I LOVED this book! Time travel, forensic science, police investigation, personal mystery….this book has it all! When Mallory got attacked in an alley and then found herself in a different time & a different body she had so much figuring out to do. The police investigator in her helped move the story along. The pace was great and I really enjoyed the characters: Isla, Duncan, McCreadie and the other house staff. I enjoyed the references to Canada & being Canadian. I enjoy reading books by Canadian authors and this book was fabulous!
The ending left me wanting more & I’m very invested in knowing if Mallory makes it back in time to see her Nan before she passes. I cannot wait for the second book to come out so I can continue this story.

Thanks to NetGalley & St. Martin’s Publishing for the chance to read this most excellent book!

A Rip Through Time is a new series debut by one of my favorite authors and I absolutely loved it!!

This book was so unique and the characters truly came to life for me. I absolutely loved the time travel twist of a modern-day homicide detective finding herself transported back in time in Victorian Scotland.

Our MC finds herself in the unfamiliar body of a murder victim who died on the same night in the same place 150 years earlier with a killer who most definitely still wants her dead. I loved how Mallory must quickly learn to navigate in an entirely different world as the person she looked like and still try to stop a killer. This was such a great read the world building was fantastic and I can’t wait for the next installment. I absolutely highly recommend this book!

I was provided and e-arc through NetGalley for my honest opinion.

This book has:

Time Travel
Mystery
Thriller Elements
Character-driven
Victorian Era
Canadian FC
Cop FC

I want to start off by saying I never read Mystery/Thrillers, but I gave this book a chance because I've read the author before. I have read Victorian romance novels so I was familiar with the era.

This book was highly character driven. Multiple mysteries that tied into the initial mystery - Who tried to strangle the main character? Learning about Catriona through Mallory's eyes was interesting . It provoked thoughts about what you'd do if you found yourself in the Victorian Era having to relearn everything you thought you knew.

The story lagged about 1/2 to 3/4th the way through - I found myself not wanting to pickup the book as much. Once it picked up, it picked up quickly and ended. It did wrap up the story but obviously left it wide open for the next in the series.

Isla, Duncan and McCreadie were all characters I enjoyed to read about. Duncan sometimes felt a little flat (only because of his logical nature, which is hard sometimes to deepen). Isla was truly the star of the side characters and I loved the friendship that formed between her and Mallory.

Overall a fantastic read if you're into any of the elements mentioned. I look forward to the next installment.

Read if you love:
🗡Time travel
🗡Mystery
🗡Forensics
🗡Victorian Scotland
🗡Character diversity
🗡Twists and turns
🗡Open-ended storylines
🗡Budding romance

“𝑻𝒊𝒎𝒆-𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒄𝒐𝒑 𝒇𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒃𝒚 𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝑽𝒊𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔” 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒂𝒑𝒉 𝑰 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅.“

This was such a different, but fun and refreshing read! Forensic science was just starting to be studied during this time period, so it was really interesting traveling to Victorian Scotland with our heroine. It felt like I was reading a historical episode of CSI. First, it was hilarious as Mallory went from modern day detective to Victorian housemaid and she tried to navigate speaking and her new job. Then her eccentric employer Dr. Gray, who is an undertaker by day and a medical examiner by night, added a whole other layer of fun. I enjoyed the entire cast of characters and the emergence of a serial killer which brought Mallory’s investigative background to the fore. There were so many twist and turns as she tried to figure out a way back to present day while also trying to catch a serial killer. This book wasn’t heavy on romance, but I could tell that there a couple potential romances on the horizon. You could say this ended on a cliffhanger because though there is a huge storyline that is closed…well, I’ll just leave it at that!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own.

3.75 stars rounded up.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. A Rip Through Time follows homicide detective Mallory who hears a woman in distress. She’s drawn to an alley, where she is attacked and loses consciousness. The same day, 150 years earlier, housemaid Catriona Mitchell is discovered that night in a lane, where she’d been strangled and left for dead in the exact same spot as Mallory. Mallory hopes that by catching the murderer she can get back to her modern life before a killer finds her.

I think in all, I was much more compelled by the characters and the world than the mystery, which I was a little bummed by. At times it felt like (despite being a homicide detective) she just accused everyone and the killer was just process of elimination. However, I think I would still pick up the sequel!

