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A Novel
by Gillian McAllister
New York Times bestselling author Gillian McAllister has created a thriller unlike any other in this endlessly clever, twisty story of a mother who must move backward through time to prevent tragedy from striking at the heart of her family.
Can you stop a murder after it's already happened?
It is midnight on the morning of Halloween, and Jen anxiously waits up for her 18-year-old son, Todd, to return home. But worries about his broken curfew transform into something much more dangerous when Todd finally emerges from the darkness. As Jen watches through the window, she sees her funny, seemingly happy teenage son stab a total stranger.
She doesn't know who the victim is, or why Todd has committed such a devastating act of violence. All she knows is that her life, and Todd's, have been shattered.
After her son is taken into custody, Jen falls asleep in despair. But when she wakes up…it is yesterday. The murder has not happened yet—and there may be a chance to stop it. Each morning, when Jen wakes, she is further back in the past, first weeks, then years, before the murder. And Jen realizes that somewhere in the past lies the trigger for Todd's terrible crime…and it is her mission to find it, and prevent it from taking place.
Both the story of a mother's love and the sacrifices she will make for her child, and a thriller with a brilliant twist, Wrong Place Wrong Time is a one-of-a-kind novel that begs to be read in one sitting.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (3/19/2026)
Lady Tremaine - a unique version of Cinderella. Stay for a spell - a princess cursed to live inside a book store! Wrong place, wrong time by Gillian McAllister - very unique take on time-travel, full of twists and turns (big jaw drop moment just last night!) Les Miserables.
-Marijana_Bankovic
"McAllister gives readers a chance to solve the crime from a refreshing new perspective…. This entertaining look at motherhood and memory will resonate with many." —Publishers Weekly
"The story is peppered with clever, nearly impossible to predict twists, but what sets it apart is its tender portrait of marriage and motherhood." —Washington Post
"Clever, original, and so addictive it should come with a warning." —Alice Feeney, New York Times bestselling author
"Fiendishly clever and flawlessly executed, Wrong Place, Wrong Time is a staggering achievement. I could not put this novel down—it's just dazzling." —Rosie Walsh, New York Times bestselling author of Ghosted
This information about Wrong Place Wrong Time was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Gillian McAllister is the New York Times bestselling author of Reese's Book Club Pick Wrong Place Wrong Time, Famous Last Words, Just Another Missing Person, Everything but the Truth, The Choice, The Good Sister, The Evidence Against You, How to Disappear, and the Richard & Judy Book Club pick That Night. She graduated with an English degree before working as a lawyer. She lives in Birmingham, England, where she now writes full-time. She is also the creator and co-host of the popular Honest Authors podcast.
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