Strangers in Time

Strangers in Time (2025) is a historical fiction novel by David Baldacci, set in London during World War II as the Germans renew their bombing campaigns in the city. Charlie Matters, a principled young thief; Molly Wakefield, a young nurse; and Ignatius Oliver, a secretive bookshop owner, are thrown together by tragedy and rely on one another through the Nazis’ last-ditch effort to break the British spirit. Strangers in Time examines themes including The Importance of Community During Times of Trouble, The Traumas of War on the Body and Mind, and Class Influence on Wartime Experiences. Baldacci is the New York Times bestselling author of over 50 novels, including Memory Man and A Calamity of Souls. His books have been translated into 45 languages and have sold over 150 million copies across the world. 

This guide uses Grand Central Publishing’s 2025 hardcover edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of gender discrimination, rape, death by suicide, graphic violence, illness, and death.

Plot Summary

In 1944, 13-year-old Charlie Matters, a poor boy from London’s East End, sneaks through the city on his way to steal from a rich school. He leaves the school empty-handed, but on his way home, he finds an out-of-the-way bookshop named The Book Keep. Through the window, he spies two men exchanging papers; when they’re both out of sight, Charlie breaks in and steals the till’s money and a blank journal. 

Charlie returns to the flat where he lives with his gran. As he falls asleep, the city sounds stir up memories of the Blitz bombings. In the morning, Gran reminisces about life before the war. Charlie, who hasn’t told her that he dropped out of school and is now a thief, feels bad about lying to her because she’s his only living family member. 

Ignatius Oliver, the owner of The Book Keep, tries to track Charlie down with a tag that fell off Charlie’s coat. Charlie, however, evades him and then secretly follows Ignatius around town. Because he feels guilty, Charlie finally returns Ignatius’s money. Ignatius catches him, but he lets Charlie keep the journal as a reward for being so honorable. Charlie tries to sell his blank journal, and though a solicitor offers Charlie £5, he runs out of the office, book in hand, because he’s curious about what he could write. 

Meanwhile, 15-year-old Molly Wakefield returns to London from the countryside, where she evacuated at the war’s outbreak and became a nurse. Molly walks uneasily through the ruinous city. When she reaches her house in Chelsea, only her nanny, Mrs. Pride, is home. Mrs. Pride reluctantly reveals that Molly’s mother is in a psychiatric hospital, and her father is working long hours with the Ministry of Food. Molly sneaks out to find her father. She meets Charlie and offers him a half-crown to lead her to the Ministry’s office. The office is closed, but when Charlie escorts Molly home, her father is still nowhere to be found. When Molly offers him money, Charlie refuses.

When Molly’s father doesn’t appear after a week, she seeks Charlie out at The Book Keep, which he mentioned on their late-night journey. She meets Ignatius and asks for Charlie’s address because she wants to compensate him for his guidance. Molly and Ignatius talk about books and Ignatius’s late wife, Imogen.

Gran’s wages get cut, so Charlie tries to visit Molly to accept his payment. Lonzo and Eddie, two local orphaned boys, stop Charlie and force him to help rob The Book Keep. A constable catches them breaking in, but when he chases them, a truck hits and kills him and Eddie. Though Charlie wants to go back for Eddie, Lonzo forces Charlie to run away and keep quiet. 

The next day, Molly takes Charlie for a picnic. Charlie again refuses Molly’s money, since he now feels unworthy. In a miserable mood, he visits the site of his old school, where he was injured and his mother died in its bombing.

Molly confronts Mrs. Pride about her missing parents, and the nanny finally explains that Molly’s mother was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after being raped in a bomb shelter. The police didn’t investigate the crime, and Mrs. Pride last saw Molly’s father six months ago when he walked out the door. Molly reads letters from the psychiatric hospital, the Beneficial Institute, about her mother’s condition and her inconsistent reactions to treatment.

At The Book Keep, Ignatius meets with his mysterious contact, whose name is Cedric, and exchanges encrypted messages. He sits in his wife’s old study and stares at her unfinished manuscript, though he can’t motivate himself to write. Instead, he thinks about conversations with Imogen before her tragic death. 

Separately, Molly and Charlie both seek out Ignatius, wanting to talk about their predicaments. Ignatius offers advice to Molly about her mother and takes her fear that she’s being followed seriously. Charlie, however, feels too guilty to admit his role in the robbery-gone-wrong and lies about needing a pencil for the journal.

