The Fallen Fruit

Madison (the Flea Market Magic Mystery series) chronicles a professor’s efforts to break her family’s curse in this ambitious time travel narrative. In 1968, Black history professor Cecily Bridge-Davis inherits 65 acres of land in Virginia from her father’s family. She plans to sell, but while searching the property, she stumbles upon a family Bible, within which are the records of a long-held secret: in each generation of the Bridge family, one member mysteriously vanishes, transported to the past. Driven to uncover the truth and understand the implications of this curse, Cecily launches an investigation that brings her into contact with her own ancestors. Among them is Luke, the first Bridge to fall through time. From him, Cecily learns that a single change in the past could impact the future. Armed with this knowledge, Cecily meets Luke’s mother and tries to convince her to make different decisions and so alter their futures, breaking the curse. An abrupt ending and some wonky pacing disappoint, but Madison expertly navigates the time jumps, weaving together a robust shared history for the Bridge family. Fans of complex historical speculative fiction will be pleased. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Sept.)