Time Frame (Split Second Book 2)

Once again, Douglas E. Richards presents a fascinating thriller which blends fiction with yet unknown but not inconceivable science. As always, this Richards book has exceptionally deep character development and is flawlessly composed. Edgar Knight, a brilliant but unscrupulous physicist working for Lee Cargill, the head of a black operation, was able to access previously unknown properties of dark energy that allowed him to push matter back into the past for a for a split second [no pun] and thereby duplicate it [locally] while sustaining its alternate existence for a prescribed period of time. But Lee Cargill, Knight”s boss, was opposed to that on moral grounds; and Knight left to pursue his own egocentric and grandiose ideas. Using time travel Knight made identical copies of himself, each with the identical motivation of the original - to kill Cargill. However, Cargill formed an excellent team of his own which was able to recreate and surpass Knight’s technology and then destroy Knight’s last copy of himself. But Cargill thought he had killed the original version and that Knight no longer presented a threat. A 5th dimension, one more spacial dimension than the usual three space and one time [most string theories having 9 or 10 spacial dimensions] was the crux of interacting with dark energy; and Cargill’s team thought it might lead to other things such as faster-than-light, interstellar travel and teleportation. But they also thought it would be possible to transport nested “kettles” (the time machines themselves) backwards in time, which could afford an easy means of duplicating an indefinitely large number of people and materials. So they appointed an ethics overseer to their team and pursued the development of time travel suppressors. And if the suppressors could block travel in time and distance [as the Earth spins] at destinations as well as sources, what a defensive shield that would provide. All the events described above are just part of setting the stage for this thriller and comprise only ~10% of the book. The stories that follow are truly riveting, e.g., including (i) Cargill’s team member Aaron Drake making a highly daring attempt to fight through China and use the new technology to kidnap North Korea’s ruthless leader Kim Jong-un, (ii) the maniacal Edgar Knight returning with more copies of himself, all with the same objective of destroying Cargill, stealing the work of his lead scientist, and establishing a world government with Knight in charge, and (iii) a climactic finish for all involved. I will not elaborate on these and other fascinating developments in the book so as not to be a spoiler. You will be able to enjoy reading firsthand these action-packed and totally captivating stories. Martin Fricke, Ph.D., nuclear physics San Diego

If you are reading reviews for Time Frame, you probably read and enjoyed the first book, Split Second. That’s why I decided to read the sequel and my review for that book is stil up on Amazon. I gave it four stars. In a nutshell, I found the first book a bit mind bending thanks to the parts of the text discussing the various time machine theories. ‘rules’ and paradox ideas (what happens if you go back in time and kill your mother etc). Some reviews found that a distraction from the ‘action’ and narrative but I didn’t. The 2nd book has a few pages that go into the mind bending ideas behind extra dimensions and again, I found this the best part of the book. The rest is fun, mindless and silly to some degree but like the first book, it is entertaining. A real page turner. I didn’t see many of the plot twists coming which is a plus. And yes, much of the dialog is silly but as I think I wrote in my first review, this is a book where our ‘hero’ is nearly indestructible, super smart and out-thinks the army of bad guys. Diehard with a time machine. Time Frame takes two story narratives which I will not spoil here but one takes place around the dictator of North Korea while the other involves a super smart, ruthless bad guy that would make most James Bond bad guys seem tame. The action is again a bit silly but it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Do I recommend the book? Yes, if you enjoyed Split Second, I think you’ll enjoy Time Frame but again, the best bits of both are when the action stops and the author goes deep into the science of the science fiction.

Well, Douglas E. Richards gives us another twisty, compulsively readable sci-fi/fantasy thriller chock-full of cutting-edge scientific ideas. First off, prospective readers should know that TIME FRAME is a direct follow-up to SPLIT SECOND. Without question, read the previous novel before reading this one. You'll be lost otherwise. In fact, if you have not read SPLIT SECOND, stop reading this review right now. I wouldn't want to spoil anything for anyone who has not read it. Richards wastes no time whatsoever in grabbing readers by the throat with a huge twist in the very first chapter (how many books can you say THAT about?) and rarely coming up for air. This time, we focus primarily on the incredibly resourceful former-special-forces-operator-turned-PI-turned-special-agent Aaron Blake. Most sci-fi authors tend to have rather bland, stock characters who do not even seem like actual real people. Not so with Richards. He makes Blake, one of my favorite lead characters in any books I have read recently, a highly skilled and resourceful character, without making him into the invincible superhero caricature that is so common to many other thriller novels of this type. The character of Jenna Morrison, who was Blake's co-protagonist in SPLlT SECOND, is not given as much to do here, which is unfortunate. The main villain, whose name I will not reveal, is deliciously devious and evil. Richards' novels always give us terrific villains. He understands that a compelling villain is essential to stories like this and, as usual, he does not disappoint in that regard. Since most of the science involved was explained at length in the first book, we don't have as much of the extended conversations about science and philosophy that Richards usually gives us. I enjoy those, mind you, but sometimes they do slightly overstay their welcome at the expense of moving the story along (that's a minor complaint, since I enjoy everything Richards writes and am always happy that I learn a lot about science from his stories). Anyway, with the exception of one extended - and entertainingly informative - sequence of said scientific and philosophical discussion, Richards keeps the pedal to the metal with this one. Those of you who, like me, consider SPLIT SECOND to be Richards' best work, will not be disappointed. Most of the original characters are here, accompanied by even more of the time-traveling, duplicating, teleporting mayhem we loved about SPLIT SECOND. If I had any issues with TIME FRAME, it might be that some readers, not used to Richards' science-heavy writing style, might feel slightly overwhelmed at times. Others might feel that perhaps he overdoes it somewhat with all the teleporting and duplicating. Personally, I have no problem with either of the two above-mentioned issues, but if some readers did feel that way, I would understand where they were coming from. Very slight spoiler alert - Richards throws a new scientific twist into the mix here, one which is discussed somewhat, but not really involved in the actual plot all that much. It seems that Richards is perhaps teasing us with the possible theme of a - hopefully - third book in the series. If so, it should be a corker. Readers of science-based thrillers with a lot on their minds will love TIME FRAME. Just read SPLIT SECOND first. Have fun.😀