A few days later, Charlie wakes up to find Gran dead in their bathroom. In his distress, he runs to Molly’s house, leaving the journal behind, which Lonzo steals. Molly feeds Charlie and offers to let him stay with her while they arrange Gran’s funeral. At Gran’s funeral, Molly confesses to Charlie that she doesn’t know where her father is. Ignatius secretly watches the ceremony and sees two men following Molly. 

Charlie is still suspicious of Ignatius, so he and Molly stake out Cedric’s house and see Ignatius dropping off letters. Charlie goes back to The Book Keep on his own and breaks in, finding an encryption machine, the hollowed-out book, and papers in German.

Ignatius visits Molly’s house to reveal that Molly’s father worked in government intelligence, but an air raid cuts their conversation short. Ignatius, Molly, and Charlie huddle together in an underground shelter as the Germans drop bombs nearby. When the raid ends, Molly finds her house destroyed and Mrs. Pride dead inside. 

Ignatius brings the children back to The Book Keep and lets them stay in the guest bedroom. Molly and Charlie want to report Ignatius’s suspicious behavior, but his kindness makes them hesitant. Molly finds a job as a nurse, and Charlie does odd jobs to ease Ignatius’s new financial burden.

Lonzo tries to apply to the army, but the sergeant turns him over to a local police officer, Detective Inspector Willoughby. Willoughby knows of his connection to Eddie and the constable’s deaths and tries to beat a confession and Charlie’s name out of Lonzo, leaving the boy nearly dead. Willoughby questions Molly and Ignatius, but they lie about knowing Charlie. 

Charlie eavesdrops on the conversation and runs away so his friends won’t be in danger. Molly and Ignatius frantically try to find Charlie, but when he isn’t in his old flat, they don’t know where to look. Charlie stays at Lonzo and Eddie’s old hideout, where he finds the journal with a written apology inside.

One night, the Germans bomb the city while Ignatius is on duty as an air raid warden. He helps with rescue and firefighting efforts but is unable to save everyone. Willoughby, realizing that Lonzo is going to die, leaves him in the rubble from the bombs. Ignatius finds him and brings him to the clinic where Molly works. 

Molly continues to gather information on Ignatius and her parents. She learns that Imogen died by suicide in Cornwall, her father is on the run from the government for killing three British soldiers, and her mother’s condition has deteriorated rapidly.

Charlie gets a job as a telegram messenger and delivers his first death notice. Molly and Ignatius learn about Charlie’s new occupation through Ignatius’s nosy neighbor, Desdemona Macklin, and arrange for him to deliver a message to Molly’s clinic. Charlie visits Lonzo in the clinic, and with his dying words, Lonzo reports his assault to Major Scott Bryant. Major Bryant arrests Willoughby and his accomplice.

During another air raid, Ignatius finds Desdemona murdered in her basement, and Cedric visits to imply that he’s responsible. Charlie and Molly overhear Ignatius and Cedric’s secret meeting, where Ignatius hands over Allied war intelligence. Cedric and Ignatius discover the children and abduct them, with plans to kill them. 

As they are driving out of the city, the police surprise them. Major Bryant shoots Ignatius, and Cedric runs away. Afterward, Ignatius suddenly rises from his faked death and explains that he’s a double agent for the British. Imogen was a German spy, but when she had a crisis of conscience, she switched sides and recruited Ignatius into her scheme.

The Beneficial Institute calls Molly and asks her to visit immediately, so Ignatius, Charlie, and Molly drive to Cornwall. Molly meets her mother, who is now terminally ill from kidney disease, and she learns about the ineffective lobotomy treatments used on her mother. They decide to stay in Cornwall so that Molly can be with her mother before she dies. Ignatius learns from Dr. Stephens that Imogen tried to check herself into the Institute before she jumped off a cliff out of guilt over betraying her country.

In the middle of the night, Molly’s father tries to steal his wife from the Institute, but Molly sees him. Mr. Wakefield explains that the three soldiers he killed were her mother’s attackers, whom the government refused to prosecute. Molly and her mother jump from the car, and her father speeds off and suffers a fatal crash. Mrs. Wakefield dies days later. 

Back in London, another air raid occurs, and Ignatius dies in the explosions. He leaves The Book Keep to Charlie and Molly in his will. Decades in the future, Molly is a successful psychiatrist and still operates the bookshop. Charlie lives in Australia after having traveled the world, but they are still in touch. Molly looks back on the war years, and she remembers Ignatius fondly for his sacrifices and bravery.