Synopsis
In this mesmerizing debut, a young American discovers he may be heir to the unclaimed estate of an English World War I officer, which launches him on a quest across Europe to uncover the elusive truth.
A QUEST NOVEL and a historical tour de force, The Steady Running of the Hour unravels a tale of passion, legacy, and courage reaching across the twentieth century.
In 1924, the English mountaineer Ashley Walsingham dies attempting to summit Mount Everest, leaving his fortune to his former lover, Imogen Soames-Andersson—whom he has not seen in seven years. Ashley’s solicitors search in vain for Imogen, but the estate remains unclaimed.
Nearly eighty years later, new information leads the same law firm to Tristan Campbell, a young American who could be the estate’s rightful heir. If Tristan can prove he is Imogen’s descendant, the inheritance will be his. But with only weeks before Ashley’s trust expires, Tristan must hurry to find the evidence he needs.
From London archives to Somme battlefields to the Eastfjords of Iceland, Tristan races to piece together the story behind the unclaimed riches: a reckless love affair pursued only days before Ashley’s deployment to the Western Front; a desperate trench battle fought by soldiers whose hope is survival rather than victory; an expedition to the uncharted heights of the world’s tallest mountain. Following a trail of evidence that stretches to the far edge of Europe, Tristan becomes consumed by Ashley and Imogen’s story. But as he draws close to the truth, Tristan realizes he may be seeking something more than an unclaimed fortune.
The Steady Running of the Hour announces the arrival of a stunningly talented author. Justin Go’s novel is heartrending, transporting, and utterly compelling.
Review
"A wonderful time-slip story, beautifully written and with a superb sense of place. Go captures the spirit of early twentieth century England perfectly, both in the past and the present, in a novel that is exciting, emotionally engaging and ambitious. I loved it!" (Kate Mosse)
"Justin Go has written an astonishingly vast, meticulously plotted, and beautifully told novel. In elegant, haunting prose he tells a wartime story that is at once violent and lovely, hopeful and despairing. I won't soon forget Go's passionate, star-crossed lovers and their deeply moving story, set against the riveting, utterly realistic backdrop of the Great War." (Anton DiSclafani, New York Times bestselling author of The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls)
"Justin Go’s impressive and ambitious debut is meticulously plotted and researched, and combines the narrative drive of Dan Brown with the literary sensibility of Alan Hollinghurst’s The Stranger’s Child." (Financial Times)
"Packed with wonderful, deep and fascinating characters, Justin Go's novel is a whirlwind of emotion and history, poignant and breathtaking in its scope and execution ... the story is terrific, with brilliant, realistic dialogue and fantastic characters." (Books Monthly)
"Destined to join the long list of wartime romances that have been turned into Hollywood movies (think The English Patient and Atonement), US author Justin Go’s first novel is what they might’ve called in the Fifties a “rip-roaring adventure”... An engaging detective story...The Steady Running Of The Hour will leave you feeling emotionally drained and historically enlightened." (History of War magazine, 4 *)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
