About this book:

In "The Shadow of the Past," historian Gwen Harlow's obsession with a series of unsolved Victorian murders plunges her into an impossible reality. While cataloging a crumbling estate, she uncovers an ancient, humming timepiece—the Chronos Key—that transports her to 1888 London, directly into the heart of the very mysteries she meticulously studied. Caught between two worlds, Gwen must navigate gaslit streets and societal dangers to unravel a conspiracy far grander than she ever imagined, discovering a secret society known as "The Keepers of the Old Ways" who are manipulating history through ritualistic murders.

Driven by a fierce sense of justice and guided by the cryptic diary of a vanished constable, Gwen uncovers the Aether Lock, a second artifact linked to the murders, and learns of the Keepers' chilling agenda: to control humanity's future by severing specific bloodlines they deem "anomalies." Facing the ruthless Lord Ashworth, the mastermind behind the centuries-old conspiracy, Gwen must use her knowledge of the future and her newfound allies in the past to disrupt his plans. She ultimately shatters both time-traveling artifacts, trapping Ashworth in the past and returning to her own time with irrefutable evidence, forever changing history.

Returning to a subtly altered present, Gwen finds herself in a new battle. Lord Ashworth, now known as the powerful industrialist Lord Alaric Sterling, continues his insidious work, using modern technology to track and neutralize "anomaly" bloodlines. With her time-traveling tools destroyed, Gwen, aided by her unwavering colleague Eleanor Finch and a dedicated team, must expose Sterling's digital labyrinth and fight a methodical, intellectual war against the Keepers. Her journey culminates in a renewed partnership with a mysteriously resurfaced Silas, empowering her to become a guardian of history, dedicated to reclaiming suppressed truths and ensuring a future where fate is unwritten by ancient shadows.