Time's Chariot

The past was officially a nasty, dirty place where people had no social preparation and were cruel and mean to each other ." But since the present "Home Time" world - unified, pacified and populated by 20 billion people - is now crime- and even injury-proofed, how could Commissioner Li Daiho have fallen off a balcony to his death, let alone be murdered? Such is the mystery that Field Operative Rico Garron is charged with solving in this demanding, convoluted time-travel adventure that, among other things, explores the effects of technology on society and humanity's relationship to its past. The novel - first published in England in 1999 as The Winged Chariot and featuring an all-adult cast of characters - lurches from time to place as Rico gets closer to unraveling the mystery surrounding Daiho's death. Rico's hotheaded-but-rather-heroic nature and acidic sense of humor make him an intriguing character, and perhaps that in itself will be enough to keep readers going boldly through the irritatingly complex story line. (Fiction. YA/adult) (Kirkus Reviews)