Broken Ties of Time – Josie Arden

Broken Ties of Time – Josie Arden

Broken Ties of Time was published in paperback and hardcover by the author. Unfortunately, at first glance this has made for a long, cumbersome book which is expensive. Josie finished the book as her sight was deteriorating and approached TSL for assistance. We took on publishing Broken Ties as an e-book and to help bring the book to your attention.

Yes, the book is long which for a debut author these days is regarded as unacceptable. Why, I ask, should long books only be for authors of standing? If the story deserves the length, let it be. And this one does. (With the advent of the e-book, a long book is lighter and often much cheaper, making it a low risk option.)

Apart from the twists and turns in the story – and there are a few – I was completely taken with the continuity of the text especially as I got deeper and deeper into the book. The book crosses towns in England and continents – from South America to Japan to Russia, as well as spanning about 40 years.

The thrust of the tale is how to protect an ancestral house which, by the time of the current family, is 400 years old. How do single parents try and give their only child an upbringing which is as ‘normal’ as possible and yet protect them from the horrors of the world when they’ve been secluded and allowed a free lead because dad has had to spend so much time running his business and travelling? How does a head-strong young woman get herself out of the difficulties she’s accidentally fallen into?

As much as I don’t particularly enjoy reading books in e-format, take the plunge if you enjoy a multi-cultural mystery. From having procrastinated about starting the book (because of the editing time I assumed it would take), I was soon engaged in the story. The book is a relatively easy read – many have told Josie so. I had to slow the process for editing reasons but it was easy to keep track of things and people. This could be a slight criticsm, Josie reminds the reader of who people are/what they were doing if there had been a bit of a time-break. For me, it was helpful and didn’t detract from the story or add unnecessarily to its length.

Copies of the book in paperback and hardback form are available for those who just cannot face an e-book.
Whichever you prefer, I think it’s worth a read.