Review Detail

Tin Men is the fitting, highly satisfying sequel to The Clay Lion. The story follows Charlie Johnson who we meet in book one as Brooke Wallace’s star-crossed love interest.

Secrets have surrounded Charlie’s upbringing, and he has always felt something isn’t quite right with his family. Through the years, snippets of overheard conversations have planted the seed of doubt in the back of his mind, making him insecure in some aspects of his life.

When his father dies unexpectedly, a quick survey of the dead man’s belongings, confirms Charlie’s suspicions. The life-altering revelation that he is adopted sends him on a quest to find out the details about his biological parents. However, the answers he discovers only serve to raise more questions, and the crucial revelation proves impossible to uncover. There is no one in the present willing to help him, so the past inevitably beckons him, becoming an itch he has to scratch, even when using his government-sanctioned time travel trip puts him at risk of inadvertently altering or possibly destroying his current life. But the obsession is momentous, and no risk seems big enough to someone who feels lost and without an identity. Charlie thinks he will never be whole unless he satisfies his craving for answers. Little does he know what he’s so stubbornly willing to risk is far more precious than his murky past.

Tin Men is another excellent book by talented author Amalie Jahn. She weaves an intricate story with well-rounded characters and compelling challenges to test them. As in book one, the time travel element is an important piece, but not the most important of all. Instead, Jahn gives us characters that feel real and we can root for. The premise adheres to the same conventions of book 1, although this one has an element of mystery as a bonus. Definitely worth reading.