The 13th Hour: Chaos

Written by Richard Doetsch

Narrated by Jonathan Todd Ross

A Mesmerizing Thriller Told in Reverse

Richard Doetsch returns with a stand-alone sequel to his international bestseller, The 13th Hour, published in twenty-two countries and optioned by Sony TV

On a warm Fourth of July in the quiet New York town of Byram Hills, Nick Quinn watches as his wife and daughter die—along with his closest friends and family—in an unprecedented terrorist attack.

Amid the disaster, Nick is approached by one of his closest friends, gunshot and dying. With his last breath, he hands Nick an antique pocket watch that possesses the power to rewrite the recent past.

Emotionally shattered and desperate, Nick uses the watch and is shocked to find himself propelled back in time to where he was an hour ago, before the attack on his town.

At the top of each hour, the watch sends him back two hours to live one hour again, a backwards march to relive each hour of his day. A twelve-hour journey providing precious but limited time to protect Julia and Katy and uncover the source of the threat.

But each time Nick thinks he’s solved the crime and secured the future, he uncovers new levels of deception and betrayal, ultimately revealing a far more sinister plot with unexpected players and grim, global consequences.

If Nick hasn’t set things right by the 13th hour, not only will his wife and daughter be lost forever to the chaos, but an even greater catastrophe will be unleashed upon the world.

A surprising and utterly original thriller, The 13th Hour: Chaos delivers pure, page-turning suspense—full of double-crosses, shocking turnabouts, and the inexorable power of love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705065815

Richard Doetsch

Richard Doetsch is the internationally bestselling author of several novels, including The Thieves of Faith, The 13th Hour, and Half-Past Dawn. His latest novel is Chaos, a sequel to The 13th Hour.  Doetsch is a triathlete, adventure racer, and extreme sport enthusiast and lives in New York with his family. Visit RichardDoetsch.com to find out more.

Reviews for The 13th Hour

[cherylk_44 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I did not realize that this is book two of the Nick Quinn thrillers. Yet, I had no issues jumping right into this book. Mr. Doetsch sures knows how to up the ante with the reading experience. I mean while reading this book, it was like a major motion picture movie playing into my head! I could not stop reading. Literally read this book in one day, it was that good. The 13th Hour: Chaos took me on a roller coaster filled with tons of action, intrigue, twists and turns with engaging characters. What made this reading experience even better was that the whole format of the story is meant to be read backwards. So, you start out at the end and work your way to the beginning. So perfect for who readers who like to read the ending first. While, I knew the endgame, it did not less my excitement as I was kept on my toes to how the story would play out. I will be reading more books by Mr. Doetsch.

[lauriegienapp · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent! Unique! extremely well done

[olivermagnus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The 13th Hour starts with Nick and Julia Quinn arguing about their dinner plans that evening. Julia storms off to work and Nick spends his day working from home, until a gunshot disturbs him at 7 PM and he finds Julia dead in the hallway. He’s immediately arrested for Julia’s murder. His fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, and an incriminating 911 call from Julia is recorded. Meanwhile, in the background, an airplane has crashed, killing all 212 passengers. A stranger suddenly appears in the interrogation room and gives Nick a watch, one that will allow him to relive the previous twelve hours in reverse, one hour at a time. He realizes this is his opportunity to alter the events that led to Julia's murder.

 

The reader sees how each of the characters handle their alternate reality. The twists and turns that occur as both the future and the past is rewritten are surprising and make for a very compelling story. The story is a classic suspense mystery told in reverse, but in a way that totally works. I thought the author did a great job of giving us a good story and creating an ending that made sense.

 

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[stembie3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book reminded me of the movie about the man who lost his short term memory and tried to find out who killed his wife. In this story, however, the man is totally cognizant of what happens from hour to hour as he travels backward in time. The story made me think about what I would do and how far I would go to prevent someone I love from being killed.

[jenzbaker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting time-slip premise, cool how the author fits all the people and incidents together. Truly horrifyingly realistic scenes (drowned bodies held underwater by cement, Nick sitting by his dead wife patting her leg and refusing to look at her face. A page-turner with surprising twists.

[bookwormteri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really creative and a different take on a mystery. Woman gets killed, husband is blamed. While being interrogated, the husband is given a watch that will take him back one hour at a time on the hour to stop her murder.At first, I didn't see how this would work. Wouldn't it be better to take him back a day? However, each hour unveils another aspect of her murder. Very well done and hard to put down.

