Wrong Place Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister is my favorite book of 2026 (so far), and one of the best books I’ve read in the last decade.

I listened to the audio book version of this psychological thriller twice, narrated by Leslie Sharp who did an excellent job. And I bought the hardcover to really dissect the writing.

Wrong Place Wrong Time begins on late Halloween Eve. Jen grudgingly carves a pumpkin (all the neighbors do it) as an excuse to wait up for her eighteen-year-old son Todd. Her husband Kelly, comes downstairs buck naked. There’s fun banter between the spouses–here’s an excerpt of that:

She hears her husband Kelly’s feet on the landing above hers and turns to look. It’s unusual for him to be up, he the lark and she the nightingale. He emerges from their bedroom on the top floor. His hair is messy, blue-black in the dimness. He has on not a single piece of clothing, only a small, amused smile, which he blows out of the side of his mouth

He descends the stairs toward her. His wrist tattoo catches the light, an inscribed date, the day he says he knew he loved her: spring 2003. Jen looks at his body. Just a few of his dark chest hairs have turned white over the past year, his forty-third. “Been busy?” He gestures to the pumpkin.

“Everyone had done one,” Jen explains lamely. “All the neighbors.”

“Who cares?” he says. Classic Kelly.

“Todd’s not back.”

“It’s the early evening, for him,” he says. Soft Welsh accent just barely detectable on the three-syllable ev-en-ing, like his breath is stumbling over a mountain range. “Isn’t it one o’clock? His curfew.”

It’s a typical exchange for them. Jen cares very much, Kelly perhaps too little. Just as she thinks this, he turns, and there it is: his perfect, perfect arse that she’s loved for almost twenty years. She gazes back down at the street, looking for Todd, then back at Kelly.

“The neighbors can now see your arse,” she says.

“They’ll think it’s another pumpkin,” he says . . .

An hour later, just as daylight savings time switches from 1:59 to 1:00, Jen sees Todd loping up the street and is relieved until an older man approaches Todd. Sensing trouble, Jen calls for Kelly. They head out the door to intervene. They arrive too late. Todd is bloody. He’s stabbed the other man, killed him.

That’s the first of many twists in this remarkable novel.

What I liked about Wrong Place Wrong Time

The characters are flawed, believable, and complicated. And the twists are incredible. I tried to figure out things along the way but didn’t even come close. The timeline is incredible. How McAllister kept it all straight is truly a feat. I’d love to see her notes and/or outline.

The police arrest Todd, and Jen and Kelly do everything they can for him, but he admits to killing the man and doesn’t want a lawyer. Jen and Kelly have to wait until the morning to try to get him out of jail and feel utterly helpless. Jen wakes the next day, and, after a lot of confusion, realizes it’s actually the day before–October 30th. She’s gone back in time one day. Every time Jen wakes, she gone further back in time. She thinks it’s because she has to figure out Todd’s motives and stop the murder from happening.

What I didn’t like about the novel

About a third of the way through the book, the continual going back in time exhausted me. There were times when Jen discovered very little. But soon the book came together and the plot kicked into high gear. Listening to the novel a second time, I picked up so much more and realized how every detail in this story is important.

I wanted more (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing)

I want them to make this book into a movie. There currently is a movie with the same title, but nothing’s in the works to produce this particular story. In the right hands, the movie could mess with your head as much as the novel does.

How Wrong Place Wrong Time has affected my writing

I’m a pantser–someone who writes from the seat of her pants. I don’t know what the characters will do or say until the moment I write it down (it’s also known as discovery writing). I read that McAllister used dual timelines when creating this book. How could she not? She’d have to to keep it all straight!

After the release of the last two books in The Devil Particle Series, I’ll work on my new story idea (I’m keeping it under wraps for now). I envision this new story to be complex and will map it out well before I start writing it. While my new book won’t deal with reverse time-travel, it will need detailed outlines and McAllister has inspired me to do that.

Fun side note — I’m in a brand new book club with the people in my condo complex. Our first meeting is this Thursday and I’m leading the discussion. I’ve picked Wrong Place Wrong Time and can’t wait to hear what the others thought.

I give Wrong Place Wrong Time a rare 👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻 👍🏻 for incredible twists, an mind-bending timeline, and well-drawn characters.