Thomas was once a graduate student in English with an interest in Shakespeare. Like many others, mas the academic life paled for Thomas and he gave up dreams of scholarship to become a high school teacher. He is surprised when he receives a phone call from David Escolme, a former student, who wants to speak with him about an academic matter involving Shakespeare. Escolme is in Chicago and invites Thomas to come to his room at the Drake Hotel.

When Thomas arrives Escolme is quite upset. He tells Thomas that he has been entrusted with a manuscript of a play entitled Love’s Labour’s Won which he was supposed to market to some Hollywood type with the hope of converting it into a movie. His client is a famous writer named Danielle Blackstone. Escolme wants Thomas to authenticate the play. Thomas tries to beg off, citing the fact his Shakespearean experience is several decades old, not to mention the fact that he never obtained his degree.

Thomas feels a little guilty at having let down one of his more promising students. He is a bit more surprised when the police come knocking on his door once again. David Escolme has been found murdered and the name of the dead woman at Thomas's house is Danielle Blackstone. Against his better judgment, Thomas decides to pursue the mystery of the supposed lost play as a tribute to Escolme (and perhaps because the whole situation intrigues him).

The essential plot of What Time Devours is an intriguing one and the subplots that are developed from it no less so. The author’s extensive knowledge of Shakespeare’s works and his ability to summarize them in a few short sentences should allow for a wider reader base than those with a good command of the bard‘s works.

However, Thomas does not display an ounce of common sense. An early scene features Thomas realizing that he has an intruder in his house. Although he manages to avoid getting shot and his intruder falls down the stairs, he does not retreat to his bedroom as one might expect but goes after the intruder. Other similar lapses in judgment occur with regularity.

Mr. Hartley has a great deal of entertaining information to impart to his readers. As part of the action occurs in the parts of England that Shakespeare frequented, we are treated to a travelogue of the area. France also figures into the plot and we learn about winemaking, what makes Champagne different from other wine and how the process of making effervescent wines developed.

Despite the complexity of the plot, it is written in a straightforward manner giving the story many elements of a thriller but with much more substance. The characters are subservient to the plot so it is not easy to get a sense of whether or not their actions mirror their personality. Thomas, despite his obvious intelligence, demonstrates little common sense. Some of the minor characters such as Elsbeth Church are more entertaining than Thomas but our hero manages to educate the less scholarly about the substance of Shakespeare’s work.

For such a outwardly scholarly topic, What Time Devours should garner a wider readership. No prior knowledge of Shakespeare is required to grab the attention of most readers and a more than a bit of interesting facts about diverse subjects are carefully explained in this entertaining novel. The reader does have to be willing to suspend his belief in many of the action scenes, but it is in the interest of a good read.

--Andy Plonka