“Indiana Belle”- John Heldt

I was graciously contacted by the author, John A. Heldt, to receive a free copy of “Indiana Belle” in exchange for an honest review. That being said, it has not altered my opinion of the book whatsoever.”Indiana Belle” was published in April of 2016 and is available for purchase.

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.

Having scouring over the diary entries, and far too many looks at the picture, Cameron takes himself and the documents to a well respected professor of physics, Alfred Rutherford, to discuss whether or not time travel is indeed possible. Rutherford discusses that forward time travel is possible, only in theory, and refers Cameron to a Geoffrey Bell (Percival’s great grandson) and a former colleague of Rutherford.

Cameron contacted Geoffrey, and was asked to copy pages of the diary to send. Cameron sent over most of the pages with the exception of any reference to time travel. Geoffrey called 3 hours later to set up a time to meet Cameron, and discuss the pages further. When the two men meet, it becomes clear that Geoffrey has time traveled before, and has a tunnel in his house that acts as a time machine, thanks to his great grandfather’s research. Cameron essentially black balls Geoffrey into sending him back to 1925 to meet Candice, and have an up close and personal experience perfect to his dissertation.

Cameron expected to go back in time to a more simple time. What he wasn’t expecting was the KKK to be running rampant, heads of society conducting clandestine affairs, and a woman who he had fallen in love over a picture, have her life in danger.

It has become apparently clear that John A Heldt is the master of the novella. Even though Indiana Belle is number three in the American Journey series, it holds it’s own in as a standalone. If you enjoy being immersed in time travel, changing fate, the flapper era, Prohibition, justice, a love that lasts throughout time, and a woman making a name for herself in a man’s world, I HIGHLY recommend Indiana Belle.