Thaniel Steepleton works in a low-level job in the Home Office in London in 1883. He lives alone in a small apartment and supports his widowed sister and her two children.

His very ordinary existence, however, takes an interesting twist when he finds a pocket watch that has been left in his apartment. He is initially intrigued by the anonymous gift but eventually becomes concerned that a stranger has entered his apartment and his life.

When its alarm goes off alerting him to an imminent bomb explosion, he concludes that whoever gave him the watch must be the bomb maker and he immediately sets out to find Mori – the watchmaker whose name is engraved on the inside of its cover.

Keita Mori is a Japanese watchmaker working in London. But he is not all he seems to be, and when Thaniel identifies him as the watchmaker, a new world begins to open up for him.

Grace Carrow, a female scientist at a time when women have limited opportunities to work in the sciences, also enters Thaniel’s life.

She offers Thaniel an escape from financial and career struggles in an exchange that guarantees freedom for both of them.

The story beautifully explores the relationship between these three characters. This exploration is filled with scenes of a very warm friendship that tests loyalty.

This is one of the best books I’ve read in the past year. The heartwarming relationship between Thaniel and Mori that will make you wish you had a friend who would travel to the ends of the earth to make sure you are safe and happy.  You won’t want this book to end.

Reviewed by Melissa Wilson