I did not realize that this is book two of the Nick Quinn thrillers. Yet, I had no issues jumping right into this book. Mr. Doetsch sures knows how to up the ante with the reading experience. I mean while reading this book, it was like a major motion picture movie playing into my head! I could not stop reading. Literally read this book in one day, it was that good. The 13th Hour: Chaos took me on a roller coaster filled with tons of action, intrigue, twists and turns with engaging characters.

What made this reading experience even better was that the whole format of the story is meant to be read backwards. So, you start out at the end and work your way to the beginning. So perfect for who readers who like to read the ending first. While, I knew the endgame, it did not less my excitement as I was kept on my toes to how the story would play out. I will be reading more books by Mr. Doetsch. ( )

Excellent! Unique! extremely well done ( )

The 13th Hour starts with Nick and Julia Quinn arguing about their dinner plans that evening. Julia storms off to work and Nick spends his day working from home, until a gunshot disturbs him at 7 PM and he finds Julia dead in the hallway. He’s immediately arrested for Julia’s murder. His fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, and an incriminating 911 call from Julia is recorded. Meanwhile, in the background, an airplane has crashed, killing all 212 passengers. A stranger suddenly appears in the interrogation room and gives Nick a watch, one that will allow him to relive the previous twelve hours in reverse, one hour at a time. He realizes this is his opportunity to alter the events that led to Julia's murder. The reader sees how each of the characters handle their alternate reality. The twists and turns that occur as both the future and the past is rewritten are surprising and make for a very compelling story. The story is a classic suspense mystery told in reverse, but in a way that totally works. I thought the author did a great job of giving us a good story and creating an ending that made sense. " ( )

From Amazon:

A mesmerizing thriller -- told in reverse! The 13th Hour is the story of a man given the chance to go back in time in one-hour increments to prevent a vicious crime from destroying his life. Nick Quinn is being held in jail, accused of the murder of his beloved wife, Julia. He knows she's dead; he saw her bloody corpse, shot in the head at point-blank range. The police tell him they found the murder weapon with his fingerprints on it in the trunk of his car. Nick is confused, grief-stricken -- and completely innocent. At 9 p.m. on July 28, a gray-haired gentleman visits Nick in the police interrogation room and asks him a simple question: "If you could get out of here, if you could save her, would you?" He hands Nick a golden talisman that allows Nick to go back in time, one hour at a time, for a total of twelve hours. With each hour that Nick travels back, he finds more clues to the identity of Julia's real killer, but he also discovers that his actions in the past may have unexpected repercussions in the future. In his race against time to save the woman he loves most in the world, Nick will find that friends become enemies, old loyalties are tested, and Julia's murder is part of a larger scheme that has its roots in greed and vengeance. Nick has the ability to save Julia, the chance to put his own world in balance, but he is venturing down a precarious route. If he hasn't set things right by the thirteenth hour, his desperate attempts to save Julia's life may lead to a far greater catastrophe than he could have ever imagined.

My Thoughts:

WOW!! The plot seems a bit confusing at first. I thought it might be hard to read. Instead, we live hour-by-hour with Nick and experience his race to uncover clues to his wife's murderer. Nick makes occasional mistakes that have serious repercussions. But each hour, he is able to learn from the previous one and try to stop events from happening in the past.

Not only is the plot and design unique, but the story is incredibly fast-paced and impossible to put down. The suspense is intense, caught up in drama and fantastic characters. There are twists and turns in each hour that unfolds, leading to a surprising climax. This is a must for mystery and science fiction fans alike. But simply put, I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone. ( )

This book reminded me of the movie about the man who lost his short term memory and tried to find out who killed his wife. In this story, however, the man is totally cognizant of what happens from hour to hour as he travels backward in time. The story made me think about what I would do and how far I would go to prevent someone I love from being killed. ( )