Into the Fire

Something few of his readers and none of his friends ever suspected would happen to the Bug Man, Nick Polchak is slated to be married to the lovely but unusual Alena Savard, dog trainer extraordinaire. Nick of Time by Tim Downs, published by Thomas Nelson, takes his infamous and entertaining Nick Polchak to the limit of his humanity in this sixth addition to the Bug Man Series.

During the four days preceding Nick's wedding to Alena, Nick is summoned by an old friend to attend the monthly meeting in Philadelphia of an elite group of forensic specialists who work on cold cases presented to them by various legs of law enforcement. Alena presses Nick not to attend, pointing out the short window of time before their wedding day. Outfitting Alena with a new cell phone which she struggles to learn to use, Nick makes plans to call her at 9 PM on the two nights he'll be away. In order to get his call Alena must traverse down from her secluded mountain dwelling in Virginia to the nearest town in order to get reception for the call.

When Nick arrives at the meeting, his friend is nowhere to be found. Finding this extremely odd, Nick drives to his friend's home and finds everything pointing to his murder. Not endearing himself to the Philadelphia Police Department concerning his friend's demise, Nick spends the night in jail, and Alena never receives her phone call. Her pastor and friend who's doing their wedding gets a call from Nick the following day asking him to deliver a message to Alena. As Nick is enveloped in the mystery of discovering what his friend was working on, he drives to the Poconos to discuss a cold case he pilfered from his friend's files before the Philly police could find it. Arriving in a small town where a deputy died from a supposed hunting accident, he receives no help from the Sheriff who used to be FBI.

Like a dog with a bone, Nick discovers all kinds of leads that totally consume him and take him to two places involving two deaths around the small town. After two nights of not hearing from Nick, Alena is determined to find him and confront him about their upcoming marriage. In the process of Nick investigating two possible murders and Alena chasing down Nick's whereabouts, time is running out for them.

Written with the complexity of plot, signature wit and humor, and underlying thematic concerns about what life, work, relationship, and marriage truly mean, Nick of Time finally gives us a picture of Dr. Nick Polchak, forensic entomolygist, even Nick hasn't seen in himself. When an elaborate scheme forces Nick to face his stripped down desires as he's never had to look at them before, he realizes what he's missed in life and what he ultimately wants.

Tim Downs' Bug Man Novels give us one of the most unusual and creative characters in series literature. With detailed research in general forensics, forensic entomolgy, and law enforcement as his backdrop, Tim explains just enough – and occasionally a bit too much – to flesh out the reality of Nick's profession and obsession. In creating Alena he gives a no-nonsense, equally sardonic, yet somehow remarkably feminine character who struggles to make Nick understand what she needs from him. His oblivious indifference to understanding the female side of their equation sends him into confusion and gives her mixed signals. Nick of Time is every bit a story of suspenseful investigation but it's also a commentary on male and female relationships at the heart level of humanity.

The final scene is perhaps some of Tim's best writing for this series and entices the reader into believing there should be more Bug Man Novels to come. I must admit Less than Dead where Nick and Alena first meet is still my favorite of the series, but Nick of Time stretches these two characters to a welcomed place in their development. A worthy addition to the Bug Man Novels.

God, you know Tim's heart and where you plan to lead him in his writing. Be his inspiration and may he honor you in all he writes. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.