My review of Nick of Time by Tim Downs!

About the book:



Tying the knot may be the toughest thing Nick Polchak has ever tried to do.


Nick Polchak is comfortable with bugs. Their world is orderly. He knows where he stands and exactly how to interpret the signs they give him. But a fiancee and an upcoming wedding? Not so much.


That's why-a mere four days before the nuptials-Nick finds himself driving to Philadelphia for the monthly meeting of the Vidocq society. Being among a group of forensic professionals consulting on cold cases will surely allow him to feel useful and normal.


But while there he discovers that a close friend has been murdered . . . and in classic Nick style, begins to follow the trail of evidence rather than returning to his fiancee. Fearing that his one-track mind won't lead him home by Saturday, Alena and three of her dogs go to track him down.
When she finally finds him, nothing is as Alena expected . . . because the twists in this case will surprise even the most dedicated Bug Man fans.


My review:


This was a fun read. Kind of creepy in places and definitely a bit gross, but also quite amusing. Tim Downs knows how to write snappy dialog and dry humor that would make even the most stoic person snicker. Seriously, I enjoyed the whole story and read it fairly quickly without skimming over the icky parts. There were a few times when I thought... I don't want to read any more details about maggots, but then the story would shift and I'd be like whew! I have learned more about blowflies and other types of flies than I'd ever need to know in real life, but it was fascinating information. The forensic science was pretty interesting, too. I took a class in college in forensics and the way Downs wrote about the forensic science at the crime scenes did interest me. I loved the weird dogs, too, and how Alena used them in so many practical (and hilarious at times) ways to help her complete her mission. All in all, I enjoyed the book because the writing was so good, and it was different from your standard suspense novels. It's definitely an odd type of book and not one I'd usually read, but the comic relief, then the anxiety, then more comic relief, then more anxiety pattern that the story flowed in was a big plus for me. That was probably the best part of the book. 


Nick of Time was published by Thomas Nelson and released in May 2011. I was a bit late getting to this book so I apologize. This summer has been crazy. A copy of the book was provided to me for review by Booksneeze, which is a reviewer program sponsored by Thomas Nelson.