Strangers in Time

A World War 2 Novel

De: David Baldacci

Narrado por: David Baldacci, Stewart Crank, Alexandra Boulton, John Lee, Nicola F. Delgado, Matthew Lloyd Davies, Joe Pitts

Read by a multi-cast of award-winning narrators including AudioFile Golden Voice John Lee (reader of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth), Strangers in Time is a novel of healing and hope about a bereaved book shop owner and two teenagers scarred by the second world war – David Baldacci as you’ve never heard him before. Features an audio-exclusive foreword read by David Baldacci.

Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason. Without parents, peerage, or merit, ducking school but barred from actual work, he steals what he needs, living day-to-day until he’s old enough to enlist to fight the Germans. After barely surviving the Blitz, Charlie knows there’s no telling when a falling bomb might end his life.

Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a nearly unrecognizable London. One of millions of people to have been evacuated to the countryside via “Operation Pied Piper,” Molly has been away from her parents—from her home—for nearly five years. Her return, however, is not the homecoming she’d hoped for as she’s confronted by a devastating reality: neither of her parents are there, only her old nanny, Mrs. Pride.

Without guardians and stability, Charlie and Molly find an unexpected ally and protector in Ignatius Oliver, and solace at his book shop, The Book Keep, where "a book a day keeps the bombs away". Mourning the recent loss of his wife, Ignatius forms a kinship with both children, and in each other—over the course of the greatest armed conflict the world had ever seen—they rediscover the spirit of family each has lost.

But Charlie’s escapades in the city have not gone unnoticed, and someone’s been following Molly since she returned to London. And Ignatius is reeling from a secret Imogen long kept from him while she was alive—something so shocking it resulted in her death, and his life being turned upside down.

As bombs continue to bear down on the city, Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius learn that while the perils of war rage on, their coming together and trusting one another may be the only way for them to survive.

“A group of acclaimed narrators delivers an absorbing performance of David Baldacci's new novel. In 1944 London, well-born 15-year-old Molly, 14-year-old Charlie from London's East Side, and Ignatius Oliver, a bereaved bookshop owner, are flung together to forge a found family in the midst of war. While the writing suggests a young adult novel, the complex story will certainly engage adult listeners. Stewart Crank's Charlie shines as a plucky boy who finds joy wherever. Alexandra Boulton's Molly is a sweet-voiced mix of kindhearted and imperious. John Lee's somewhat theatrical delivery captures the mysterious Ignatius. Nicola F. Delgado, Matthew Lloyd Davies, and Joe Pitts perform remarkable cameos of the other characters. And Baldacci pulls everything together in his well-read delivery of an interesting author's note.” © Audiofile 2025, Portland, Maine

©2025 David Baldacci (P)2025 Grand Central Publishing

Reseñas de la Crítica

“David Baldacci’s foray into historical fiction is a meticulously precise account of what it was like to live through the Blitz in London—a visceral reminder that war not only levels social classes, but creates the most unlikely and indefatigable bonds between unlikely souls.”—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Oliver Twist meets the Blitz when powerhouse author David Baldacci turns his pen from thrillers to historical fiction. Two brave and capable teenagers find themselves thrown together in the rubble and chaos of WWI-era London: fifteen-year-old Molly, sent away from her Mayfair home to escape the German bombings and returned to find both her parents inexplicably missing; and fourteen-year-old Charlie, an East End orphan barely surviving as a petty thief. Charlie and Molly find shelter with mysterious bookshop owner Mr. Oliver, but he has secrets of his own that will come home to roost with deadly consequences. Baldacci beautifully explores the dark side lurking under the London Blitz's romanticized image—Strangers in Time is a beautiful read that will linger long in the memory."—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Briar Club

"#1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci takes on World War II with the touching Strangers in Time, a character-driven tale of three disparate souls whose paths unexpectedly intertwine during the last year of the Second World War. Baldacci's meticulous research is evident in his deep sense of place and time, and bomb-shattered London comes richly alive on the page under his capable pen. Through his own Wish You Well Foundation, which supports literacy, Baldacci has long celebrated the way books can change lives, and in Strangers in Time, it is indeed a bookshop—the lovingly chaotic The Book Keep—that brings together 13-year-old Charlie, 15-year-old Molly, and recently widowed bookstore owner Ignatius Oliver, all of whom are alone and adrift. As German V-1 and V-2 rockets wreak havoc on the city, the three forge a new family, the existence of which is soon threatened by deadly secrets that simmer beneath the surface. Absorbing and deeply researched, Strangers in Time is a celebration of the books that change us, the families we choose, and the capacity we all have to rise from the ashes and find our way home."—Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter

Baldacci at his best.

narration is outstanding. a moving tale of time past and strangers turning their despair into hope and home.

Strangers in Time

David Baldacci is a wonderful writer and this book is among his best!
An honest and sensitive telling of the war and its affects on all of the people there.
I highly recommend

Wonderful narration with compatible character voices!

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook! I appreciate the effort to authenticate the characters in the story with appropriate narration. (This was so pleasant to listen to compared to the generated artificial voices so often used.)
Engaging story that wasn’t sugarcoated with unrealistic content but rather expressed some rather tough realities of war.

wonderful narration

the verbal pictures were so real! twists and turns in the plot were perfectly clear and beautifully written.

Three lives cross and their world change!

Brilliant story of three totally different souls finding each other in a savage war and discovering a way to become a family facing hardship and hope together.
I loved this story and the diverse characters. The words masterfully painted an image of both destruction and caring. The journey was amazing and I felt honored to be along for the ride. The revelation of true family was brilliant and weaved so well.
It was so good, I will read it again.

A beautiful story! I fell in love with the main characters!

The ending was unexpected but then, I guess that is a good thing. The narration was excellent!

Marvelous & Masterful

The story flowed like a creek at times & raged like a river at times.
The entire story made me feel as if I were on the streets of London during the War in the 1940’s.
The characters were real & relatable.
I recommend Strangers in Time to anyone with a love of history, be it historical fiction, or war time history.

Wow where did this Come from?

Not your typical Baldacci book but never the less it was pleasant enough to keep me entertained.
I particularly like the British terms like “must take him to hospital “!
No “the”!?

Was a different kind of Baldacci

This book was different the past Baldacci books I have read. I enjoyed the book and the readers did a good job. I would recommend this book if you are a fan of historical fiction.

He took back In Time and made thing real and live.

A great writer and story. John Lee is was amazing.
You could easily transport back in time.