With a backdrop of the recent Second World War and the Roswell Incident, this Sci-Fi novel begins like an ordinary police story set in the New Mexican desert, with some unusual details thrown in, but then becomes a full-on alien invasion with time travel, first contact and parasitic body snatching, culminating in an action-packed finale. The tone of the book feels like a pulpy mix of X-Files, The Twilight Zone and Men in Black with just the right amount of horror thrown into the mix.

I found the characters engaging, with overwhelmed, happy-go-lucky police officer Teddy Money contrasting nicely with Agent Lindsey who is courageous and capable and proves her worth over and again despite meeting stereotypical reactions from the men of the time to a woman in a powerful role. Thaddeus, Teddy’s grandfather, is a difficult-to-like, conniving, rich businessman with a foot in some shady dealings.

Teddy’s character undergoes the most development during the course of the story, with him starting out living a quiet life in the small desert town of Kittyhawk without a whole lot of action or experience under his belt. Having gained his employment mainly through family ties and the fact that he is dating his boss’s daughter, Julie, he seems to be content with his slow-paced days. Then one day, the pace of his life picks up dramatically as he is drawn into a mysterious world of time travel, and parasitic, body-snatching aliens who are already living among us. Teddy accidentally becomes a member of the alien response task force and discovers that his well-connected grandfather has known of the existence of all of this since the 1930s, when the first time-travelling agent stepped out of a basement fridge on a desert farm, with instructions to go and meet up with Thaddeus. Teddy is thrown into the action and has to find his courage and step up in an attempt to save the world.

I found this novel well-written and engaging, with some tongue-in-cheek elements, but it took a long time for any meaty science fiction to present itself. I think for readers expecting to be thrown right into the story, this build-up might prove too long. When the aliens were introduced, however, they were just as terrifying and blood thirsty as you could want; there was plenty of gore and bodies exploding as the agents found themselves dealing with an alien invasion.

Halfway through the narrative, the point of view changes away from Teddy to that of one of the time traveling agents, William MacDonald, and we learn more information about his arrival through the fridge and setting up the program, including first contact with the aliens. After this flashback section, the point of view returns to Teddy in 1966. This flashback adds useful background details, which help to demystify some of the story arcs, including Thaddeus’s relationship with the agents.

The pace increases as the true scope of the alien invasion becomes clear and we find ourselves hurtling toward an action-packed explosive finale. The story has a somewhat open-ended conclusion so perhaps we will hear more from agents Teddy and Lindsey in the future.

I received an ARC copy from the author, for which I am grateful. My review is unbiased and my opinions are my own.