[dabble58 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting premise, interesting presentation, and the potential for a movie in late 2012 - this thriller delivers on a roller coaster ride of leapfrogging through time. Our hero must work through ever more complex scenarios to prevent disasters, personal and public.
It's oddly convincing, except for the love element, which seems forced and applied with a trowel - like wasn't part of the initial design. Maybe it's just me and my anti-romantic streak, but I distrust such flowery statements while the main character is being shot, beaten, punched, tossed here and there, etc, etc. One thinks he might be focused on other things.
The story isn't complex, but I found myself reading faster and faster as the time started to run out, wondering how the entire thing was going to be brought together.
It is, and well. A fun read, and what will be an exciting movie. It's a very visual book.
My only trouble is in following the injuries. As with most thrillers, the main character seems to be able to stand all sorts of bodily insults while maintaining full capacity. Perhaps he heals up going back in time?

[mlleehreen · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Richard Doetsch's THE THIRTEENTH HOUR is a murder-mystery with a time travel twist. As the novel opens the protagonist, Nicholas Quinn, has been hauled into the police station for the murder of his wife. His fingerprints are all over the murder weapon, his watch is dusted with gunpowder from the blast, and he was alone in his luxurious home with his wife in the hours preceding her death. The case seems open and shut for the cops, but Nick knows he didn't do it.

A mysterious man interrupts Nick's interrogation to give him a magical watch: for the next twelve hours, every hour, on the hour, he will be transported backwards in time by exactly two hours. That is, every time he jumps backwards in time he will begin to relive the hour just previous to the hour that has just ended; one step forward and two steps back. He will be able to re-live the last half-day of his life, and possibly save his wife from being killed, by altering the past as he re-lives it.

As Nick goes farther back in time, he gets farther and farther away from the actual death of his wife while he gets closer and closer to figuring out who killed her and why. He involves other people in his plans, instructing his wife, for example, to flee the scene of the crime before it takes place, but
he cannot stick around to find out if his instructions are obeyed, or if they are effective. The tension in the novel springs from this frustrating delay; the reader wants to find out what happens in the thirteenth hour, when Nick returns to the present to find out what the result of all his work has been.

Unfortunately, the author doesn't capitalize on an excellent premise. The writing is terrible, the characters are flat, and there is relatively little action (Nick wastes several of his twelve hours crying, chatting with a friend, and taking a slow tour of his house). The action plot has to compete for space with endless, lengthy rhapsodizes about the perfection of Nick's marriage to his wife, Mary - after fifteen years of marriage every time they have sex is still
like the first time, she brings him breakfast in bed for no reason, etc. The constant flashbacks to happier times really slow down the pacing of the novel, which is a serious flaw when the reader should be gasping for breath as the clock ticks down.

[bragan_8 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Nick Quinn's wife is murdered and he's arrested for the deed, a strange man shows up at the police station and gives him a pocket watch that somehow sends Quinn back in time two hours, leaves him there an hour, then repeats the process eleven more times. Meaning, basically, that Quinn gets to live twelve hours of his life over, in reverse order. And in those backwards hours, he needs to figure out who killed his wife and why, and find a way to prevent it from happening.If you can manage the necessary suspension of disbelief, which I was entirely happy to do, this is an incredibly cool premise, promising a clever, unique story structure and the potential for an intricate puzzle of a plot. Unfortunately, the execution is disappointing. Mostly, it's just not very well written. The prose is flat and often repetitive, and far too often uses exposition as a substitute for characterization and drama. And Quinn's life and his relationship with his wife are presented as so schmoopily perfect that I found myself struggling against an impulse to hate both of them. Worse, most of what's going on is revealed by about halfway through the story -- again, via large amounts of infodumping -- thus leaving too little mystery to sustain the second half, especially as the backstory behind the murder turns out to be complicated but not terribly interesting. The suspense also got less as the story went on and I realized that as long as Quinn is able to hang on to his magic watch and not get killed, whatever situation he's managed to get himself into will automatically resolve itself at the end of the hour when he disappears back in time. And, of course, anything that he manages to accomplish, other than information-gathering or occasionally picking up small objects, is also pointless, since it's immediately undone as soon as he jumps back and starts messing with the timeline of the previous hour -- something it seems to taker him entirely too long to fully realize. At some point in the novel you just know that absolutely nothing he does is going to have any lasting consequences at all until he hits that final hour, so that until then it mostly becomes a matter of marking time, so to speak. I have no doubt that a really skilled writer could make this structure work very well, using it to keep the reader guessing right up until the last (or, as the case may be, the first) minute, but Doetsch doesn't really pull it off. There are some moments of excitement here, and the plot certainly starts off promisingly enough, but after the first few chapters my excitement had waned, and by the end, I had mostly lost interest. What a waste of a wonderfully nifty idea!

