Cameron Coelho is writing his dissertation on understanding social life in the Midwest in the rip-roaring 20’s, during Prohibition. He has recently requested a box containing diary entries and pictures pertaining to his research. As Cameron studies the contents of the box, he becomes entranced by the author of the diary pages; Candice Bell. He admired her penmanship, her attention to detail, but most captivating was her picture.

In several diary entries, Candice mentions her father and Uncle Percival have figured out time travel, all thanks to a cave in the Sierra Nevada. Candice’s mother also talks frequently about her husband’s findings. Mr. Bell recorded all of his data regarding the cave, crystals, and time travel i a journal that has been missing since his death.

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This isn’t directly relevant but as no one’s reading it anyway I’ll push a few more keys and fill up the page to amuse myself. On my way back from the hairdresser in Winchester, which I now realise is in the pay of my enemies, I was on a bus with this hanging stirrup thing repeatedly knocking the side of my head (we aim to improve your customer experience, tap, tap, tap, ow), disembarked and was on the way home with a metaphorical paper bag over my head and wondering where I might borrow one of those sheep-shearing buzzy devices when, perfect timing, Simon popped out. The news of the moment turned out to be that Simon, who wears a blue jacket at all times and stoops when there’s nothing to pick up, has invented a revolutionary musical instrument called The Simonica, or possibly Simoniker. As the poor, misguided, bless lamb thinks I have a way with words, I was asked to inspect the object and say something to encapsulate it. I blame this on my frame of mind but the line I replied to him with was: “It makes a terrible whining noise but you get used to it”. This morning I’ve received an email to say he’s ordered and paid for leaflets with that printed on. It’s a funny world.

You probably don’t see any relevance in all this but, from what I’ve read, the ethos of the mid-1920s had something of the Simonica about it. It was an age of invention with ideas both crazy (check out the planes) and pioneering (food in cans, modular factory production and quality assurance), where a society of strict formality suddenly relaxed and federal agents didn’t, trying to enforce unmanageable laws like prohibition on a population of party-goers who drank bath-tub spirits out of kettles in speakeasies. The Mob was in town, problems with integration and bigotry reared and spat, hats were worn, Josephine Whatsit paraded her bananas, Lindbergh set records on wings and flappers never got tired of doing the Charleston. One of my all time favourite films hails from this era and if I can’t drop in a quote from that, I’ll scream: “Leonard Zelig backed his car over my grandmother’s ankle. She is old and uses her ankle A LOT.”

This is a time travel story, in a loose sense because time travel is just a means to explore this very interesting era in human history. In order to power and extend the range of an existing home-made time machine, a single man with hours very much on his hands is sent off to the past to loot a bag full of the good old raw materials. Glowing crystals, flashing lights and puckered reality zero in, it’s hero out and then a modern man is striding out into the 1920s and blinking into the light of a younger sun. I didn’t quite follow how they could be so specific about the temporal arrival point but, just like life, not everything gets explained to you while you’re twiddling the knobs. It just happens and then you get on with it. He gets on with it.

This is also a love story because the time traveler hasn’t just gone back for the magic disco-crystals, no-Sir-E. She’s a reporter, a sassy modernist and she’s a torch bearer for civil rights and emancipation. By our standards, she’s normal, so of course they’ve got it in for her, the antagonistic wierdo. How would you feel though if you spied on a Ku Klux Klan gathering and recognised the voices of people living around you, running local businesses or who’ve been inviting you around socially? Do you get out of the decade with hot feet or do you stay and try to do something about it? Bravery comes into this story too. Then there’s nostalgia, with the cars, the sporting events and the first edition of The Great Gatsby. Fortunes were there to be made, then lost, in the last few years before the stock market crash and a generational-scale war. The time traveler knows what’s coming in this respect but still has no doubt about his choice of which period to settle down in, no concern at all that he might be heading for death on a beach in France.

The temporary jump into our near future was interesting too, with strange behaviour and a controlling government, everyone at peace and provided for but at the same time it was un-natural and inhuman with a current of subliminal fear. Yes, I got that message: we need to stand up to any system that gets too powerful in its management of the public; and hair dressers.

