Stealing Time
When There’s No Time Left, You Have To Steal It!
In 2020, Tori's parents are getting divorced. In 1980, Bobby's family is about to fall apart. But when Tori finds herself stranded in 1980, the two must join forces and prevent a crime that might destroy everyone they care about.
Simultaneously home and not home, 15-year-old Tori Gold finds herself in a gritty New York City still reeling from the aftershocks of a near-bankruptcy and a police corruption scandal. Garbage, graffiti and crime are rampant; ATMS, cell phones and the Internet are nonexistent but phone booths are everywhere. Women wear fur coats. Everyone smokes. And TV and typewriter repair shops, camera stores, record stores, and five-and-dimes have replaced the stores Tori is familiar with: Apple stores, vape shops, boutique fitness studios, nail salons and the many drug stores that won’t exist for decades. Her only ally is her now-15-year-old father, Bobby.
Can two teenagers stop the jewelry theft of the decade, which could destroy their family? Will Tori ever get back to her own time? And how will Bobby react when she tells him that she’s an accidental time-traveler—and his daughter?
This adventure combines a heartfelt father-daughter relationship with the thrill of a heist.
A Claymore Top Pick at Killer Nashville 2024, Stealing Time was ranked #5 on Amazon's Best-Sellers List of Newly Released Time Travel books.
Where to Buy It
- Amazon: amzn.to/3BCfyW0
- Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Tilia%20Klebenov%20Jacobs
- Bookshop.org (supports local bookstores): https://bookshop.org/p/books/stealing-time-tilia-klebenov-jacobs/21866719?ean=9798991024914
More information available at https://stealingtime.net/.
Reviews
Kirkus Reviews: "Jacobs and Birnbach’s time-traveling adventure combines SF and elements of classic caper and heist stories. Fans of will find much to love here. Though the concept of going back into the past to meet younger versions of family members has been done, Jacobs and Birnbach’s characters are distinctive enough to keep this work
feeling fresh. [This] solid, lighter SF yarn [is] a delight. A classic, well rendered."
PW's BookLife Reviews: "Jacobs and Birnbach offer a classically surreal time-travel dilemma with this spirited coming-of-age adventure... Beneath the time-travel adventure, a more profound message about bridging generational gaps between parents and children and the long-lasting impact of choices resonates throughout. The mix of thrilling heist antics and comic drama (“Sometimes when you talk, I understand every word but none of the sentences”) will keep time-travel enthusiasts hooked. Takeaway: Fun time-travel romp pairing a 2020 teen with her 1980 dad to stop a heist."
You Decide: Should I Read it or Not? blog: shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2024/09/28/stealing-time-tilia-klebenov-jacobs-and-norman-birnbach/ “Stealing Time was so good I sat down and reread it as soon as I’d finished. Now THAT’s a good read!"
Selected mentions:
- The Adventurine: "The Tiffany Diamond and Murf the Surf Inspired ‘Stealing Time’: M. J. Rose reviews the fabulously fun new heist novel" (Nov. 19, 2024)
- Literally Lori B (via TikTok): "Stealing Time!" (Nov. 17, 2024)
- Readers Favorite's Favorite: "Stealing Time" (Nov. 13, 2024)
- Lion's Pride: "Alumni Publications: Stealing Time" (Fall 2024)
- Reading.Late.Into.The.Night (via Instagram): "Stealing Time Review" (Nov. 12, 2024)
- MarBooks88 (via Instagram): "Stealing Time: This fun read is a time travel, jewelry heist book and I really enjoyed it. It reads like a movie. Set over a long weekend in 1980 and a few hours in 2020 the short chapters kept me reading." (Nov. 11, 2024)
- Tales Untangled: "STEALING TIME—A Race Against Time for the Heist of the Century" (Oct 29, 2024): "STEALING TIME really is a high-octane adventure with a race car pace...If you think the rest of the book is fast, the ending puts it into an even higher gear!.. I enjoyed this book, it was a fast read. It’s also refreshing that there isn’t a romance involved—it really is focused on the crime and family dynamics. Happy reading!"
- Red Carpet Crash: "Book Review: ‘Stealing Time: A Novel’ By Tilia Jacobs And Norman Birnbach" (Oct. 29, 2024): "This is a fun time-travel mystery, with interesting characters and a good look at 2020 and 1980 and all the differences. Readers will enjoy this one"