If you have a time travel port, it only makes sense to have a luxury hotel nearby. And, of course, considering the clientele, security is a primary concern. In The Paradox Hotel by Rob Hart, we meet January Cole, who runs security and deals with a lot of trifling problems of the rich. But she has problems of her own, along with a major event planned for the hotel and there’s something not quite right with the daily routine.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this time travel sci-fi novel is that the main characters don’t actually do any travelling through time – at least not in the traditional sense. The twist here is the existence of an incurable disease that afflicts those who have travelled a little too much. As one of the “unstuck”, January sees bits of her past as well as moments of the future as if they were really happening. It’s a progressive condition that she is not only trying to fight off, but also attempting to hide the severity of because she knows her job, as well as her ability to remain living at the hotel, are at risk.

Though the protagonist’s personal journey is interesting (and emotional), what really engages readers here is the mystery surrounding the summit taking place over the ownership of the hotel. As delegates begin arriving, time seems to be slipping and it’s not only January who notices. She then needs to figure out what’s going on with time, who is apparently sabotaging the summit and how she’s going to survive all of it.

There’s a lot going on in The Paradox Hotel and it’s difficult to encapsulate in a brief review. Yes, it’s sci-fi, but it feels very real world at times because of the everyday life of the hotel. There are time travel aspects with the unstuck and strange occurrences, though no direct travelling through time. And it has that mystery thriller tone as well. But it’s also a relatively emotional story about relationships and family, showing readers why it’s so important to January that she keep her job at the hotel. Amazingly, the author manages to bring all of that together rather well in an engrossing story.