Strangers in time

Thriller writer Baldacci (To Die For) turns to historical fiction with the arresting story of an unlikely trio who come together in 1944 after their lives were transformed by the London Blitz. Charlie Matters, an orphaned, street-smart 13-year-old, lives with his grandmother and uses his wits to survive. After Charlie steals money and a book from widower Ignatius Oliver's bookshop, he returns everything out of guilt and Oliver befriends him. Molly Wakefield, 15, returns to London after a yearslong evacuation in the countryside to discover that both her parents are missing. She meets Charlie on the street and asks him to guide her to the government office where she believes her father works, but he's nowhere to be found. Later, while looking for Charlie, Molly meets Oliver, who's impressed by her maturity and kindness. After Charlie's grandmother dies and Molly's home is destroyed by another round of German bombings, Oliver takes in the two teenagers. As the three weather more assaults on the city, the author illustrates the horrors of war and the utter helplessness of citizens in the face of such daunting challenges. Though the novel is marred by an unnecessary and far-fetched plot twist near the end, Baldacci's strong character work highlights the trio's courage and tenacity, as do the wrenching depictions of London's wartime devastation. It's a touching tale of a found family. Agents: Aaron Priest and Mitch Hoffman, Aaron M. Priest Literary. (Apr.)

Three strangers become friends amid the Nazi bombing of London. In 1944, fierce aerial fighting rages over London as the bombs and rockets continue killing and maiming English civilians. A 13-year-old "East End bloke" navigates the rubble and looks for things to steal. He always wishes for inclement weather so the Jerries won't bomb them. In the few pieces of clothing he owns, his gran has sewn a label: "The Honorable Charles Elias Matters," with his address. His parents and grandfather have been killed, and Gran thinks Charlie is going to school every day. Instead, he's decided to get his education on the street. The well-to-do 15-year-old Molly Wakefield returns from the safety of the countryside to her parents' London house, but the parents are nowhere to be found, and she meets Charlie as he hides in her yard. Ignatius Oliver runs The Book Keep in Covent Garden, a shop started by his late wife, Imogen. Charlie sneaks in and nicks some money and a book filled with blank pages, imagining he can sell it for the paper, but when he realizes that Ignatius knows where he lives, he tries to return everything. Ignatius catches him, but lets him keep the book, which plays a fateful role when it changes hands again. Before long the three become friends, all sharing common bonds of danger, humanity, and heartbreaking loss. All have their complex stories: Despite her youth, Molly wants to treat the wounded, and she's good at it; Ignatius is a part-time air warden who's burdened by a dark secret about himself; and Charlie is party to a foot chase in which one of his mates and a police officer are accidentally killed. Charlie frets that he might hang. Meanwhile, the buzz of the V-1 rocket gives way to the silence of the V-2, and life or death are the devil's toss of a coin. Baldacci weaves the trio's lives together seamlessly, even though each comes from a different stratum of society. Hope, excitement, and tragedy will keep rapt readers reaching for their tissues. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.