I really liked this book. It was well written, well edited, a flowing read and didn’t have any of the bad stuff from a few historical jaunts I’ve read which I found to be over-researched to the point of pedantry or where someone’s picking lottery numbers or sidling alongside a king or tyrant to take them out (security?). The author walks his character through the era and gives you its spirit and atmosphere realistically, i.e. without delving into it like a list or encyclopedia. When the protagonist summarises the time period to someone living in that time, we are shown they’re surprised and then eventually agree because they can see it’s true but have never thought of it like that because they are inside and not objective. Fitzgerald got it, wrote it and then people recognised themselves within it, after the time had already passed. In England it was Waugh, with Brideshead. The heat goes up in the saucepan of history and the frog boils one degree at a time because it doesn’t notice the changing environment. Food for thought? Look around you. Where is our Fitzgerald? Will someone tell us what is happening?

This book is entertaining and revealing, to anyone, not just intended for readers of science fiction, historical fiction or romance, when it covers all three with a light touch and easy-going charm. If you read this book, I am certain you will like it because there’s a stocking full of good stuff and nothing in particular to get your goat. It will make kids dream about what it would be like to time travel and have a good meddle. It will bring out the best and worst characteristics and desires in adults, who may dream of making themselves rich, “inventing” something before its time or taking the young Steve McQueen or Marilyn Monroe out to the pictures. The time traveler here could have changed the world on a massive scale but was more restrained than that, responsibly aware of the domino effect of causality perhaps but maybe just less imaginative and more provincial, just wanting to settle down. It’s called maturity. This is a mature journey to the past, which suggests a whole series of books where time periods can be walked through and described to us without prolapsing the time-line. That’s education, grown up talk, so even though the Jazz Age was a random Simonica in the order of history, the book feels more responsible than that. Pah. If I get the chance, I’m going to meddle. ( )

It is not possible to review a John A. Heldt book without also discussing the author’s craftsmanship generally.

If someone said to me, you should read Indiana Belle “it is a great science fiction story” or “it is a really good romance” my response would be no thanks, I don’t read those genres. Yet I cannot get enough of John A. Heldt’s time travel stories.

John Heldt’s books have been classified as time travel, history, fantasy, romance, mystery – or any combination of these genres. This is natural in the book world because it is necessary to indicate to the potential reader what they are getting for their money. I think we need another category for authors like john A Heldt just simply: A Damn Good Read.

There is no denying John’s stories are certainly time travel based but he uses it to weave in stories of mystery, romance and history. It is the whole package he delivers that makes the difference for me; an escape into another world, another time. This is certainly the case in Indiana Belle.

Synopsis
Providence, Rhode Island, 2017. When doctoral student Cameron Coelho, 28, opens a package from Indiana, he finds more than private papers that will help him with his dissertation. He finds a photograph of a beautiful society editor murdered in 1925 and clues to a century-old mystery. Within days, he meets Geoffrey Bell, the "time-travel professor," and begins an unlikely journey through the Roaring Twenties. Filled with history, romance, and intrigue, INDIANA BELLE follows a lonely soul on the adventure of a lifetime as he searches for love and answers in the age of Prohibition, flappers, and jazz.

Indiana Belle is the third book in his American Journey series and although Professor Bell, the time travel expert, is a constant character each stands alone and it is not necessary to read the previous stories. However, I recommend that you do simply because they are so good.

For authors planning to write a series I also commend John’s blog http://johnheldt.blogspot.com.au/2017/01/planning-series-right-way.html?utm_sour....

Features of Indiana Belle in common with his other stories are believable characters (good and evil) and a writing style that doesn’t detract from the story yet still delivers clear images of time and place. He achieves his aim without explicit sex and violence although implication is there.

One of the differences in Indiana Belle is that this time the main character, Cameron, approaches the professor seeking to travel back to 1925. Bell is reluctant at first but yields to Cameron’s request when the young man agrees to undertake exploration and research on his behalf.

Don’t take the storyline for granted at any time because Heldt puts in just enough twists and turns to keep you reading as we journey back to the days of prohibition, the KKK, jazz, speakeasies and crime – the Roaring Twenties - and all the associated changes going on in society.

I was concerned in the early stages of the story that the main character, Cameron Coelho, would be a disappointing addition to Heldt’s cast. When we first meet him he is a lonely young man with little drive in modern life. Once again Heldt surprises and as we get to know the young gentleman we find him charming and sensitive yet not afraid of tackling challenging tasks. His wit matches that of Candice throughout and their exchanges are often amusing.

I loved the character of Candice. As a modern, young, career woman of the 1920s her personality was strong and she is not afraid to test the boundaries of womanhood of the era. She is also a distant relative of the professor.

Together Cameron and Candice are an interesting couple determined to fulfil the professors request for information from the past relating to the secrets of time travel. They need to come to grips with the dangers of changing the past and allowing their love to blossom.