A Rip Through Time is an interesting piece of historical fiction. Mallory is stuck in 1869 Edinburgh after she is attacked in 2019. She wakes in the body of Catriona, a housemaid. I felt like I was getting an entertaining history lesson as I learned about life in 1869 Scotland. The setting was almost a character in this interesting story. I was pleased to see this is the first of a series - I look forward to the next book in the series. I would recommend to fans of cozy mysteries and/or historical fiction.

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong is book one of a new series about a homicide detective that starts the day in 2019 and ends up almost dead in 1869. Homicide detective Mallory is in Edinburgh, and she goes for a jog. While on that jog, she hears a scream and goes to investigate. She somehow ends up in the attacked woman's body in 1869, where women are not taken very seriously. She starts to investigate what happened so that she can go back to her modern-day life, but she ends up making some friends along the way. This book was unputdownable, as are all the other books that I've read by Armstrong. I can't wait for the next book in this new series! Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Mallory, a police detective from Vancouver, is in Edinburgh, Scotland to be with her dying grandmother. One afternoon she makes a mis-judgement while investigating a noise she hears in a dark alley. As a result, she is nearly strangled by an unknown assailant. When she wakes up she discovers that she has inexplicably been transported to 19th century Edinburgh and has taken the form of a young housemaid in a very untraditional home. As Mallory tries to find her way back to the 21st century she is caught up in a murder investigation that also holds personal relevance.

A Rip Through Time is a clever premise that will take the reader to Victorian Scotland at a time when women were often overlooked and under estimated, people lived in abject poverty, and forensic science was in its infancy. It is a fascinating look at the customs and beliefs of the time. Overall, it’s a good story, although the first few chapters seemed to drag. However, beyond that the story picks up the pace, even though the logic behind the murder investigation sometimes seems a little flawed or incomplete. Even so, I enjoyed Kelley Armstrong’s book and will give it
3.5 *s bumped up to 4. Meanwhile, I hope there will be another book to look forward to.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

I love Kelly Armstrong’s A Stitch in Time series! Therefore, I was excited to A Rip in Time. Mrs. Armstrong has a talent for blending mystery, fantasy, and mystery into an engrossing novel! I was hooked from the first page and was on the edge of my seat until the end!

Mallory is a very compelling and relatable character. She takes her job seriously and is very passionate about what she does. She has a strong sense of justice. I found Mallory to be a strong, independent, and intelligent heroine. Therefore, Mallory is an admirable heroine, and I rooted for her to find the killer!

Overall, this novel is about justice, family, and choices. I found all the characters to be realistic and complex. The mystery was very compelling and full of many twists! The story is very well-written and made the Victorian era come alive! A Rip Through Time is a fast-paced read that is full of suspense, action, and time-travel with a hint of romance! I recommend this for fans of A Murder in Time, The Scribe of Sienna, and Into the Dim!

Canadian detective Mallory is in Scotland for her grandmother’s imminent death when she interrupts a crime in a dark alley. Injured, she wakes up, not in a hospital but in the home of a wealthy funeral director. But she’s not Mallory, she’s Catriona, and it’s not 2019, it’s 1869.

As Mallory pieces together the world she’s entered, she finds herself attracted to Hugh, her employer. When his widowed sister returns home, Mallory tells her of her plight. The only problem is, somebody else has time traveled as well, and that person is trying to kill her, but Mallory doesn’t know who it is.

This book has an interesting premise, and most of the characters are very likable, but it’s overly long. And this book is the first of a new series, so the story is not fully resolved. #ARipThroughTime #NetGalley

In A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong, Mallory Atkinson is a modern-day Canadian cop, a homicide detective, who is in Edinburg to visit her dying grandmother. She tries to stop a murder and ends up being attacked herself. She wakes up to find herself in the body of a woman, Catriona, who was attacked at the same time, 150 years before.

I’ll start this off by saying that time-travel fiction is my favorite genre, which means I’ve read a lot of it. Consequently, I’m harder on this genre than any other in my reviews. There are many types of time travel books. Some have a scientific, sci-fi bent. Some are more historical. Some are romances that only use time travel briefly. I would classify this one as a historical mystery/thriller with a bit of time travel.

