I bought this book purely by chance as Steve was talking about it at my local bookshop and I decided to go along. I am extremely thankful that this happened, as I have devoured the entire book in less than 24 hours. This debut novel is perfectly paced, wonderfully funny, with a complex yet very well told story that I thoroughly enjoyed. Bob's character development was fantastic, I even found a few tears for him at the end. I would happily read this book again, and look forward to more from Steve Jones.

If you could make a phone call into your past, who would you call? What would you change if you could? Bob Bloomfield in the present day wears titanium armour so nothing can pierce his interior. His exterior persona especially working at FitzSimmons and Bloomfield Entertainment is ruthless, detached, cutthroat and professional. Oh boy, is Bob ever in for some shocks and major surprises. Can there be redemption or is it a case of just desserts? Although I think the premise is clever it does take a while to get going, being initially slow paced and lacking some cohesion. Once we get into the call time scenario it becomes way more interesting. It is marketed as Sliding Doors meets High Fidelity which I totally get but I also see shades of Christmas Carol but with way more twists! These can get a bit dizzying because you keep getting socked with them but it’s certainly entertaining and a never a dull moment experience! The plot contains bit of mystery, with a large element of fantasy which definitely requires those disbelief suspenders and is peppered with dark humour. The characterisation is good although with the exception of Scotty most are not very likeable and I especially like how Scotty’s wife Kirsty certainly has the measure of Bob! Some of the best dialogue is between those two! Bob is, well, you’ll just have to meet him and make your own mind up! So, if you’re wanting to read something a bit different then this may fit the bill. There’s irony, sharp sarcasm and humour which contrasts with fear, guilt, there are some conundrums to figure out, some violent encounters, it gets a bit strange and weird and there’s the occasional bit of cheese! A varied and compelling read!

A slow start but it was worth sticking with, this was really dark and very funny. There was a real retro vibe to the story with lots of nods to 80s pop culture, I especially enjoyed the Gremlins meets Mr Ben scene. If you were given the opportunity to change one seminal thing in your past, would you? For Bob, the answer is a resounding yes, without any thought of reprisals or the butterfly effect! The final third of the book was a rollercoaster that was impossible to put down, and boy what a ride!

3.5 stars If, and it's a big IF, you can get past the first quarter or so of this book then it's not a bad story at all... Sadly it did nearly lose me as it is a bit all over the place, and slow, but I popped over to read a couple trusted reviews and the general census was to keep going. So I did. And it did get better. Way better. I guess what doesn't help is that initially Bob (other names may apply) is a bit of an unlikable chappie so I took an instant dislike to him and tbh didn't really care much about what happened to him. Maybe part of that too is that I actually know a Bobbie Bloomfield in real life and he is just the nicest bloke ever... But as soon as the phone came into play the whole book changed for me an it actually became interesting. Change the past to make something different in the present... seems easy enough, until... well... unforeseen repercussions. An interesting trope that is delivered quite well here, but way better in many other books and indeed films... One thing I really did enjoy, and it nearly tipped the one star to being rounded up, was the wonderful trip back to the 80s that the book took me on. And despite my misgivings there was also some quite neat humour to be found herein. Oh, and Scotty, he pretty much stole the book. So yeah, bit hit and miss for me but I did finish and the ending was mostly worth the slog...

I'll admit it, I am always wary when a celebrity dips his toe in to the writing world but this novel was a pleasant surprise. Against the odds, the main character is likeable and you end up really rooting for him. Slow to start, I enjoyed it once I got in to it. I did, however, feel the ending was rushed. All in all this is a respectable debut.