Dr. Owen Vannice is bringing a juvenile apatosaurus back from the Cretaceous Era. But a technical problem with the time stage he's traveling on temporarily strands him in first century Jerusalem, where he bumps into a father-and-daughter con artist team, August and Genevieve Faison. August and Genevieve quickly determine that the animal in Owen's crate, which Owen insists is a dog, is really a valuable dinosaur, and they plot to steal it.

The first century Jerusalem they are stranded in is part of what is called a "moment universe," one where time travelers have altered history and now interact freely with the "historicals." (Unchanged universes exist too, but guides carefully limit tourist contact with them.) In this moment universe, Herod's Palace is now a resort hotel, and both Owen and the Faisons book rooms there.

Working at Herod's Palace is Simon, the former apostle. He despises how the visitors of the future have taken over his time and how their culture is corrupting his people, especially his son Samuel. He has joined a group of terrorists who want to take back Jerusalem and who are plotting a raid on the hotel.

The Faisons' plot, meanwhile, involves gaining Owen's trust through Genevieve's romantic advances. But Genevieve finds herself actually falling in love with Owen. She tells her father that she won't go through with the theft, and that she'll stop him if he tries. He's disappointed, but not dissuaded. But in the basement, where the hotel's kennels are located, she does thwart him -- just as the terrorist raid, with Simon at its center, begins.

A 1940s comedy set in the future of the 1st century

Corrupting Dr. Nice is a wonderful screwball comedy with a plot that pays homage to the films of the 1940s. Kessel, in fact, dedicates the book to a long list of great directors from the era. The result is both hilarious and metaphorically apt, as Kessel adapts this art form from another era while his characters struggle with the ethics of a world where time travel is not only commonplace, but heavily commercialized.

The heart of the novel revolves around the implications of miscommunication between Genevieve and Owen. Kessel's use of alternating viewpoint between the two characters works to great effect as both struggle with their mutual attraction, while each feels betrayed by the other. It's both an amusing interaction and an interesting commentary on the relationships between the sexes, all set against, and exploiting, the rich political background Kessel creates.

And despite the humorous and personal nature of the action, Kessel does make one of the more serious examinations of the politics of time travel yet seen, presenting all sides of the argument fairly enough, and it's not obvious where Kessel would stand on the issue. In the process he has created a rich background for his characters.

This is a book full of witty observations, sharply funny details and some enjoyable cameo appearances (including speeches by Abraham Lincoln and Jesus). Kessel pulls off the 1940s-style screwball comedy exquisitely, and the result is a novel that's a great deal of fun to read.