Another great Kelley Armstrong read.

I've read a number of time travel books. In most books, the traveller has found themselves in their own body in a different time. It was refreshing to read a book was a different view point on time travel. It gave the story added dimension as Mallory not only had to adapat to being in another time period, she had to adapt to being in another body as well.

My only complaint (and it really was minor and infrequent), was that the odd time I felt like the main character was Casey from the Rockton series. But that only happened a few times near the very beginning of the story, probably because Mallory was also a cop, and also in a situation where everything she knew about policing couldn't be used. One thing Kelley Armstong nails is characterization and character arcs, so it wasn't long before Mallory became her own unique character and I forgot that comparison to Casey.

I'm so looking forward to reading more in this series as there are so many things to love about Mallory, Gray and Isla. I'm really curious how this one will play out over time.

Okay, this was fun! Overall, it felt like a long preamble and set up for where the series is actually going to go, but I had a good time with it so it doesn't feel like time wasted. The Outlander connection definitely makes sense, because Claire also tries to make the best of a new life in the past, since there's no concept of when/if she might get back to the future. There's also a soupcon of Freaky Friday. The most important thing to do with this book is to just not question the premises. The bad news is that now I'm going to have to wait approximately a million years to read what happens next.

Mallory, a 30-year-old Canadian police detective, is in Edinburgh because her grandmother is dying. One night, in order to decompress from the emotional exhaustion, she goes for a run and gets attacked in an alley by a serial killer who she just happened to spill coffee on earlier in the day. (This seems like an EXTREMELY tenuous connection to me, but like I said, you just have to go with these crazy moments!) The last thing she remembers is being strangled, and then she wakes up in a strange bed in a strange body. She's time traveled to 1869 and is now a 19-year-old housemaid named Catriona, working in the household of essentially an old timey coroner (aka undertaker) and his half-sister. People seem to notice that "Catriona" does not seem like herself, and Mallory begins to learn more and more about the person she has become, but also starts assisting her employer Dr. Gray and the local policeman with their investigation of a recent spate of murders. Things really ramp up when she starts to suspect that her attempted murderer traveled back in time with her, and she endeavors to figure out who he body swapped with.

If you accept as a given that a housemaid's employers would go along with her assisting an investigation when previously they thought she couldn't even read or write, AND that said employers would readily believe her story of being a time traveling detective, you'll get far with this. There were some areas that felt clumsy, or less considered. For example, there's basically a xenophobic element that's introduced, but it doesn't amount to anything or end up really having to do with the larger mystery, so I'm not quite sure why it was included.

There's some interesting things that could happen here, especially since we learn that Dr. Gray is mixed race, and his mother was Indian, and how that plays in Edinburgh in the 1860s is...challenging.

The thing that I least believed, honestly, was not the time travel or the body swapping or any of that. It was that Mallory, not once, considered that she hadn't time traveled. If it were me, I would at least consider that, like, I had a traumatic brain injury and was in a coma or something.

My one hesitation on this one is the idea that there's a "romance" coming. I have some complicated feelings about Mallory having feelings for Dr. Gray because 1) she's not in her own body, and 2) the body she's in is 19 and Dr. Gray is in his 30s. So I think that's going to be...weird, but I'm intrigued enough to see where it goes.

Anyway, like I said, I'll look forward to reading more from this series. I think I'll likely wait for the next installment before stocking this one, but will keep it in my back pocket for hand selling if it makes sense.

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong is a great "back in time" book. If you like a serial killers and true crime, this will be for you. Mallory is a badass. She is a detective that is strong and confident and understands her job. The way Mallory was transported back in time is different from other books I have read. It is hard to keep from giving away the storyline but it is unique. I was not expecting the fallout from being transported back. Once you read this, you will be anxiously waiting for the next with me.

I'm a huge fan of Ms Armstrong. It was her Bitten series that introduced me to the magical land of super natural creatures and cultivated my love for this genre. When I saw I had the opportunity to read this book, I jumped at the chance.

To be truthful, I'm not a fan of historical novels. When i read the description I was hesitant as I thought I may not enjoy this novel as I have the ones before. It's been a long time since I became so inthralled with a book that I put my life on hold to sit and binge read. A Rip Through Time captured my imagination from the beginning and I couldn't put it down.

