First in a new time-travel mystery series, modern-day homicide detective Mallory is attacked and nearly killed in an Edinburgh alley while jogging. At the exact same time, Catriona, a Victorian-era housemaid is attacked in the same alley in the same method. Mallory wakes up to find herself in Catriona’s body in the 1869 home of a funeral director/medical examiner who is helping to investigate a similar case. Mallory, along with a few other characters, works to unmask her modern-day serial killer who is also inhabiting an 1869 character…but who is he and how do they stop him?

This reminded me A LOT of a favorite time-travel series, Kendra Donovan (and I won’t lie, that bothers me a bit). The story was really too far-fetched, and I find the Donovan series more engaging, but I’d be willing to read the next as it was well-written and (accepting the suspension of disbelief) fairly interesting.

My thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for providing the free early arc for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This is the first book in a new series. I recommend starting it when you have plenty of time, because you won't want to put it down.

On May 20, 1869, a young woman in Victorian Edinburgh, Scotland is being attacked and strangled in an alley in Edinburgh. On May 20, 2019, a woman visiting Edinburgh hears a scuffle in an alley, and goes to see what is going on. She is grappling with an assailant when she suddenly falls, and wakes up to find herself in 1869 in the other woman's body - 150 years in the past.

In her own time, Mallory is a seasoned Canadian detective in her late 30's, and was in Edinburgh visiting her dying grandmother. Imagine her shock when she wakes up is in the other woman's body (a 20 year old), in Scotland in 1869, knowing almost nothing about the customs of the time. Fortunately someone recognizes her as Catriona and she is able to go to the house where Catriona is a not very popular or trusted housemaid. Otherwise, Mallory would have been homeless, a desperate situation in a time with few social services. Naturally she knows nothing about housekeeping in the Victorian period where there are no washing machines, clothes dryers, electric irons or flush toilets.

The family she is working for consists of two siblings, a widowed sister and her half-brother, Dr. Duncan Gray, who arranges funerals. At this time, embalming is not done so burials need to be fairly quick. Dr. Gray's true interest is in what we call forensic science, which has not yet been invented, and in determining the cause of death. He has friends in the police department who occasionally bring him bodies to examine. He is also a man of color which doesn't make life in Queen Victoria's realm any easier for him. Mallory can read and write and begins to assist him in his work by taking notes.

Meanwhile, there are other women being murdered in Edinburgh, and the murders are chillingly familiar to Mallory- they are copies of murders committed by Jack the Ripper, who hasn't been born yet. Those murders are still decades away. So who is butchering these women?

There isn't any overt romance in this book, although I'll be on the lookout for it in the next books. My thanks to St. Martin's Press. Minotaur Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. These are my own opinions.

2.5 STARS - I want to preface this review by saying that I love Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Underworld series for its strong supernatural women and great story lines. But I'm an outlier with my feelings for A Rip Through Time, the first book in a new series by this Canadian author.

I was intrigued by the story, which is a historical mystery, set in Scotland with a time travel element. The plot centres around Mallory, a Canadian police detective who goes for a jog one evening in Edinburgh only to be attacked and find herself in a 20-year-old woman's body ... in 1869. Murder, mystery, and 19th century Scotland make for a cool premise, but it was the way the story was told that had me struggling to finish this book.

The storytelling felt convoluted with way too much time spent in Mallory's head. Her constant chatter about the differences between 2019 and 1869, her continual use of modern terms/police techniques despite knowing her circumstances and the repetition within the story felt more telling than showing, greatly affected the pacing and tension.

The reader is expected to suspend disbelief for this story to work and I don't mind doing that, but too many elements were glossed over. From the time travel element to Mallory's ability to slip into a young girl's life and go from a simple and untrustworthy housemaid to being the right-hand woman to a medical examiner and immersed in a police investigation. And don't get me started on how the 19th century people easily accepted Mallory's time travel explanation with nary an issue. It was too much for me to accept.

I enjoyed how Armstrong describes the 19th century setting and the introduction of Isla's character (she was my fav) and the premise sounded right up my alley. But the story suffers from slow pacing, a lack of focus which made this book feel like its main purpose was setting up a new series. It didn't have enough substance on its own to keep my attention and with Mallory's constant internal dialogue and the inconsistencies, I felt repeatedly taken out of the plot as I tried to make sense of a story that seemed a bit clumsy in its telling.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Minotaur Books for the complimentary advanced digital copy of this title which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

I am not a lover of time travel stories, yet this one appealed to me because of the author, Kelley Armstrong. I loved her Stillhouse series, so was very pleased to have been approved for this book.

I enjoyed my travel back to the Victorian Era with our heroine, Mallory, who became a housemaid, Catronia, in a Doctor’s household. The doctor had an interest in forensics which of course being a police detective found a source of companionship with the doctor.