[stefany_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

 The 13th Hour is a well-written, fast-paced thriller with a very interesting and well thought out concept that seems a bit hokie at first, but really draws the reader in and doesn't let go!The cool thing about this novel is that it works basically in reverse. The main character moves backwards in time throughout the day, one hour at a time, while trying to solve a series of crimes and other circumstances that keep leading to the deaths of those that he cares about. This is a fairly riveting novel with characters that are likeable (while a bit too perfect to be believable, but hey not any different from a Patterson or Dan Brown novel!) and a fast-paced ever changing plot. Lots of fun!

[senorag163 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting but not as good as I thought it would be.

[dara85 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I thought thhis book was great. It was confusing at first, but after the first chapter you realize what is going on and why. It was a very different premise. What a page turner. I would recommend this book.

[frogprof_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Weird structure, because the book starts at the end ... and heads toward the beginning. But it pretty much works. Not being interested in science fiction, and not "getting" time travel" [the penultimate and last seasons of "Lost" almost lost me as a viewer for that very reason], there were a couple of times I was ready to put the book aside ... but I persevered, and I think it was worth it. Not by any means a great book, but a good "beach read."

[butterflybaby_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a page turner. I really liked this book. I couldn't put it down. What does a plane crash, a robbery and a murder have in common? This book was so intriging. The story follows Nick Quinn, a man whose wife, Julia, was brutally murdered and he has been blamed. While in an interogation room a stranger walks in and hands Nick a letter and a watch. Nick goes back in time in one hour increments in order to solve the murder and to get his wife back. The story twists and turns and there a more then a few surprises. I can't wait to see if there will be a sequel.

[jmyers24_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nick Quinn's beautiful wife, Julie, has just been brutally murdered. Nick is sitting in an interrogation room at the Byram Hill Police Department, dazed and confused, waiting for his attorney to walk through the door. Instead, however, a well-dressed stranger enters the room and tells Nick, “You can still save her.” He then gives Nick a letter and a gold watch and warns him, “Keep an eye on that watch. You have twelve hours. In the thirteenth hour all will be lost, her fate, your fate will besealed. . . .” As long as Nick keeps the watch in his possession, he can go back, one hour at a time, and alter the events that led to Julie's death in a desperate attempt to save her.The Memento-esque plot device is sufficient reason to read Richard Doetsch's The 13th Hour. And, as a thriller, it is certainly a challenging, action-packed read. Quinn is surrounded by corrupt police and doesn't know whom to trust; all emergency personnel and law enforcement are scurrying to sort through the wreckage of a plane crash that has killed all 212 passengers; every move Quinn makes can have unintended consequences and alter the future in ways he can't foresee. As a thriller the book rates at least four stars. However, I became irritated at what felt like sermonizing throughout the story and the characters were so totally black or white the plot began to lose its edge. The almost total perfection of Nick and Julie's marriage also added to the feeling that the characters were stereotypes dropped into a very creative plot device to make it work. So, for me, The 13th Hour doesn't quite make it.

[dccab73 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was thoroughly looking forward to reading this novel. I was only a few pages into the book when I was already becoming irritated. I know this is going to sound petty, but it goes to the credibility of this book and the author, especially when I was only a few pages into the book. The author makes several references to Nick possessing a Glock and thumbing the safety off and he also references letting the Glock's hammer down. Unfortunately, STOCK Glock's are hammerless and do not possess an external hammer. He also makes the same mistake when he later references Nick checking the safety on his Sig Sauer pistol. Again, Sig Sauer's do not possess a safety, but rather have de-cocking levers. I know this is petty but when an author is trying to grab their audience, constantly making minor errors such as these distracts the reader. The author could have easily researched this fact or referenced a weapon, such as a Beretta or a Smith and Wesson, which do possess a safety. I also did not like the story all that much. I thought it was a great idea, but the plot didn't thrill me. It was predictable. I also felt like I read thirteen short stories that only slightly varied from one another in detail. Because of this I had an extremely difficult time finishing this book.