Things I loved! The adventure and discovery of Malory's journey back in time, trying desperately to fit in and not cause suspicion as she is trying to figure out her new surroundings in Victoria Scotland. I adore the relationship she builds with Gray and Ilsa, but the most intriguing aspects were how forensic sciences or lack there of were handled back then. How differently medical science was viewed then and how much it has evolved in the modern world. The story had some unexpected twists that kept you engaged to the very end.

What i didn't love was the book ended and now there's no telling how long i'll have to wait to continue the story and the adventure of these characters. I wish i could now travel to the future to the last book in this series so I can binge read them beginning to end.

Thank You NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this engaging ARC!

It took me a few chapters to get into this story, but once I did it was hard to out down. I became very attached to all the main characters - Mallory/Catriona, The Dr, his sister, and the police detective. By the end, they felt very real and I was invested in their story completely. I genuinely hope there will be more stories to come.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

For fans of Outlander & The Alienist, for history buffs & murder mystery enthusiasts, this atmospheric whodunit is calling out to you.

A Rip Through Time is one part crime fiction & one part historical fiction featuring female friendships, women in STEM, budding forensic science & of course, murder. I was slightly Jack the Ripper baited (maybe it was the title?) but I should have clued in given this was set in Edinburgh and not London. I blame it on my near constant state of sleep deprivation.

Kelley is clearly setting up for a new series and I adored all of these characters. I can’t wait to see what the future books hold for them.

“I haven’t fixed things with Gray. Not by a long shot. But I will. I’ll mend the damage with Gray, and I’ll find my way home.”

Thank you to @Author @NetGalley @StMartinsPress @Minotaur for this eARC. All opinions are my own. Pub date for A Rip Through Time is May 31st, 2022 & is now available for pre-order from major retailers.

I cannot say enough about this book. I do have to say it is the best book I have read in a long time. I read a book every two-three days and this beats them all. I love time travel books and I love detective stories. This has an abundance of both. This is a well-written, well-thought-out book. As I was reading it, I was hoping and looking for another one, hoping for a series. All I can say is to put aside any book(s) you are currently reading and get this one now. I wish I could give it more than five stars. Ms. Armstrong, congratulations! You have really created an astonishingly great book. I REALLY want to see the movie that it would make. I am privileged to have received an advance review copy for an honest review. If you do not read this book, you are truly missing out!!

May 20, 2019: Homicide detective Mallory flew from Canada to Edinburgh to be with her dying grandmother. On the evening of May 20, 2019 she goes for a jog and interrupts an attack on a woman and is knocked out in a fight.

Housemaid Catriona Mitchell was discovered in a strangled and left for dead in the same spot on May 20, 1869.

Mallory wakes up in Catriona's body in 1869, she must adjust quickly, hiding that she's from the future. Luckily the head injury can cover some of the differences as she learns how to be a housemaid for a Victorian undertaker. Her employer, Dr. Gray is helping the police with an intriguing case... maybe solving this murder can help her return to her own life and body.

Why I started this novel: Armstrong has been a longstanding auto buy for me, so I jumped at the possibility of an ARC.

Why I finished it: While I don't go looking for time travel novels, I do enjoy the stories. And I liked that Mallory struggled to find out what happened and how to get home... while sometimes being sidetracked by the slew of murders in 1869. And I'm glad that this is a series, because the ending was so abrupt that I searched Armstrong's website for info on the second in the series. No luck, but I did find a bibliography and recommended books for further reading about the Victorian age.

detective, time-travel, Edinburgh Scotland, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, situational-humor, murder, murder-investigation, mystery, thriller, suspense, person-of-color*****

This can't be an unbiased review because I love so much of this author's imaginative writing.
Of course I loved the story, but what was best was the clarity of the imagery and the way the characters are so real to me. This story is so well crafted that, as the reader, I felt totally involved and a part of it all. The publisher's blurb was a truly intriguing hook but one I was into the story the hook was set and I had to read it straight through to the end.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

As a long-time fan of Armstrong's writing I was very happy to receive an ARC for A Rip Through Time. Taking someone and dropping them 150 years back in time is a popular trope, but having them occupy someone else's body is an interesting twist..
Mallory is a 2019 police detective who is visiting her dying Grandmother. Waiting for someone to die is a stressful process and she decides to go for a late night run. Hearing a woman in distress she walks into the proverbial trap and becomes a victim herself. She wakes transported back to 1869 and inhabits a younger, smaller maid's body. Pretending to suffer from amnesia, she fumbles her way through the duties of a maid and also discovers that Catriona is not a well liked person, in fact she is an obnoxious bully and thief.
Slowly, she works her way into the good graces of the Master of the house, Dr. Gray, who is practicing in the beginning stages of forensic science. An undertaker by trade, he assists a police inspector by examining murder victims before the so-called medical examiner does.
The only problem that I had was that Mallory/Catriona uses modern terminology before she actually thinks about what she is saying and has to back pedal at times.
The side characters are wonderful. the mystery has only started to evolve, and the physical settings are vividly portrayed.
I will most definitely continue this series.

