving drugs, useful friends and anything else they need from 2012) and to use modern technology (washing machines and the internet). The story spans a few weeks during which Tommy uncovers a scam to embezzle funds from the townsfolk and devises a cunning plan to try to stop the perpetrators.
Although Prohibition is in full swing, Tommy and his friends find imaginative ways to side step the anti-alcohol laws while taking full advantage of the fact that marijuana and cocaine are legal at this period; at times it's hard to see how they are in a fit state to get anything done. Also side tracking him from his good intentions is his relationship with Beth which is very physical, raunchy and frankly gymnastic; recounted in Tommy's words, nothing is left to the imagination. The author does warn in the Prologue that the book is not suitable for readers under the age of eighteen.
Meanwhile, lurking in the background, are two Immortals who put in an appearance from time to time. The good one, Miguel, is there to aid Tommy in his mission to help the needy and deprived people he meets in the past, while the wicked Clock Watcher is out to thwart him and generally make life miserable by his evil deeds.
The author has created a cast of strong, appealing characters. We see them through Tommy's eyes since most of the story is narrated in the first person by him, and his opinions are blunt and often unflattering. The main characters are introduced in the Prologue and, as well as a short description, the author has included contemporary 1920s photographs of them, which is a nice touch.
Tommy himself is quite engaging and is a natural for the part of the lovable rogue. He is self-deprecating, equivocal and aware of his faults; although he finds himself cast as the hero, he is not above bending the law to get what he wants, and he is quite at home in his dealings with the mafia, bootleggers and other irregular entrepreneurs.
The whole tone of this book is humorous and the style is chatty and unpretentious. The language, using Tommy's words, is certainly earthy, but the intention is to amuse rather than offend. Below the surface the author touches on a number of issues, apart from the obvious battle between good and evil, including corruption, hypocrisy and racism.
It was a distinct disadvantage not having read the first book of the series. The Prologue helps a bit by introducing the characters, the setting and some of the events leading up to the point at which this part starts, but it can't explain everything. I'm still in the dark as to the mechanics of time travel or how Tommy first discovered it. This could turn out to be quite a long series as the ending makes it evident that there are more adventures to follow and the possibilities are virtually limitless.
Overall I quite enjoyed this light-hearted romp through time and I have rated the book three out of four stars. The author's / Tommy's sense of humour is apparent throughout; the characters are likeable (at least the good guys are) and I found myself hoping that things go ok for them. There are various interweaving plots and subplots, and some clever twists whereby Tommy gets to meet the antecedents of people he knows in 2012. Unfortunately there were a number of errors in the Kindle version I read which I found rather distracting - hopefully these will be corrected for future editions.
***
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