Covers of books by David Baldacci are no strangers to JABBIC. His Calamity of Souls earned a solid four stars a couple of months ago. But this latest, Strangers in Time, isn’t quite ringing Big Ben for us.
The cover leans hard on atmosphere—moody blues, raindrops, and the silhouette of Big Ben with a squadron of WWII-era planes overhead. So, we’re thinking wartime London. But the title? “Strangers in Time” feels like a prom theme or a rejected Doctor Who episode. Time travel maybe? We’d be more intrigued if anything about the design gave us a clearer signal.
Baldacci’s name is, per usual, in giant bold letters—more legible and twice the size of the title. “A Novel” is tucked away like an afterthought, as if they were hoping no one would notice.
Ultimately, it’s a cover that trades on mood over meaning. We’re left with more fog than fireworks.
Rating: ★★☆☆☆ (2/5)
Based on the Cover, We Think This Book Is About…
A man and a woman fall in love across eras—she’s in 1942 London, he’s in 2025. He’s under strict orders not to interfere with history, but love bends timelines. If that’s not the plot, it should be. We’d read it.
Set during the London Blitz, Strangers in Time follows Charlie, a streetwise teen surviving by his wits, and Molly, recently returned to a bomb-ravaged city to find her parents gone. Taken in by a grieving bookshop owner named Ignatius, the three form an unlikely family. But danger lurks beyond falling bombs—Charlie’s past misdeeds, Molly’s mysterious follower, and Ignatius’s own secrets all threaten their fragile bond. Together, they must navigate wartime London and learn that trust might be the most powerful shelter of all.