A Rip Through Time
A Rip Through Time is the promising first book in a brand-new time travel series from Kelley Armstrong.
May 20, 2019: Homicide detective Mallory is in Edinburgh to be with her dying grandmother. While out on a jog one evening, Mallory hears a woman in distress. She’s drawn to an alley, where she is attacked and loses consciousness.
May 20, 1869: Housemaid Catriona Mitchell had been enjoying a half-day off, only to be discovered that night in a lane, where she’d been strangled and left for dead . . . exactly one-hundred-and-fifty years before Mallory was strangled in the same spot.
When Mallory wakes up in Catriona's body in 1869, she must put aside her shock and adjust quickly to the reality: life as a housemaid to an undertaker in Victorian Scotland. She soon discovers that her boss, Dr. Gray, also moonlights as a medical examiner and has just taken on an intriguing case, the strangulation of a young man, similar to the attack on herself. Her only hope is that catching the murderer can lead her back to her modern life . . . before it's too late.
What appealed to you the most in this story?
I’m someone who loves being a couch detective, and I really enjoyed the mystery and trying to solve it as I read. It was also interesting to see how early forensics were used to solve crimes.
How were the characters?
Mallory (a homicide detective from 2019) was lucky enough to end up in a household where she is employed as a housemaid. I really liked how she delt with her situation as she tried to deal with someone trying to kill her and others while not revealing too much that pertains to the future and trying to figure out a way back to her own time. I did find a few of her actions a bit illogical for a single woman of that time period to pull off, and you will have to suspend disbelief a few times, but it made for intrigue and adventure.
I loved how diverse and how fascinated Dr Gray was by forensics and developing science in his time, and he was quite the intriguing character.
Dr. Gray's older half-sister, Isla, is a chemist and she's a fabulous, smart, and witty character! I think she may have been my favorite character in the book.
How was the pace?
This is a slow-burn mystery with a steady pace. It is the first book in a new series, so Armstrong has given great detail to setting a character development.
Do you recommend this book?
This book is for those who enjoy time travel, mystery and suspense. I’m curious to see where Mallory’s story goes from here and look forward to the next installment.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
Thank you, Minotaur Books, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.