Every time travel story has to have a means or method of time travel. Some use a machine, some use an enchanted or scientific object, and some use a place. This story uses a murder, which I find unique.

Each story also has to establish rules of time travel. Because time travel doesn’t actually exist, the rules are wide open for every author to set. For example, in Jodi Taylor’s Chronicles of St. Mary’s series, you cannot travel back to the same place where you’ve already been and you can’t change history without history slapping back. In this one, I find little to no rules of time travel at all. Time travel happens, and the only consequence seems to be that the main character, a cop, feels awkward as a maid in the Victorian era and sometimes uses language that is not appropriate for the time. She doesn’t seem worried about paradoxes or anything similar. She mentions she’s not concerned with a “butterfly effect.” She has little trouble–not enough trouble–as a Canadian blending into Victorian times in Edinburg. She’s not really concerned with changing history, other than catching a murderer. As a fan of time travel fiction, I feel at this point that the time travel was used basically as “wow” factor to draw the reader into a book that is actually a historical thriller.

The murder mystery is very strong on its own, with intricate twists and turns. The employer/employee relationship between Mallory and Gray is well done, as we progress slowly from Gray learning that Mallory, who he knows as Catriona, can read and write, to Gray and his sister realizing there is much more going on. The book does move too slowly at times.

I feel the Victorian era is well researched. The author’s note in the front outlines the liberties she took with history, as is her right in a fictional work.

Overall, this is a compelling and intriguing historical mystery/thriller that will quickly draw the reader in. The minimal use of time travel is off-putting for me, as is the fact that the book is written in present tense.

I've always been drawn to time travel stories and I love mysteries, so this one seemed like a perfect fit! And I'm happy to report that t I really enjoyed it. The time travel method was unique, and I'm interested to see how it manifests again in the next book(s). There were times in the story that things worked out a little too conveniently (like how everyone so easily accepted Mallory's time travel), but I was ok to suspend disbelief because I was interested in the characters and everything else going on. After I finished reading, I quickly ordered my own copy and look forward to reading the next one in the series!

That was an interesting time-travel mystery that had me wondering what would happen next the entire time. I loved how Mallory acknowledge she had no idea how to be a 19-year old Victorian maid but would figure it out. In that same vein though she crossed the line so many time it’s a wonder she didn’t get caught. The early crime and forensics used during the period is always interesting to learn about as well. I also love Isla, she is just trying to be chemist and a mans world doesn’t allow it. I am semi intrigued with where this could go next cause I have lots of questions for Mallory.

I must admit that I was drawn to this book by the setting, Scotland, and the time travel factor. The main character Mallory is thrown back in time to 1869 Scotland where she ends up in the body of a young housemaid Catriona. Being a detective in her real life, Mallory is quick on her feet, and realizes she must pretend to be Catriona until she can figure out a way to get back. After all, if she were to tell her employers Dr. Duncan Gray and his sister Isla that she is from the future they might toss her out or have her committed.

Dr. Gray is an unusual man, an undertaker, who engages in the early study of forensic science. Mallory cannot help but be drawn to his studies and finds herself blurting out her thoughts which surprises him as his housemaid is thought to be not that bright and in fact can not read. She is also a thief which makes most of the book quite difficult for Mallory. She is also not a favorite the housekeeper who keeps her eye on Mallory.

The story has in interesting plot, but I found the first half to be a bit slow. I had trouble keeping up with all the characters and their shenanigans. Suddenly about half-way through things began to get interesting and towards the end I was much more invested. However, I did not realize this was the first of a series, so it did not quite end the way I was expecting.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher or the opportunity to read this book. I gave it three stars and I will be reading the next installment as I am very curious to find out what happens next.

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

When I got the e-mail saying I was approved to review Kelley Armstrong's latest book, I almost screamed. Kelley Armstrong is one of my absolute favourite authors and I have read quite a few of her books and enjoyed them all greatly.

'A Rip Through Time' is the story of Mallory, a 30 year old detective from Vancouver, who is visiting her dying grandmother in Scotland when she is attacked in an alleyway and transported 150 years in the past and into the body of a young maid who works for the mysterious and gorgeous Dr. Gray.

Mallory struggles to fit into the life of a Victorian housemaid while simultaneously trying to figure out how to get home to her grandmother and who attempted to kill her, as well as Catriona.

