THE THIRTEENTH CHIME

Summary

Alva Arriaga is a young clock restorer who runs her own repair shop, One Second Before. When the powerful Belfer family hires Alva Arriaga to restore a century-old ceremonial clock for the wedding of Adrian Belfer and Cayetana Arriaga, she discovers that the ancient clock has been frozen at 11:03 for decades. While restoring the clock, Alva Arriaga uncovers a hidden service panel, a secret keyhole, and a mysterious thirteenth chime that was never meant to be heard. Following clues hidden in old blueprints, fire photographs, workshop records, and family genealogies, Alva Arriaga uncovers the story of Inés Arriaga, a gifted female craftswoman whose name was deliberately erased from history. Inés Arriaga helped create the clock’s most important mechanism, but disappeared after the devastating fire that destroyed the joint Belfer-Arriaga workshop in 1902. Amparo Belfer and Lorenzo Arriaga, the heads of the two powerful families, buried the truth for over a century to protect their reputations. Adrian Belfer finds himself trapped between his family’s expectations and his growing feelings for Alva Arriaga, while Cayetana Arriaga begins to realize that her marriage and future have always been controlled by the two families.