Thomas Knight, a man who gets caught up in the circumstances around a mysterious, missing Shakespearean play, is faced with the types of tragedies that many of Shakespeare's characters faced. Thomas becomes involves in trying to solve the mysteries around this play when he is faced with a dead woman against his kitchen window and a mysterious visit from a former student. Thomas ends up going around the world in search of this play and trying to solve the mystery of why he is involved. Can Thomas face what is going on in his personal life with his estranged wife, and solve the mystery of the alleged missing play before time runs out for him?

Mr. Hartley does a remarkable job of taking a subject like Shakespeare and putting it into a novel for today’s readers. Many might not think that Shakespeare and a possible missing play could work in what people read today but What Time Devours works where many others might not. The missing play provides a nice backdrop to the murder mystery. The characterization of Thomas Knight was only shown to be realistic when his estranged wife was brought into the limelight. The relationship between the two appears genuine and comforting despite their history.