Thank You NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this engaging ARC!

This is the beginning of a new series by Kelley Armstrong. I enjoy a good gothic book, and this does not disappoint. It was such a fun enjoyable mystery. The characters are interesting and I look forward to reading the next books in this series. I do recommend this book!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a start to a new mystery series. I enjoyed the time travel aspect and trying to solve the mystery along with detective mallory.

You can count on Kelley Armstrong to deliver a great story, no matter which genre she chooses to write in. This time, it’s a time-travel story combined with a murder mystery! I really enjoyed her recent time-travel series, A Stitch in Time, so was really curious about this new time-traveling series. I loved the idea: Mallory, a Canadian police officer who is attacked in 2019 Edinburgh, wakes up in the body of a housemaid named Catriona in 1869 Edinburgh, exactly 150 years earlier. Mallory is the ultimate “fish out of water”. She has to get used to 19th century clothing and customs, while trying to figure out what has happened to her. She keeps wanting to reach for her cellphone! Her struggles made for some great reading, and Armstrong made 1869 Edinburgh come alive for me. I look forward to further books in this new series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Kelley Armstrong is always a treat to read and this book is no exception. I loved the 'Stitch in Time" series and the Edinburgh setting for this story really put the hook in me.
She evokes the city so well and the time travel component is also really well done. Her characters are always so well drawn - Mallory's smarts and struggles with her circumstances whole trying to figure out a murderers identity just pulled me right through this book.
Couldn't put it down.

Kelley Armstrong has once again penned an imaginative, spellbinding, well-written page-turner of a book that sets the typical time-travel novel on its head and doesn't let up.
Reading #ARipThroughTime, which I was fortunate to get an advanced copy of through #NetGalley, presented me with a rare experience - I was tempted to skip ahead to the end of the novel to see what happened, so invested was I in Mallory's story. From the moment I picked up the book I was enthralled, drawn in by the elegant yet easy-to-read prose that Armstrong uses to tell her story. All of the other characters are nuanced and relatable, from the investigators to the household staff to the criminal element, and the interactions between them are compelling. The murder mystery is complex and imbued with the fascinating dilemma of the main character being a detective yet not being able to let on she has the skills to solve the case while helping with the case.
I do not want to give anything away, so I will just say that the story keeps you guessing until the very end, and leaves enough unresolved to keep the reader coming back for more.
The skill Armstrong demonstrates in the telling of this tale is why she is so highly regarded at home in Canada and abroad. Bravo!

I deeply enjoyed this title. Having been a fan of Ms. Armstrong's previous series I was looking forward to her handling of time-travel and was suitably impressed. "A rip through time" has the perfect blend of time travel, crime procedural, and a hint at future romance. I highly recommend 👌

I am doomed (blessed?) to love every Kelley Armstrong I have the opportunity to read. She just does such an amazing job connecting the reader with the main character, making us feel as though we are really in that person's head. This twisty historical mystery with time travel was a bit different than what I've come to expect to her, but I found it to be an exciting new direction. Can't wait for the next book!

Absolutely loved this book! Loved the historical setting as, Mallory Atkinson
travels back in time to Edinburgh, Scotland in the 1800's. The murder mystery plot was creative and well thought out and developed. The clothing, language and description of the time period were spot on. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book. It was really well written and it just had you trying to solve the mystery. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.

I enjoyed this so much and cannot wait for the next installment ! Mallory is a detective in Canada, in 2019. She is attacked in an alley and finds herself in the body of a housemaid, Catriona, in Scotland in 1869. I especially enjoyed Mallory’s difficulty in playing the part of a housemaid. She is always reaching for her cell phone and of course the language is different. She has to remember the time difference. Also she learns Catriona is not really a nice person. She is a thief, uses her friends and sells information. A great story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.