Disturbing the Dead is the third entertaining book in the A Rip Through Time series by Kelley Armstrong. Time traveler Mallory--a 30-year-old Canadian homicide detective now in the body of a much younger, troublesome housemaid in Victorian Scotland--and her employer, scientist/undertaker Dr. Duncan Gray, are exhibiting signs of a very-slow-burn relationship, but neither can forget that Mallory could find herself back in her original body in 2019 at any time.

Nevertheless, Mallory continues in her new position of Duncan's assistant as they help Detective McCreadie with a new case. A wealthy Egyptologist is about to reluctantly unwrap a mummy in front of a large party of observers when he cannot be found, so Duncan is called upon to do the unwrapping. But to the horror of the party-goers, what is revealed is far from what was expected. It's a lively story replete with Egyptian artifact trafficking, questionable family members, secret tunnels, and a mysterious underground market, not to mention male prejudice against female medical students.

As in the two previous series entries, the two main characters are wonderfully detailed, and the supporting characters are also rendered in such a way that they fly off the page. Mallory's narration continues to highlight the differences between life, technology, and law enforcement in the present day and in the 1860s, while she skillfully navigates between those close to her who know who she really is and those who expect her to behave in a proper Victorian manner. She also gets to use more of her detective skills than before, including those needed to get herself and Duncan out of dangerous situations.

I recommend reading A Rip Through Time and The Poisoner's Ring before this one, although there is enough inclusion of Mallory's backstory to allow the reader to enjoy Disturbing the Dead without doing so. I'm hoping for more books in this delightful series.

My sincere thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

In this series, Mallory is a 30 year-old 21st century police detective who has been transported to 1869 Edinburgh and into the body of an 18 year-old housemaid with an unsavory past named Catriona. Her employers, Dr Gray & his sister Isla, now know Mallory is displaced in time and she is more of an assistant to Dr Gray in his work for the police in solving murders than she is a housemaid. They are all invited to a mummy unwrapping party which is interrupted when the unwrapped mummy turns out to be their missing host. As they investigate along with Detective McCreadie the trail leads them to several suspects and an unexpected choice confronts Mallory.

Kelley Armstrong’s latest addition to the Rip in Time series, “Disturbing the Dead,” is a masterful continuation that not only meets but exceeds expectations. As a long-time fan, I found this installment to be my absolute favourite and also signifies a pivotal moment in the series.

Mallory, the protagonist, continues to be a standout character, effortlessly winning over readers with her wit and resilience. Her journey is one of the core strengths of Armstrong’s storytelling, blending humour and action (as well as the past and present) that makes this mystery/historical fiction an entertaining ride.

While “Disturbing the Dead” can be enjoyed as a standalone novel, I wholeheartedly recommend diving into the entire series to fully appreciate the depth and evolution of the characters and the world they inhabit.

"Disturbing the Dead” showcases Kelley Armstrong’s unique blend of humour, suspense, and supernatural flair. It’s a must-read for fans and newcomers alike, and I was thrilled to be chosen to read an ARC for one of my favourite authors and series.

This was a review for NetGalley.

Interesting concept and reminded me of the tv series Quantum Leap, but this was much more engaging and fun! I also did not realize until after I finished this may be part of a series, so exciting to dig into what else these characters have been up too.

Disturbing the Dead is proof that Kelley Armstrong's talent isn't limited to one genre. I love this A Rip Through time series, and book #3 does not disappoint.
Mallory Atkinson is a modern-day homicide detective that travels back in time to Scotland in the 1860's. While inhabiting the body of Dr Duncan Gray's housemaid Catriona Mitchell, she isn't an ordinary housemaid and becomes Dr. Gray's assistant. Gray and Mallory are invited to the home of Sir Alastair Christie to a mummy unwrapping. But when their host doesn't show they begin the unwrapping they find a man and not a mummy. Mallory and Dr. Gray must hurry to identify the body and arrest the killer.
I loved the concept of this series, time-travel, mystery, crime investigation, all with a unique spin to your average thriller. I enjoyed the pull that Mallory experienced in wanting to be with family while knowing she had a place she could call home in this Victorian era. I left wondering if I would be able to make the same decision and leave my family behind. A most enjoyable book that will leave you wanting to know what will follow.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun book, but I didn't catch the first one of the series and I think that woulf have been more helpful. There is a lot of detail in the beginning where you know you missed some things. Definitely does not take away from the book, but I do recommend reading the first in the series. It was a fun book, including detective work and time travel. A good mystery with humor thrown in as well. An enjoyable read.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC.

Time travel and mystery solving? Sign me up. This is a complex murder mystery with fantastic character development and brilliant time travel. I loved it. Thank you.