Mallory couldn’t reveal that she was from the future, so she did her best to adapt to her circumstances.

How Mallory wound up so many years in the past, was a result of her near death strangulation in a dark alley and then finding the very same occurrence in the same place had been done to Catronia. Mallory comes to the conclusion that the ladies switched places and realizes the would be killer probably had done the same. Will Mallory survive and will she return to her own century?

A well done story that held my interest with thanks to Kelley Armstrong, the publisher, and NetGalley.

I think I liked this time travel novel from the very moment I read the author’s note that precedes the first chapter. She has nothing to worry about. She’s a very good writer and she captured me from the beginning.
This is an unusual take on time travel, for the main character returns to 1869 not as herself but as another person. Both are assaulted in a dark lane on a date and at a time identical except for the more than a hundred year discrepancy. Somehow, they trade bodies.
Mallory is a 21st century police detective in Canada, visiting her grandmother in Edinburgh. Catriona is a 19th century housemaid in the employ of a doctor/undertaker/forensic scientist/researcher.
Cartriona is a thief and pickpocket. But when Mallory inhabits her body she clearly presents a very changed character. Explaining it away is a major task.
Of course there is a grisly murder, and a 19th century police officer is enlisting the doctor’s help. When he discovers the very changed housemaid in his employ, he does not so much question as enlist her. She can read and write. He did not know. She has an analytical mind. He did not know. She is delighted to help and he to have her help. You have to be willing to “suspend” a little (not to believe the time travel—-you wouldn’t be reading this book if you weren’t okay with that) to believe that the doctor and his sister and the police detective all so easily accept the new and very changed Catriona.
There are a number more twists and murders both throughout the rest of the book. The ending was not what I thought it would be. But I was not disappointed. If this turns out to be the first in a series, I will assuredly read them as they come out. Ms. Armstrong is a good writer and worth reading.

Slow to start, this new series is the culmination of Ms. Armstrong's time travel stories. I have read A Stitch in Time series and that one is more "gothic" romance with a twist. This series is more on mystery rather than romance which I greatly appreciate. In a bizarre incident, detective Mallory is sent back into time. Unlike the other series, Mallory also switches into someone else's body! The horrors of going back in time show up in this story in so many applicable ways.

People think I'm crazy when I answer my favourite thing about 1st world countries is indoor plumbing. Think about it. I like having a private and relatively clean bathroom where I can do my business and flush it away. I like having hot water whenever I want. I like having to shower or take a hot bath whenever I want without having to pump and haul in water. Using and cleaning chamber pots is abhorrent. Having to heat rooms solely through wood fireplaces is a nightmare. Living is hard without my modern conveniences which Mallory learns first hand. Not only does she not have these conveniences, but she is also the maid who has to either do the cleaning, hauling, or maintenance.

This book for the first few chapters dragged for me and I thought at first maybe I made a mistake. There is a lot about how life is different in the Victorian era. Looking back, this is needed in some sense to give a good baseline. Plus it is a disorienting time for Mallory. Once the mystery starts to happen, then I'm so much more interested. This is more than just a mystery. It is also a cultural comparison of how things have changed yet others are still the same. I won't spoil it by sharing the differences.

The human aspects of this story are captivating for me. Not only is this a mystery with time travel, but Mallory takes on a role where it is much less than her life's. In addition, the person she is taking over is a horrible person, the opposite of so many of Mallory's ethics. I cannot fathom being stuck in someone else's drama and bullshit. Then having to own it and clean it up. Mallory is a survivor, that is for sure. By the end of this book, I admire her greatly and I look forward to the next book in this series.

I've long been a fan of Kelley Armstrong and this book hasn't changed my mind. The concept blends a little of the paranormal flavor we know and love with the mystery aspect that she does so well. The characters and pacing are well developed and engaging. I enjoyed spending time in this historical world and look forward to more!

A Rip Through Time is part murder mystery, part time travel, and a whole lot of can’t-put-it-down writing.

Mallory is an excellent main character—driven, independent, strong, family oriented, and resourceful. She’s quick on her feet, both literally and figuratively, and I very much enjoyed her as a narrator.

This story was easy to read and hard to put down, which makes for a perfect book club or beach read. The writing is approachable, but interesting, and the story has great pacing. I think this would be great for fans of Outlander, in the time travel sense. This is a 4/5 for me!

