Hello. I’m Steven Blackwell, a detective with the Knightsbridge Police. We’re a small town near the Adirondack Mountains in New York. I like living here. People are friendly−no one locks their doors−and we help each other, especially now during the Depression.

I like my job. People depend on me to get justice when they’ve been wronged and I never let them down. I’m an ordinary fella. I’m 5’11” and have dark brown hair and eyes. My friend Olivia likes my Roman nose, although I don’t know why. I keep fit. I was born in 1901, so I’m 33 now.

I have a swell life−and it was fairly predictable until this year. I’ll tell you about Olivia, but you have to promise to keep our secret. Only a couple of people know and we want to keep it that way. We’d be in danger if people found out.

I hardly know how to start. Even though I like reading science-fiction, nothing prepared me for what happened last winter.

In February, I started seeing visions of a strange woman in my mother’s bedroom. My mother died unexpectedly the month before and I was having a hard time. We were close−we talked every evening. Single people in the 1930s live at home, by the way. I know it’s different for you. Anyway, I had just finished working a long, difficult murder investigation. Between being exhausted and the grief over losing my mother, I thought I was hallucinating or maybe the fellas at the station were playing a joke on me. Who was this woman? I’d never seen her before.

I was shocked when, after several nights, she spoke to me. Olivia told me who she was and proved that she lived in the 21st century. Well, when I saw the proof, what could I do? I had to accept it that it was real.

Olivia knew all about Einstein’s theory that there’s no past, present, or future and that all time happens simultaneously. We experimented and discovered Einstein was right. Time had folded over in the house where we live 80 years apart. Olivia’s in 2014 and I’m in 1934.

When I travel into the 21st century with Olivia, I can’t believe the changes that have taken place. I really underestimated the future. I used to listen to the Yankees on the radio but Olivia has an enormous TV where I can watch the games! She showed me her strange telephone and her amazing laptop computer. And she told me about men walking on the moon! Her world is completely foreign to me.

You know how there are Chevy families and Ford families? Well, I’m a Chevy man. I have a beautiful dark green sedan. The first time Olivia took me out in her motor car my eyes popped when I saw all the different cars on the road! My favorite was a red Corvette. I hope I live long enough to buy one of those.

Since I met Olivia, my life has changed. I still work long hours, six days a week chasing down criminals, but we get together for supper and spend most evenings together. I like talking with her. She takes the time to understand what I’m saying and we have a lot in common. We both like to travel and want to visit a lot of countries. I’d like to go to Europe with her some day.

Olivia’s fun. She’s also smart and often sees something new in a case that I hadn’t noticed. I discuss my investigations with her and have grown to depend on her thoughts and insights. She’s become my partner in crime.

Well, I’ve talked long enough. I hope you’ll read about my adventures with Olivia. We always have a swell time.

Death Rang the Bell, A Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel Mystery #3
Genre: Police Procedural
Release: September 2021
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21st-century journalist Olivia Watson thinks traveling back in time to 1934 to attend a Halloween party with her friend Detective Steven Blackwell will be a lot of fun. And it is. . .until she witnesses the head of the Shipley Five-and-Dime empire murdered, and fears the killer saw her face.

The smart move is to return to the safety of the present, but Olivia possesses a secret and is about to defy the unwritten rules of time-travel. She convinces Steven to let her stay in his time and help unravel the motives behind the murder, even if it means risking her own life to save another.

When Steven delves into the investigation, he discovers how a bitter relationship, a chance encounter, and a fateful decision converged to set the stage for murder. In a maze full of unreliable clues and misdirection, dark secrets refuse to stay buried and forgotten ghosts won’t fade away. Steven is reminded that old sins cast long shadows.

Can Steven catch the killer before time runs out for Olivia?

About the author
A Francophile at age 11, Carol Pouliot dreamed of going to Paris. After a Master’s at Stony Brook University, she headed to France for her first teaching job. She taught French and Spanish for over 30 years in Upstate New York, and founded an agency that provided translations in over 24 languages. Carol is the author of The Blackwell and Watson Time-Travel Mysteries, including the latest Death Rang the Bell. When not writing, Carol can be found reaching for her passport and packing a suitcase for her next adventure. Sign up for Carol’s newsletter and learn more at carolpouliot.com.

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