STOPPING TIME

A 16-year-old boy stumbles across world-changing discoveries in Cutler’s debut YA SF thriller.

When Tom Griffith’s father—an operative working for the CIA—is suspiciously killed while returning from a mission, his grieving wife, Mary, and kids relocate from Maryland to Southern California to start a new chapter of their lives. What Mary and her kids (including chemistry wunderkind Tom) don’t understand is that before Bill Griffith died, he had discovered two scientific advancements that could forever alter the geopolitical power structure of the world: the ability to stop time and telekinesis (the ability to move objects with one’s mind). As both a mole in the CIA and Chinese operatives endeavor to steal the formulas by whatever means necessary, Tom befriends science prodigy Amy at his new school, and they begin to try to recreate the breakthroughs. With assassins seemingly lurking behind every corner, the teens embark on a wild adventure that will put their lives—and potentially the lives of millions of innocents—at risk. The hook here is the spot-on YA mindset: Cutler discusses complex scientific theories and a complicated international political theater with appropriate seriousness and depth, but also makes the storyline appealing to young readers by introducing a secondary character who is a world-famous pop star (Kim Kardashian even makes an appearance). There are minor flaws, however; descriptions are frequently lacking, giving the narrative a two-dimensional feel in places, and the character development could have been much deeper—particularly in the case of the teen protagonists, who are struggling with their own respective traumas (Tom’s mourning of his father, for example, is only superficially examined). But the relentless pacing and nonstop action more than compensate for these weaknesses. Also noteworthy is Cutler’s wry sense of humor, which is always tonally on point and adds a sense of levity to the otherwise intense storyline. In one sequence, Tom swears in front of his mother; she replies, “please watch your language… and yes, we do need to discourage these assholes.”

A rip-roaring, globe-hopping adventure that should appeal to young readers.