Thomas Neale King

A surprise inheritance. A derelict mansion. His own time portal. Then, poof—All gone

In 1985, Jack Thyme is a young teacher at an exclusive prep school in Portland, Oregon. When his aunt dies suddenly, the terms of his grandfather’s trust kick in. In less than 48 hours he is in a small Virginia town he didn’t know existed, meeting with a bunch of lawyers about an inheritance from a man he never knew. What the lawyers don’t tell him—probably don’t know themselves—Jack has also inherited his family’s legacy as time travelers.

Jack’s inheritance includes Traveler’s Rest, a decaying mansion where all the rooms are empty except the ballroom, which is a hoarder's delight overflowing with boxes, knickknacks and furniture of every type and era. On his first night in the house, Jack wakes to the sound of a clock randomly striking twelve even though the actual clock hasn’t been in the house for years. With each chime of the clock, he momentarily moves between the house’s past and present. After that, packages start to arrive delivered by leather-wearing, motorcycle-riding couriers who can find Jack no matter where he is. Are these packages containing an antique key, a gold cross with a cryptic Latin inscription and a monk’s robe an invitation to adventure? Or, someone’s idea of a joke?

Jack’s journey is just beginning in Thyme Travelers, the first book in the Thyme Travelers Chronicles series.