I enjoyed the book. I can't say I couldn't put it down. I think the second chapter was pretty much a recap of the last book, so I didn't spend much time on the details there, but the first chapter was pretty much a plot twist to the first book. Anyway, it was a good read with well developed characters, unpredictable, and a well thought out story line. That makes it a good fiction read in general, but possibly even better as a sci-fi novel. I like the actual science as it challenges a part of my brain that write likes that sort of thing. It stands to follow that I love that last section at the end of the novel that contains excerpts from various sources in a "what's real, what's not" summary. That's all for now. Enjoy.

Douglas E. Richards has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The way he intricately weaves near futuristic scientific possibilities into an action packed plotline is one of the many reasons I devour his books as soon as they're released! I have Kindle Unlimited, so I can read all his novels for free, but I BUY THEM! Why? Because I always want them available. I reference them in conversations and then pull them up on my phone. Now, I know can be a stand alone novel, but do yourself a favor and read Split Second first. Then, you should read all his novels. They're just THAT good! If you're hesitant about this because of the Kim Jung Un part, so was I. I will tell you that I was pleasantly surprised by how well it was worked into the plot. I'm not one to give away a bunch of spoilers, so just read it! Finally, if you are someone who skips the "Author's Notes" when you read a book, you do NOT want to miss Richards'! He always has a section at the end of his novels titled "What's real and what isn't." Knowing it's there makes me want to get through the story faster so I can learn more! It's fascinating to learn about new scientific developments that are in the works! Some may even shock you! So, basically, JUST READ IT!

I'm afraid that putting the assassination of Kim Jong Un into the story was a mistake for me. I was no longer suspending credibility, and reading for escape. Kim Jong Un and his country are far more complex than the simplistic description in the story. I found at that point that I started being critical of the time travel premise which was violating the rule of conservation of mass and energy all over the place. It started me thinking that time travel is probably impossible for that very reason. That's disheartening because I love time travel stories. The story itself was an easy read, and except for all the wrong uses of personal pronouns, I thought it was well crafted.

I have read both books in the "Split Second" series by Douglas Richards and I loved them. While the "science" of time travel is hard for a finance guy like me to understand, he make the discussions rather simple and interesting. Overall, it is a very fun series and very thought provoking. He brought in some very interesting concepts of what would happen if we could go back (or forward) in time and built those concepts it into a great story. I am not generally a science fiction reader because so much of it seems so utterly impossible. However, Douglas Richards creates science fiction that is believable and most of it seems like it could happen in the not-too-distant future (most of it). I have now read almost everything he has written (over the last month or two) and I truly enjoy his writing, his sense of humor and his stories. He also brings in the upsides and the downsides, and ethics, of exploiting the new discoveries or technology and it makes for a very thought provoking read.

I was drawn to stick with the story wanting to know how it would unfold. I read the first book in the series so I understood the premise and knew something about the characters. It certainly gives one pause and makes you wonder if the ends justify the means as well as wondering what the future might hold. Might biggest problem with the second book is that it is at least one third longer than it needed to be which occasionally made me put it down and walk away. I regularly found myself grumbling, enough already, I get it! It desperately needed some editing and pays got tedious. I was switching between the audible and Kindle version and I'm not sure I would have plowed on had I just been reading it. Looking car rides make you more patient. I also felt it was a little predictable... All wrapped up with a neat little bow. I'm glad I finished it but I am not sure if I am going back for more. 3+ would probably be a more accurate rating.

I came across this book in my Kindle Unlimited plan, which I would consider worthy just for these 2 books. Split Second and Time Frame. The time travel concept in this book deals with all the questions I had about time travel as a kid.Add to this the action adventure, what results is a perfect mass masala thriller. I recommend this book to all my friends with whom I shared books.

This second book is so brilliant as the first one. A well-paced plot. The time travel intricacies are well explained here. The book has good information on matters that are being under investigation all around the scientific community and does that in the middle of the story as those complexities were easy to serve as a piece of cake. Eager to see the third volume. Well done.

I intend to read all of his books and I hope you will too. Every time I think I know where the book is going, it turns in a direction I did not think off.

I loved Time Frame, like all the books by Douglas E. Richards. It's a very fast-paced, exciting sci-fi near-future thriller I couldn't put down. It's just as good as it's first part, Split Second, although it can be read as a stand-alone book.

Really enjoyed this, as I did enjoy the first in the series. Opens up many possibilities. I'm sure another book in the series could easily be written. I hope so.