I was first introduced to Kelley Armstrong's writing through her Rockton series and really enjoyed it, but I hadn't tried any of her other books until now. So happy I gave this series debut a try! I've enjoyed time travel books in the past, but fantasy isn't often my first choice. This one was quite enjoyable as the reader travels back in time from 2019 to 1869 with Canadian detective Mallory Atkinson. 30 year old Mallory is attacked in her time, only to awake as 19 year old housemaid Catriona who was also attacked in the same spot in Scotland, on the same day, 150 years prior. Someone is murdering people and Mallory is determined to figure out who. Who can she trust? How does she get back to her own time? Are people in Victorian times as smelly as she always thought? I enjoy how Armstrong does involve romance, but in a background way that doesn't detract from the mystery and plot. This book ended and I was wishing the next was available!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I just finished reading A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong

Mallory is a detective in Vancouver but travels to Scotland to be with her dying nan…
One night while jogging, she is attacked by an assailant... she wakes up in a bed not her own nor in a hospital and not even in her own time or body.
The body belongs to Catriona, a maid and like Mallory, someone had tried to kill her too. Can she figure out who tried to kill Catriona without anyone figuring out she isn't who she says she is? Can she make it back to her time and back in her body to catch the person who tried to kill her?

This book started a little slow. I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it but I need not worry. It really found its feet by chapter 4 and I couldn't put the book down.
Mallory is my kind of woman! Adaptable and strong… her boss, or Catriona's boss Duncan, a doctor and undertaker, who consults for the police, really complicated her character. He was a gentleman with a little edge and didn't take liberties with his staff. He lives with his widowed sister, Isla and she really was a woman ahead of her time. The only person Mallory confides in and she uses logic and skilled reasoning when she learns the truth.
Watching everyone come together to try and solves murders in a time when forensic science was barely emerging was exciting.
I didn't dig the ending, I would have liked a little more but I found out this is a series debut and I did the happiest of jigs! I'm excited to see what happens next!

If you love a thrilling historical fiction that will have you gripped then this is the book for you! Due out end of May!

4.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley and minotaur books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

Not a bad read. Wish I had known that it was probably the first in a series as seemed by the ending. Like time travel books and this was a good one though at times seemed a bit contrived. Would read the next, if there is going to be another, but would not pay major bucks. Enjoyed as it was an easy read and interesting Scotland history.

I'm sorry, but I just couldn't finish this book.

The concept sounds great: a 21st century homicide detective gets attacked by a serial killer. That attack somehow takes her back in time to 1869 Scotland & wakes up in the body of 19 year old house maid named Catroina, who was also attacked in the same alleyway more than a century earlier. I thought this would be a fun, exciting read, but I'm not enjoying it at all.

I just can't suspend my disbelief enough to get into this book. The modern detective quickly figures out that's she not in 21st century Scotland anymore but she doesn't do anything to try to blend in until she figures out how to get back home. She knows the vocabulary is different back then, but she keeps blurting out modern terms like "sex worker" instead of "prostitute." Then, the other characters in the story calmly accept the odd phrase or term. She always explains it away by telling people the attack had addled her brain and affected her vocabulary. It was mildly amusing the first couple of times, it got really old, really fast. Wouldn't a smart detective who is essentially working undercover in 1869 Scotland adjust her way of speaking to try to avoid the extra attention?

If you like Kelley Armstrong's other works, you might enjoy this one. I didn't.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I really liked this story. I’ve read some of Ms. Armstrong’s work in the past and her prose is always easy to read and enjoyable. The premise here of a modern day female detective transported through time when she’s attacked in a dark lane in old Edinburgh is creative and right up this reader’s alley. Being a huge fan of Edinburgh and having experienced the magic of the city firsthand, in this reader’s opinion, it’s the perfect setting for the story. A very atmospheric town and extra creepy in 1869 when the lighting would have been candles or gas lights.

The heroine is plucky and savvy and learns quickly that she’ll have to work hard to try to fit in where most everything is unfamiliar. The work she has to do as a housemaid is tough yet she realizes a roof over her head in those hard times is worth the backbreaking chores. Even the cleaning of the chamber pots.
Ms. Armstrong does a great job evoking the era in housing and the sights/smells of an old city as well as the biases against women and people of mixed race.

The supporting characters are well-drawn and appealing with each having unique qualities. I especially enjoyed the brother and sister and how they interacted with the heroine as well as each other and the local police detective. There were parts that strained credulity, but being as it’s a time travel story, realism was always going to take a back seat.

The heroine was flawed and made mistakes which made the tale more exciting. A perfect heroine is always dull. The person whose body the heroine was transported into was a wicked person and I’m glad the heroine made many attempts to try to make things right with the people the real housemaid harmed.

It appears there will be more stories with these characters which is great as they each have their own unique back story and I, for one, look forward to exploring more of old Edinburgh with them and learning more about their lives.

2.5 stars

It has been a long time since I’ve read a Kelley Armstrong book, mostly known for her YA books this I believe is not YA though it does have a YA feel.

