The Memory Tree by John A Heldt

Regular readers of my blog may remember that I have really enjoyed several books by John Heldt. So I was very pleased when John asked me to review his latest book, The Memory Tree. To find out more about the author you may visit his website.

Here is the book blurb.

Days after barely escaping 1889 with their lives, the Carsons, siblings from the present day, resume their search for their missing parents in 1918. While Adam and his pregnant wife, Bridget, settle in Minnesota, unaware of a wildfire that will kill hundreds, Greg seeks clues in his great-grandparents’ Mexico, where he finds love, danger, and enemies. At the same time, Natalie, the ambitious journalist, follows a trail to World War I France, and teen twins Cody and Caitlin rekindle a friendship with an old Pennsylvania friend haunted by her past. In THE MEMORY TREE, the sweeping sequel to RIVER RISING, several time travelers find answers and meaning as they continue the adventure of a lifetime in the age of doughboys, silent movies, and Model T’s.

The Memory Tree is the second book in the series – The Carson Chronicles. You may see my review of the first title River Rising here, This was a book I really loved.

This story works well as a stand-alone read, but even better as part of a series and I certainly can’t wait to read book 3. It starts where book 1 finished with the Carson family stepping through a time portal from 1889 to 1918. Apart from Bridget, whom Adam married in 1889, they really belong to modern day, but they are still trying to track down their missing time-travelling parents, Tim and Caroline.

By now, Tim and Caroline also know that their children are looking for them, so they in turn are looking to reunite with the rest of the family. Can they all manage to get together and return safely to 2018? Danger continues to pursue them, particularly Greg. Throw some romance into the mix too. Also Cody and Caitlin seek out their friend Emma from 1889, who is now married with grown-up children herself. Of course, they have to explain to Emma why they haven’t aged at all, but cover-stories are used as they interact with others, including their own ancestors. The portals only open on the solstices, so can Natalie travel as far as World War 1 France and get back in time?

Once again, John Heldt weaves fact in with fiction. Not just obvious events like Armistice Day, but things I hadn’t heard of but eagerly looked up on Wikipedia afterwards, like the Cloquet fire.

The one thing I did wonder about was when ancestors who were pictured in a wedding photo hanging at home in 2018 actually die before the wedding takes place. This is questioned but not explained. Has the timeline been altered?

The Memory Tree is available on Amazon, currently priced at £3.54 in Kindle format. I really enjoyed this book and of course, it had some great twists. An amazing read which as usual lived up to my expectations of a John Heldt novel, As always I highly recommend this author and now I am eagerly awaiting book 3 in this series.

And you may be interested to see my reviews of some of John Heldt’s other titles.
The Mine
Indiana Belle
Hannah’s Moon

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Disclosure.  This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free.  All opinions are my own.