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Note: the following guide contains spoilers!
Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McCallister is a thrilling journey of murder mystery and time travel.
The protagonist, Jen Brotherhood, a successful lawyer in Liverpool, faces a unique challenge: preventing her son Todd from committing a murder. The story unfolds as Jen finds herself in a mysterious time spiral the morning after Todd’s arrest, moving backward in time to uncover clues explaining her son’s actions.
In this guide we will go through the complete summary and ending explanation for Wrong Place, Wrong Time! I’ve also attached a link to my book club discussion guide for this novel, with some additional recommendations. Enjoy! ✨
Summary | Ending Explained | Book Club Questions
Wrong Place, Wrong Time Summary
As the clock approaches midnight on October 30, 2022, Jen anxiously awaits her 18-year-old son Todd’s return from a date with Clio. Observing from an upstairs window, she witnesses a confrontation in the driveway, culminating in Todd fatally injuring a stranger.
Todd is apprehended, but when Jen wakes up the next morning, she finds herself still on October 30, with no arrest or murder, leading her to initially dismiss the incident as a dream.
Subsequently, Jen experiences time regression, awakening two days before the murder. Realizing she’s moving backward in time, she endeavors to fathom the reasons behind Todd’s actions and attempts to communicate this temporal anomaly to her son and husband.
With guidance from a physics professor, Jen delves into the concept of time loops, discovering that subconscious drives can propel a person back in time. Each day brings her to a pivotal moment, offering clues she missed before and prompting self-reflection on her work-life balance.
Jen’s investigation leads her to Todd’s workplace, uncovering a criminal organization disguising itself as an office. The man Todd attacked is revealed as Joseph Jones, the ringleader. Intertwined with Jen’s narrative are chapters detailing the experiences of Ryan Hiles, a rookie undercover cop in 2002, mirroring Jen’s uncovering of the crime ring.
As Jen ventures further back, she uncovers evidence suggesting her husband’s potential double life, suspecting an affair initially. A missing baby poster among her husband’s belongings unveils a shocking revelation—her husband is Ryan Hiles, a retired undercover cop who testified against Jones. Jen grapples with the revelation that her late father was involved in the crime ring, providing information to boost luxury cars.
A pivotal time leap allows Jen to prevent a car theft involving a kidnapped baby named Eve, altering the timeline. Jones avoids imprisonment, negating Todd’s act of murder.
Returning to the present, Jen comprehends that her husband’s elaborate charade was to protect her and Todd. In this new present, Kelly is revealed as Ryan Hiles, still a cop, and Todd finds love with Eve Green.
Wrong Place, Wrong Time Ending Explained
The last chapters of Wrong Place, Wrong Time explain the ending of the novel.
As the story nears its end, Jen uncovers the truth about her husband’s identity and his involvement in Todd’s clash with Jones. In the courtroom, it’s revealed that Kelly is an undercover cop who left his police job to protect Jen, assuming a different identity.
Realizing the potential legal issues Kelly faced for pretending to be a cop, Jen understands he did it out of love for her. She’s the daughter of the lawyer connected to the crime ring Kelly was trying to dismantle.
Jen’s grasp of these revelations unfolds slowly due to the complexities of time travel. Initially, she misunderstands, getting upset when she realizes Kelly is the star witness for the prosecution: “This Kelly, whom at this point she had been in love with for six months. This Kelly who’s been a liar since day one” (317).
But as she delves deeper, Jen realizes Kelly’s actions were to shield her from the truth about her father’s criminal involvement. She starts understanding the depth of Kelly’s sacrifice, recognizing the challenges of keeping a false identity for two decades and the constant worry for her and Todd’s safety: “Kelly kept his identity, his transformation, secret from her. Because he loves her” (354). The shift to the present tense—“loves”—shows Jen is ready to go back to 2022 with a new perspective and a deep, stable love for Kelly.
However, there’s a twist; Jen doesn’t immediately return to 2022. Although rediscovering her love for Kelly and facing her father’s flaws are crucial, they don’t complete her time-travel journey. Preventing the driveway murder in October 2022 remains her unfinished task, leaving readers eagerly anticipating the story’s final resolution.
The story boldly suggests that Time is flexible, and there’s a Multiverse. It shows that Jen has the power to change things. In a crucial moment where a baby named Eve Green is kidnapped during a car theft, Jen figures out what she needs to do. If she stops the kidnapping, it would prevent Jones from getting arrested. With no arrest, he wouldn’t have a reason to come after them in 2022, and Todd wouldn’t need to defend himself.
So, Jen makes an anonymous call to alert the police, stopping the kidnapping and Jones’s arrest. This act reveals her husband’s true character and goodness. It’s like solving a puzzle for Jen, allowing her to go back to 2022.
The story ends happily. Jen, now a successful divorce lawyer, is married to Ryan Hiles, a police officer with 20 years of experience. They have a quirky and loved son named Todd.
Todd’s new love is Eve Green, who didn’t go through the trauma of being raised by criminals, thanks to the changed timeline. The idea is that the incredible power of love, described as a “huge force field of energy,” guides the time-traveling adventure to a positive outcome.
The story also suggests that the time loop might continue for other characters. This time, it’s Connor who gets in trouble, and his mom, Pauline, might jump back in time to fix their relationship. The book ends on a hopeful note, emphasizing the lasting impact of love and the chance for redemption through tinkering with time.
What happens at the end of Wrong Place, Wrong Time?
Explained more simply, at the end of Wrong Place, Wrong Time, Jen successfully alters the timeline by preventing the kidnapping of baby Eve Green.
This intervention leads to a chain of events that stops the arrest of Joseph Jones, the crime ring leader, and ultimately prevents the confrontation that initially led to Todd’s violent actions. As a result, Jen returns to 2022 with a transformed perspective and a renewed love for her husband, Ryan Hiles.
The story concludes on a positive note, depicting Jen as a successful divorce lawyer married to Ryan, a dedicated police officer with 20 years of service. Their family includes their son Todd, who finds love with Eve Green. The narrative emphasizes the powerful force of love and suggests the potential for redemption through the manipulation of time.
Additionally, the novel hints that the time loop phenomenon may continue for other characters, as now it is Connor facing trouble, and his mother, Pauline, may undergo a similar time-traveling journey to mend their relationship.
Happy reading! ❤️