I love the cover I think it invokes the time travel feel with a Gothic vibe. I like that the blurb tells readers right away that this is the beginning of a new series, which prepared me for possible cliffhangers and also setting up things for future books. I did not find any indication to say how big this series will be.

I'm just going to forewarn you that I am going against the flow in regards to my thoughts. It is a slow burn story told from the point of view of Mallory, a 30 year old in current time. But as she travels back in time she is 10 years younger. The adjustment of going from a modern day police officer with the world of electronics at her fingertips to a housemaid is, well an adjustment. How she jumped through time was a unique concept that raised the question of what happened to Catriona. Most of the story takes place in Mallory‘s head. We are privy to her thoughts for the majority of the book which I found repetitive as she rehashed so much over and over again.

This was very much a tell story vs show and sometimes that works but for me it didn’t in this instance. Another POV might have been nice to get a break from Mallory and her thinking. There were just too many inconsistencies to name them all. But I preserved when the last third finally started to pickup with some action and a few questions sorta answered.

I am so disappointed that my feelings didn't jive with most other reviews, but when it became a chore to pick up my kindle that is a tell tale sign that maybe I should give up.

My thanks to Minotaur Books for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.

I enjoy many of Kelley's Armstrong's books, but I think she excels with her world building, and this book was no exception. I particularly enjoyed her cast of characters and the twists and turns the story takes. I look forward to see where this series takes us.

• Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing this Advance Reading Copy. Expected publication date is May 31, 2022.

I liked the premise of this book (A modern-day homicide detective finds herself in Victorian Scotland―in an unfamiliar body―with a killer on the loose) but to compare it to Outlander is quite a stretch. It did not have the depth of character nor the sense of Scotland that Gabaldon’s books invoke. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the book for for what it is — a good time-travel, historical mystery but do not go into it expecting to find Jamie and Claire between the pages.

When I requested an advance copy of this book I did not realize it was the beginning of a new series; so the ending was a great surprise.

Mallory is an awesome character, I love how she takes everything in stride and reminds herself how lucky she is that she landed in the house that she did. Other employers in the Victorian age would not have been so understanding.

Kelley is one of my favorite authors and this book did not let me down. I love the mix of present day and Victorian Edinburgh as well as the mentions of Vancouver. I love reading stories that take place in places I have lived or visited, it takes you back to your time in that city and makes the story more personal.

I cannot wait to read more books in this series.

I have enjoyed this story very much and look forward to the sequel. It's well thought out and I love the character of Isa. If she and Hugh gets together I'll be very pleased. There is some hand waviness on how Mallory is fortunate to be employed by a 'modern' day doctor, but I really enjoyed the historical content and the descriptions. The murder mystery was good and logically done. Poor Isa. I just hope that Catriona isn't having a hay day in Mallory's body as Mallory is as considerate in hers. I doubt it though. It would be interesting if the next book was from Catriona 's point-of-view in the modern times and how it could relate back to her own time. But we'll see when the next book comes out.

There is a hint of attraction between Mallory and her employer but if it goes somewhere, it'll better be good. Ugh.

Another new series is always welcome- that is if it is well written , with great characters one cares about and a great ending to carry over to future books. This books fulfills all of those requirements and I literally cannot wait to see future stories.
Mallory is a detective in current times who is transported to Victorian times when she is attacked by a man who means to kill her. She finds herself in the body of a housemaid who was attacked in the same spot and time. The initial part of the story moves slowly but inexorably as the reader learns how she adjusts to her new circumstances. Seldom have I felt so keenly the plight of a heroine in a book. The book picks up momentum and becomes very exciting with a blockbuster ending that left me totally invested.
The characters the reader meets in the Victorian world are so interesting and well developed. Dr Gray and his sister Isla , McCreadie who is their friend and a policeman and the other house staff Alice and Mrs. Wallace are all skillfully drawn.
It was most interesting to read of the contrasts between detective techniques and forensic methods between the two historical time periods.
The book has so much and crosses genres that give it very wide appeal. It is a fantasy about time travel, a "murder" mystery, a compelling historical fiction work from Victorian times and a literary work addressing friendship, home, how women are treated and many other issues .
I look forward to it's publication and only hope the author has a plan for many more books in this series. This work also make a great film series.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for a chance to read the ARC in exchange for a honest review,expected publication date 5/31/2022.

I’ve loved Ms. Armstrong’s Rockton series for years and jumped at the chance to read this book. The storyline was phenomenal and I loved seeing the working relationship blossom between not only Catriona/Mallory and Gray, but also with Isla. The way the story wove together was seamless and I couldn’t put this book down once I started it. I hope to see more of this fantastic cast of characters, as I think this will end up being my new favorite series!