In previous American Journey stories Professor Bell, although a charming and interesting character, has mostly been simply the conduit for travel. In Indiana Belle, the time and place Cameron wants to travel to links his journey with Bell’s ancestors. Any wrong deed by Cameron could change the future and impact on Bell himself.

I don’t usually comment on a book’s cover but the photo of a beautiful young woman from the 1920s is compelling.

As always’ Heldt’s historical research is exacting. I have long ago stopped checking his facts but his stories do lead me to learn about various historical events included.

His details are not limited to the historical facts. He conveys his time periods through perfect detailing of clothing, mannerisms and life style.

There was one part that did disturb me and that was picture painted of our world through a short time travel journey into the future. Has John Heldt travelled into the future himself or does he have fears that recent political events may have this impact on our lives?

This is not my first John A. Heldt book but it is my favourite but that is how I have felt about each of his books and no doubt how I will feel about his future stories as he continues to develop as a master storyteller.

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review.
This review is also available through my website www.pam.id.au ( )

Cameron Coelho is obsessed with the roaring twenties. So much so, that he is studying for a Ph.D. in history; his dissertation on the social conduct and mores of Evanston, Indiana during the 1920s. Rather a odd subject to begin with, but one it turns out may be the product of fate when he buys some old papers and memorabilia from a aged relative of Candace Louise Bell who had been a locally prominent reporter for an Evanston newspaper.

Seeing a photograph of Miss Bell, Cameron feels an immediate connection to her and begins to research her life in detail. Soon, he learns that Candace’s father and uncle were explorers and scientists of a sort and had allegedly discovered a cave in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California containing the secret of time travel. However, no records currently exist of the cave’s location and it’s location is being sought by Professor Geoffrey Bell, a descendent of the Bell family. Cameron Coelho forges an agreement with Geoffrey Bell allowing him to return to 1925 to do research, meet Candace Bell and to bring back the cave’s location and a quantity of crystals required for the time travel mechanism to function. He is cautioned not to do anything to disturb the existing timeline.

The result is a tale of Coelho’s adventures in 1925 during which he encounters crooks, natural disasters, and a young lady, Candace Bell, with whom he falls madly in love. But does he do anything to change the existing timeline? Readers must answer that question for themselves as they read the book.

Indiana Belle is a delightful novel to read. Cameron is concerned for the timeline, but driven by his love for Candace and willing to risk the future for her benefit. Candace, who initially knows nothing of Cameron’s background, has experienced poor relationships with men in general, and is concerned about her place in the community and her family. They are beset by bootleggers and drug smugglers and must fight external forces as well as figure out their own relationship.

The story is entertaining and suspenseful and should appeal to anyone with an interest in science fiction/time travel, and anyone who is looking for a romantic adventure painted with risk. 5-Stars Clabe Polk ( )

Cameron Coelho is a doctoral student studying 1920’s America. He has become completely enraptured by a photo of a popular social column editor from Indiana that was in a bundle of personal effects belonging to Candice Bell. As Cameron reads through her letters, news columns and diary, he learns about Candice’s life. He is shocked when he finds out that she was murdered at a young age and intrigued that her diary holds some strange passages about her father and a mysterious cave that allowed him to travel through time. Cameron seeks out a professor to learn more about time travel who eventually leads him to an expert on time travel and a relative of Candice Bell. Upon meeting Geoffery, Cameron takes the opportunity to go back to the time period that he has been studying and to meet and maybe even save the woman in the picture that he has fallen far.
Time travel and time travel romance can be incredibly tricky, but I loved reading another of John Heldt’s books and Indiana Belle did not disappoint. First, there is a very creative mode of time travel with a crystal system, a code and a specially built room. This time, Cameron was transported back to a time period he loved and studied, which helped him blend in almost seamlessly. All aspects of the 20’s were brought to life during Cameron’s visit-the good and the bad: the ease of the era, the Jazz, women gaining ground with their rights, Prohibition, bootlegging, speakeasies, and the prominence of the Ku Klux Klan. I felt like the true feeling of the era was revealed, which was wonderful to read and what Cameron’s character really wanted to experience. Now, one of the issues with time travel is that you cannot change the past or you will disrupt the present; Cameron went back in time fully intent on changing Candice’s path and preventing her murder. The suspense of knowing what Cameron wanted to do and its potential impact gripped me throughout the book. I love how everything tied up, with some things changed and some things not. The glimpse into the future was pretty insightful also. Overall, a creative, imaginative and well-constructive time travel romance; I will definitely be checking out the rest of the series.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. ( )