Until the Next Time [Paperback]

Kevin Fox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 14, 2012

For Sean Corrigan the past is simply what happened yesterday, until his twenty-first birthday, when he is given a journal left him by his father’s brother Michael—a man he had not known existed. The journal, kept after his uncle fled from New York City to Ireland to escape prosecution for a murder he did not commit, draws Sean into a hunt for the truth about Michael’s fate.

Sean too leaves New York for Ireland, where he is caught up in the lives of people who not only know all about Michael Corrigan but have a score to settle. As his connection to his uncle grows stronger, he realizes that within the tattered journal he carries lies the story of his own life—his past as well as his future—and the key to finding the one woman he is fated to love forever.

With the appeal of The Time Traveler’s Wife and the classic Time and Again, this novel is a romance cloaked in mystery and suspense that takes readers inside the rich heritage of Irish history and faith. Until the Next Time is a remarkable story about time and memory and the way ancient myths affect everything—from what we believe to who we love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A fresh and fascinating take on an absorbing concoction of myth, belief, memory, identity, reincarnation, and the lasting power of love.”
       —Publishers Weekly (Publishers Weekly )

“A satisfying read about a culture that still believes strongly in the cycles of lives and loves and the inevitable repetition of political and religious intolerance. Recommended for Irish fiction fans.”
      —Library Journal (Library Journal )

“Winding inward and outward like the Celtic knotted roads and stories and layers of lives reincarnated, Until the Next Time is a great escape that also makes you want to follow a road to its origin, and perhaps your own.”
      —Durham Herald-Sun (Durham Herald-Sun ) --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

Kevin Fox is a producer and writer for the Fox TS series Lie to Me, and his professional screen- writer credits include the film The Negotiator. He splits his time between coasts, living in both Los Angeles and New Jersey. This is his first novel.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books (February 14, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565129938
• ISBN-13: 978-1565129931
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 1.1 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (98 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,052,090 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm a storyteller, Irish, and I exaggerate. Is that redundant? I only wish to entertain. Core belief: Fiction is the lie that illuminates a greater truth. http://www.KevinFoxTheWriter.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven January 5, 2012

By Karie Hoskins VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I enjoyed parts of "Until Next Time" - but at the end of it - wasn't completely sure what type of book I'd just read. At times it felt like a romance, at times a treatise on religion & spirituality, and much of the time it was a political statement about the violent situation in Northern Ireland.

As the subject danced around, so did the writing style. The book begins in the point of view of a young man named Sean. His voice comes across as belligerent, skeptical and far younger than one might expect. The style is choppy and sometimes seems very juvenile. As the book continues, though, he sometimes has thoughts that seem FAR more mature than he is. This voice is introspective, worldly and very wise - and although the events of the story try to lay the groundwork for that change - it feels off. He starts out the book with a variety of curses and complaints, and sounding like an aimless but angry teenager, but then less than halfway through, (and before any major changes) comes across sounding completely different.

"But even in that moment - even as I thought about telling her how deeply I cared for her - some part of me knew it wouldn't last. It wasn't that I regretted what happened, and I knew that I could probably spend years getting to know her, loving every moment. She was beautiful on every level, and I knew she would always challenge me. But it would never be complete. It would never feel as if I couldn't breathe without her next to me. It would always feel like she were standing in for someone else. Who that was, I didn't know yet, but I knew she was still out there somewhere, even in those first few moments with Anne."

This is about a young woman who he just met...1-2 days before?

The one part of the book that will stay with me was the perspective on the Irish - ways of life and loving and fighting. Part Irish myself, I appreciated phrases like; "Smiling women and singing children had perpetual tears in their eyes, as did the angry and defiant young men. The Irish character that I'd seen and never understood my whole life was suddenly on the surface and visible here, tears and laughter so intertwined they were inseparable."

That is beautifully written, and was more of the book similar to that; I would have enjoyed it more. But this mix of politics, romance, spirituality and violence just didn't capture me as much as I'd hoped.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Required: An Irish State of Mind February 23, 2012

By Barbara J. Mitchell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This book took me out of my comfort zone; it required me to fancy myself Irish and just accept what I read. If it hadn't contained such marvelous characters, I don't think I would have suspended disbelief so well but these characters have such depths to them that I'll be thinking about them for a long while.

The story begins when Sean Corrigan, of New York, is given a journal kept by his father's brother Michael. Sean had never known about an Uncle Michael, but apparently his uncle had been a NY cop who ran to Ireland to escape a murder charge. As the story continues, Sean goes to Ireland to solve the mystery of what happened to his uncle there and meet the people who knew his uncle.

Now it gets really intriguing and mysterious. Sean doesn't know what's going on half the time and I could only figure things out in retrospect in some cases. Still I was glued to the pages as I needed to find out. All I could do was settle in for a wild ride, particularly when Anne, the girl who is sent to pick Sean up at the airport, is driving. This girl is one of the most fascinating characters in the book, and her driving is absolutely insane.

The beautifully described settings vary from lonely islands, one of which Sean's family owns, to city streets. The IRA is involved, the Troubles, killing of innocent people in the cause of a free Ireland, guns and money from the U.S., revenge killings, and the British fighting back. You will wonder throughout who is Declan? You will wonder what happens to Kate and Michael and Sean and Anne. And unfortunately if I tell you anymore I'll spoil the story for you.

I'll have to be satisfied with saying that the story is very Irish, and that it is illogically logical. If you have "eyes that see and ears that hear", you will understand. I highly recommend this haunting book.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Your Mileage May Vary February 12, 2012

By E. M. Griffith VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

**This review is for an Advanced Reading Copy of 'Until The Next Time' by Kevin Fox**

It took over a week for me to finish this novel, which is unusual. I tend to prefer books that have me loathe to put them down, and often will finish a novel in one weekend or even overnight. I'm also very fond of a few Irish authors for their storytelling skills. 'Until The Next Time' pulled me in during the first few chapters--then I found myself tucking in a bookmark and putting it down. While that may sound like a negative, I did go back to it once or twice a day.

Since mine was an unedited proof, I'm not sure how much the publisher did or didn't whittle for final copy. It's clear early on that 21 year old Sean might be more connected than he realizes to Michael, an uncle he never knew he had. There are very strong hints of the possibility of reincarnation. About 1/3 of the way through the book, my reading slowed as parts seemed tedious or repetative. This was, of course, as Sean's life and Michael's began to almost overlap in Ireland (am guessing the author therefore intended some repetition). 'Until The Next Time' might be better "delivered" in an audio version or even as a made-for-TV movie. Not surprising, as Fox is a producer and screen writer.

Compared to books by other Irish authors, the characters and dialog in 'Until The Next Time' seemed a bit cliche or exaggerated. For example, I don't believe the vast majority of Irish people sound (or behave) like crude, uneducated folks. There are many characters to follow, and they sound too much alike. The story line and culture/history were interesting enough to keep me from abandoning the book altogether. Fox did a good job of shifting from one persepctive to another (in this reader's view), and in almost merging the two by the end of the book.

I'd give this a solid 3-1/2 stars, but since I can't, I'll round up rather than down.