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Miles in Time is a page-turner—a high-stakes mystery with heart, humor, and a ton of imagination. Whether you’re a teen or an adult, it’s an adventure worth taking. Told through the eyes of 14-year-old Miles Hardy, the story immerses readers in his thoughts, emotions, and evolving sense of courage as he embarks on a time-traveling quest to uncover the truth and protect the future.
About Miles in Time
As a longtime fan of time travel stories, I’m always on the lookout for authors who bring fresh ideas to the genre while respecting the internal logic that makes time travel so compelling. In Miles in Time, Lee Matthew Goldberg delivers exactly that—an engaging, twist-filled adventure that blends mystery, suspense, and smart science fiction, all with a tone that’s pitch-perfect for young adult readers.
Miles Hardy is an insecure yet brave amateur detective who finds himself in the middle of a life-altering mystery after the sudden death of his older brother, Simon. What begins as small-town sleuthing quickly evolves into a thrilling journey through time, featuring shadowy threats, hidden laboratories, and a mission as personal as it is perilous. Goldberg nails the emotional complexity of adolescence, making Miles a protagonist readers can genuinely root for—flawed, earnest, and unexpectedly heroic.
Book Hookup Book Review: Miles in Time
One of the book’s biggest strengths lies in its handling of time travel. The mechanics are imaginative and internally consistent, with just enough rules to raise the stakes without bogging down the story. Goldberg avoids the trap of over-explaining or dumbing things down; instead, he keeps the pace brisk and the twists sharp, grounding the sci-fi elements in emotional reality.
That said, there were a few moments when modern themes of inclusiveness felt somewhat shoehorned in—non-essential to the plot and mildly distracting, slightly sidetracking the story’s tension and narrative flow. Still, this is a minor critique rooted in personal preference and does little to detract from what is otherwise a gripping and heartfelt story.
Miles in Time is everything you want in a time-travel mystery: smart, fast-paced, and emotionally resonant. Whether you’re a young reader with a taste for the unknown or an adult who appreciates a well-crafted story, this book is absolutely worth your time. It's thrilling, clever, and surprisingly moving—proof that a great adventure transcends age.
As BookHookup, I am a longtime book reviewer. I received a free review copy of this book from Blackberry Book Tours and have not received compensation for reviewing or recommending it. Some links in this post are affiliate links.
About the Author: Lee Matthew Goldberg
Lee Matthew Goldberg is the Anthony, Lefty, and Prix du Polar nominated author of fourteen novels including THE ANCESTOR and THE MENTOR, and THE GREAT GIMMELMANS along with his five-book DESIRE CARD series. After graduating with an MFA from the New School, he’s been published in multiple languages and his writing has also appeared as a contributor in CrimeReads, Pipeline Artists, LitHub, Chicago Quarterly Review, Electric Literature, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Jewish Book Council, The Millions, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, LitReactor, Mystery Tribune, The Nerd Daily, Monkeybicycle, Fiction Writers Review, Cagibi, Necessary Fiction, the anthology Dirty Boulevard, The Montreal Review, The Adirondack Review, The New Plains Review, Maudlin House and others. He is the publisher of Fringe Press, the co-curator of The Guerrilla Lit Reading Series, and lives in New York City. Follow him at LeeMatthewGoldberg.com
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