Syd Brixton has bigger problems than trying to prove she’s not a terrorist.
In the aftermath of Flight 444’s crash, Syd and her fellow time travelers have become the target of an FBI investigation, suspected of orchestrating the disaster they miraculously survived.
But the FBI probe is nothing compared to the final blow when Syd's young son, Christopher, is kidnapped and whisked a decade into the past. With the talisman lost during the plane crash and her ability to timeblink gone, Syd’s hopes of finding her little boy crumble.
Heartbroken, Syd comes face-to-face with Christopher’s abductor who chillingly reveals that Syd’s past use of the talisman has attracted the wrong kind of attention. Now, along with Christopher's uncertain fate, timeblinking is at risk of exploitation, potentially sparking global chaos.
Adding to the impossible situation is Syd’s growing affection for Jarett, the Seattle cop she met on the ill-fated flight who wants to help her find Christopher, even as memories of Morley linger in Syd’s heart.
Will Syd be able to protect her family and stop the catastrophic ripples she unwittingly set in motion? Or will her efforts prove a futile struggle against the natural flow of time?
Syd Brixton has bigger problems than trying to prove she’s not a terrorist.
In the aftermath of Flight 444’s crash, Syd and her fellow time travelers have become the target of an FBI investigation, suspected of orchestrating the disaster they miraculously survived.
But the FBI probe is nothing compared to the final blow when Syd's young son, Christopher, is kidnapped and whisked a decade into the past. With the talisman lost during the plane crash and her ability to timeblink gone, Syd’s hopes of finding her little boy crumble.
Heartbroken, Syd comes face-to-face with Christopher’s abductor who chillingly reveals that Syd’s past use of the talisman has attracted the wrong kind of attention. Now, along with Christopher's uncertain fate, timeblinking is at risk of exploitation, potentially sparking global chaos.
Adding to the impossible situation is Syd’s growing affection for Jarett, the Seattle cop she met on the ill-fated flight who wants to help her find Christopher, even as memories of Morley linger in Syd’s heart.
Will Syd be able to protect her family and stop the catastrophic ripples she unwittingly set in motion? Or will her efforts prove a futile struggle against the natural flow of time?
In the shadowy realm of consciousness, voices swirled around me, crackling with energy like dry twigs in a campfire.
Voices that seemed near, yet far off.
Children, adults. A barking dog. All of them steeped in panic.
My mind retreated to the darkness—a comforting haven that I didn’t want to leave.
Don’t wake up.
Don’t give in.
Despite my resistance, the physical world slowly crept in, imposing itself upon me. Tugging at me. Pulling me to the surface.
Don’t go there.
Keep the pain away.
Resist. Resist.
But reality demanded my attention, assaulting my senses one by one.
The scent of freshly mown grass. Pine trees. Wet clay.
The drone of a small outboard motor chugging away in the distance.
Blades of stiff Kentucky bluegrass prickling my neck, my arms.
A cool, damp cloth settling over my forehead.
A small hand stroking my shoulder.
A voice, clearer now. Familiar.
“Shouldn’t we call an ambulance?” It was my friend Rose.
“No, no. She has a history of fainting spells. It will pass. It always does.” My sister, Kendall.
“Is Auntie Syd going to be okay?”
“Oh, Connor. Of course she is. Please don’t be upset.”
“It wasn’t my fault.”
“I know. It was nobody’s fault.”
“Devin was supposed to be watching him, I swear. It was his turn.”
“It was not!” came Devin’s voice, distantly.
“Was too!”
“Boys! That’s enough. I’ll say it again: it was nobody’s fault. I don’t want to hear another word about it.”
Devin, closer now: “The lady said she knew Auntie Syd. And she had the same necklace. The one with the dragonfly on it.”
My eyes shot open.
Connor’s face surged into view. “She’s awake! Auntie Syd, are you alright? Do you want some water?”
Kendall nudged Connor away. “Okay, everyone. Give her some room.”
Everything went quiet. Even the sparrows and crows seemed to sense the trouble at ground level and stifled their chatter.
I grabbed the wet cloth from my forehead and flung it aside. Struggled to sit. Dizzy. God, I was so dizzy. Kendall and Rose steadied me, their hands supporting my back.
“Christopher,” I choked out before my throat closed, the memory of his disappearance slamming into me like a tidal wave. My vision blurred, tears flooding my eyes. I was powerless to hold back the sobs that followed, stiff and jarring in the quiet.
My baby was gone.
My sweet, innocent Christopher now existed in an entirely different timeline.
And without the talisman, my bridge to him had collapsed.
And so, the final instalment in MJ Mumford's Timeblink series has been read and I have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed all the books in the series.
The difficulty that I have in writing this review is revealing too much about what happens in it and spoiling the story for people before they've read it so I am going to try and be as circumspect as I can without giving away too much of the plot.
At the end of the last book, we were left with a cliffhanger where Syd, our heroine, was faced with one of the worst scenarios of the whole series, involving someone who she dearly loves going missing. Those of you who have read the first Timeblink book will know that this is something that Syd has faced before and the uncovering of the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her twin in that book was the driver of the plot.
Dragonfly, then, continues on where Book 2, Flight 444 left us including some of the characters who were introduced from the plot of that book, the main one being Jarrett, the good-looking cop who seems to be sticking around for Syd.
The stakes are higher for Syd in this book as they were in Book 1, as she has to battle her emotions as well as face the loss of a loved one, in a life that has been full of loss. What I liked about Dragonfly is that Mumford effectively wraps up the trilogy and does it in a way that is convincing and satisfying. Syd continues to be the spicy, sensual, strong individual who does not baulk from a challenge and is prepared to grit her teeth and confront if need be.
Again, the threats are there but the action is not dark enough to be terrifying; as a writer, Mumford is able to get you to empathise with Syd and what she's going through and so, you are with her every step of the way. If I had a criticism, it's that it didn't feel as developed as the other books, although I still enjoyed it. It felt shorter and although it didn't feel rushed, it felt less meaty: it wasn't lacking in anything but it felt lighter in some way. It's difficult to put my finger on.
However, it is good and I recommend Mumford as a writer wholeheartedly.