Armstrong weaves a fantastic tale filled with mystery, romance, and intrigue. Each character is well-rounded serves a purpose outside of motivating the main character's journey. The ending was a bit of a cliffhanger but satisfying and I absolutely cannot wait for the second book.

A murder mystery set in historical Edinburgh. Our main character, Mallory, is in present day Scotland when she is attacked in an alley in the exact same place where a similar attack occurred 150 years in the past. Somehow this catapults her into the body of the previous victim and she comes to in the body of a rather amoral housemaid.. She must track down the killer (who has also been transported into the past) while trying to maintain her "cover" and survive without modern amenities.

I really like some aspects of the story - the contrast between modern forensics and old-time police work. The interactions between the characters were very enjoyable. Unfortunately I found the set-up to the time travel to be awkward and Mallory's relatively calm belief that she has indeed gone back in time unconvincing. (Maybe if there had been some set up on how her grandmother had always believed in magic or some such.? Otherwise I would have expected more denial/freaking out/whatever). I will always read anything written by Kelley Armstrong but for me the time-travel aspect detracted from the mystery.

A modern-day homicide detective finds herself in Victorian Scotland, in an unfamiliar bod, with a killer on the loose.

The line above from the synopsis, covers what this book is about. I’ve read Kelley Armstrong’s paranormal and fantasy books, first time reading a suspense and she didn’t disappoint!!

The writing is clear and concise. At no point in the book, you are lost and that great be a of the timelines.

Detective Mallory is our MC. She’s in Scotland to look after her dying grandmother. Things take a turn when she wakes up in Catriona Mitchell’s body in 1869!! A fabulous mix of Sci-Fi and fantasy!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Mallory Atkinson is a Canadian detective that’s visiting her dying grandmother in Edinburgh. When she’s out for a jog one night, she hears a woman in distress and ends up being attacked in an alley. This event causes a rip in time and Mallory switches places with housemaid Catriona Mitchell 150 years earlier.

Catriona had been attacked and strangled in her time and left for dead. Now Mallory has to learn to navigate that time period and discover what happened to her and Catriona. Her boss, Dr. Gray, is a funeral director that moonlights as a forensic doctor. Soon Mallory is helping him look into similar cases in the area. Will Mallory find the killer and return to her own time?

I’ve read several books by Kelley Armstrong and this one did not disappoint. I can’t wait to read her next book.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mallory is a Police Detective from Vancouver, visiting her ill grandmother in Edinburgh. She goes out one night, and thinks she hears a woman being attacked in an alley. She tries to help, and ends up attacked herself.

When she awakens, she finds herself in housemaid Catriona's body, in Victorian England. The book follows Mallory as she tries to navigate life in another time and in another body. Along the way she makes new allies, tries to fix the mistakes Catriona has made, and figure out how she can get back to her own time.

I've always enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's books, since reading her first book, Bitten, many years ago. I didn't realize until the end of the book that it isn't a stand alone, but I'm actually glad because I wanted to see the story continue, and learn more about all the characters.

Thank you Netgalley, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this as an ARC!

I'm struggling with rating this one. On one hand, it started off with a BANG and I was so pumped to dive into it. On the other hand, I can't ignore the fact that I flat out zoned out multiple times while reading it. However, I'm not sure if that's the book's fault or the fact that I happened to read something so incredibly similar earlier this year (A Murder in Time by Julie McElwain). I think I'm going to go with 3 since I kept zoning out, but I still think I would read the next one so maybe it's more of a 3.5.

So the interesting thing with this time travel book is that Mallory didn't just travel through time - she was transplanted into a different body with an already established life and background. As for the person whose body she took over - where did she go? We don't know, but we can assume she went into Mallory's body in the future. I haven't read something like that before so that was definitely interesting.

However, like I said earlier, the rest of it really mirrors what I read in A Murder in Time - an forensics expert who just so happens to crack crimes in present day goes back in time and helps solve a case there too. It's not A Rip Through Time's fault that I happened to read a 2016 book with generally the same premise in such close proximity to this one, but it's definitely why my mind veered off course a few times.

That being said, I do like where the book leaves off and I'm curious to see what happens next. Maybe when the next one comes out, I'll re-read this one and have a fresher appreciation for it.