Time of Departure ~ Douglas Schofield

Schofield, Douglas. 2015. Time of Departure. New York, NY: Minotaur Books, a division of Macmillan Books.  ISBN  978-1250072757 $25.99 USD.

Time of Departure is a bit hard to classify, in terms of genre.  It is a solid mystery, with newly discovered skeletal remains being uncovered, along with a handsome older man who knows more than he should about the crime; it’s a romance, as two star-crossed lovers meet and fall in love, and eventually, it falls into the realm of science fiction, but if I say much more about that, I’ll give too much of the story away!

Claire Talbot is the youngest female Florida State Prosecutor to be promoted to Felony Division Chief, and not everyone is happy about it.  She has a lot to prove.  When a road construction crew uncovers old skeletal remains of two women, Claire reopens a 30 year old case involving a string of abductions that were never solved.

During her investigation she meets retired homicide detective, Marc Hastings, who once worked the case and later disappeared.  Marc knows a lot about the case, obviously, but also knows a lot about Claire – much more than he should.  Together, with Marc’s steadfast guidance, they follow the clues to solve the mystery of the dead women and try to catch the killer.

Time of Departure is an engrossing mystery and a poignant love story and ultimately provides a shocking, mind-bending twist – one that you might or might not see coming.  I had fun with this one!