[marcejewels · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1- 13th HourYou are not mistaken, as you turn to the next page and find Chapter 12.The Chapters in this book are in reverse order and are to be read that way for reason that will become evident upon your journey.That was the author’s note, what an amazing way to start.A thriller in reverse, it was action packed and every chapter/hour had suspense with cliffhangers. It was brilliant, always a consequence for Nick’s actions and decisions, I couldn’t wait for what’s next. Nick has to solve the mystery not knowing who to turn to because as he quickly learning there are corrupt cops involved and a plane crash to keep all the powers to be busy, no time for a crazy man that knows the future. And the story starts with Nick himself being suspected of murdering his own wife.This was a thriller love story – a “what would you do if given a 2nd chance or 12 chances to save the one you love”. Some choices caused a domino effect and were worst then losing his wife but luckily Nick had another opportunity, the power to change. Many times you ask yourself is fate reversible, Nick could have been lied to, made to look like a fool but to live without his wife was not a choice for him but putting himself and others at risk wasn’t the plan either. I am not a huge fan of time travel but I enjoyed the hourly intervals, it was very mysterious, I definitely enjoyed this one.

[pharrm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wish you could go back in time? Nick Quinn does just that to save his wife. Fast paced - page turner

[horomnizon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I picked up this book because the concept of it going backwards through time and it did not disappoint me one bit. It is well thought out and although I figured out a couple connections, there were still surprises in the end.As Nick goes back through time and relives each hour of the day trying to save his wife Julia from being killed he runs into one problem after another and has to endure her death several times and in several different ways. But every time the clock hits the twelve, he has another chance to use what he has learned that hour to prevent the horrors...until that final hour. This was a real page-turner for me and I read it very quickly because I had to see what happened next. Nick adjusts to the time travel concept pretty quickly and some of it is a bit unbelievable that he could continually convince people to do things by providing them with information that he shouldn't have known...but not so unbelievable to interrupt my enjoyment of the story. Doetsch does present it in a smart way...Nick continually gathers 'proof' that really makes them trust him and therefore help him. I really liked the ending - throughout the book I was a bit worried that it could be unsatisfying after going through all this with the characters, but I felt it was tied up satisfactorily, without being 'cute'. Very enjoyable!

[evilynj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One morning Nick Quinn and his wife, Julia, have an argument before she leaves for work. She was secretly flying to Boston but gets called off the plane for an emergency at a client's home. All 212 people on board are killed when the plane crashes just after taking off. That evening Julia's found dead in their home and Nick ends up being accused of killing her. Because of the crash, the police are too busy to interrogate him. While left alone, a strange man approaches Nick and offers him a chance to relive the last 12 hours to prevent his wife's murder. But when you try to change the past, unintended consequences can happen. What an original concept--starts with chapter 12 and works backward to the first chapter. Even reluctant readers will find this book hard to put down. Highly recommend.

[tjblue · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A story about going back in time to change the future. It's an ok read, not great.

[readinnut · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a fast-paced, interesting mystery. Love the unique way the story is told.....great read!

[ronrose1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Nick Quinn is in a holding cell, accused, by two hard nosed detectives, of killing his wife. Left alone for a few minutes, he can only focus on the gut twisting sight of his wife shot through the head, lying on his garage floor where he found her just hours before. Suddenly, a well dressed stranger intrudes on his thoughts, offering Nick a seemingly impossible chance to go back, one hour at a time and save his wife. Thus begins the strange 13 hour journey which turns time on it's head. What if you could go back in time and try to change the future? What repercussions would result from each new twist you placed in the past? How many people would be effected by a single act?While the premise is exciting , the execution is a bit weak. Could a stranger walk into and leave a police holding cell without being noticed? Also, having 13 hours to relive, one hour at a time, means a lot of repetition. By the time you have relived the story, 9 or 10 times, it becomes somewhat tedious. Although, the author keeps interspersing some new twists along the way. The character development is about what you would expect in the average thriller. They aren't going to make any lasting impression. The saving grace is trying to figure out what each of the consequences might be from the heroes' attempts to change the past.

[jackieblem · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is FANTASTIC, a smart and heady thrill ride full of engrossing action. Nick Quinn's wife has been murdered, and he's been accused of the crime. A mysterious stranger gives him an odd talisman that allows him to move back in time one hour at a time, which he does to try to save his wife. But each change has a consequence, and soon it's more than his wife's life and his own freedom at stake. Fans of The Time Travelers Wife, Memento or The Butterfly Effect will gravitate to this book, as should all thriller fans.