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong is an excellent addition to the A Rip Through Time series, providing non-stop action, a complex murder mystery in a macabre setting, an ever fluctuating slate of suspects, and interesting quirks as the result of time-travel.
Armstrong has once again outdone herself with this multi-faceted novel that hits all of the points that one has come to expect - complex characters, historical fiction, a touch of romance and humour, and a unique crime solving team. Add in the concept of mummy unwrapping and use of the remains for medicines is bizarre enough to leave the readers shaking their heads at the old and yet new concept.
Well-written and suspenseful, Disturbing the Dead's historical elements are clearly thoroughly researched. Armstrong manages to wrap up a few loose threads in the series while promising more entertainment to come.
I was happy to receive an ARC of #DisturbingtheDead from #NetGalley .

I'm becoming increasingly fond of this series, despite the MC's occasional lag in catching on to things that seem pretty obvious from over here.

When Mallory, Duncan Gray, and his sister, Isla, attend a mummy unwrapping, which Gray ends up doing with Mallory’s help because their host is indisposed, the last thing they expect is to find a fresh corpse under the wrapping and not a centuries old one. Now they not only have a murder mystery to solve but also a mystery regarding serial pamphlets that have been making the rounds depicting Duncan Gray as a master detective with Mallory as his buxom but not particularly bright assistant. There’s a lot going on in Kelley Armstrong’s newest addition to the A Rip in Time series, Disturbing the Dead.

I am certain that in the past three reviews (two books, one novella) of installments to the A Rip in Time series, I have mentioned how much I enjoy Mallory Atkinson as the main character with her humor and snark, qualities that are enhanced by her being a 21st century woman stuck in Victorian Scotland. In response, Duncan Gray’s reactions are always also charming and enjoyable. They make a good pair that I hope don’t get together too soon and ruin everything. (Sorry all of you romance lovers, but you know what happens when the couple finally gets together! Looking at you Sam and Diane, et al.)

Armstrong has constructed another solid mystery in Disturbing the Dead. I was constantly guessing up until the end about who the murderer was, how different incidents were tied together, and how it was all going to be tied together. Along the way, we got to visit a Goblin Market, which put me in mind of a recent T. Kingfisher read and made Mallory wonder if the Christina Rosetti poem had yet been published. This was a frequent occurrence in Disturbing the Dead: Mallory wondering if something had already happened historically or if it was yet to come. That is certainly a difficulty with time travel and trying to blend in!

At the beginning of Disturbing the Dead, we see Mallory interacting extensively with Isla and Duncan’s older sister, Annis. I really hope that Armstrong includes more of Annis in the future. She is unapologetically snarky and says what’s on her mind, frequently with a great deal of humor. She and Mallory make for very good scenes. More Annis!

Now, I don’t want to give a spoiler. And won’t. But, something really big happens in the middle of Disturbing the Dead, which I’m not sure I liked. Tantalizing, isn’t it? Don’t you just want to run out and get the book in order to see what I’m talking about? (Pre-order, as it isn’t on sale until May 7th.) I guess this is one of the harder things about being a book blogger. I just want to tell you what happened and have us discuss it at length. Ah, well. (Maybe I should just start a book club! 😉 .)

And, the book ends with another surprise that I think will make for some interesting situations along the way. Or, at least, I am hoping it will.

There is much to like about Disturbing the Dead from the cast of quirky characters to the twisty mystery. I hope that the big middle-of-the-book occurrence is open-ended despite the emotions prevalent with the characters that seem to suggest others. I like uncertainty–well, in books.

Many thanks to Minotaur Books for sending me a copy!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Here is my unbiased review. Some Spoilers ahead!

While I enjoyed the story, the writing came across as defensive. The prose is littered with prescriptive ideology and unnecessary interjections that detract from the narrative flow and come across as defensive. Defensive of KA's period knowledge and research, defensive of KA's politically correct values. I don't doubt that this book was well-researched, and that KA has ironclad personal values... but her storytelling suffers under the weight of needing to prove herself.

For instance, the plot of this story is about a mummy unwrapping party, and KA took enormous pains to ensure her readers were aware that she and her characters do not condone such practices, and miraculously every main character shares the same values. This book is an absolute study in defensive storytelling.

Next, KA's characters have become noticeably perfect. No one is changing, learning, or growing, no one is making meaningful mistakes. Every single character that we are intended to like is a glowing and perfect representation of 21st Century politically correct social values, and everyone else is a villain in the making.

The time-travel component to this story felt rushed, as though the loose end of gaining closure with her family needed to be tied up today or never at all, and yet we gain no insight into what Catriona's experience has been. I was left wondering, why? Why now? Why like this? I don't mind a bit of black box problem solving; this just felt rushed. A box to be checked.

I've been a fan of Kelley Armstrong for so long, but her time travel series(s) have me scratching my head. Are these growing pains for exploring a new genre? Where is her editor, and why don't these glaring weaknesses get addressed?

Disturbing the Dead got a little too wordy and the storyline/mystery was a little flat. I had a difficult time staying interested in some of the chapters. To sum it up, it was good but not great.

There is an anachronism in chapter 12, “I blithely showed you something that would trigger a past traumatic event.” I don’t believe the word ‘trigger’ would have been used by someone in Victorian times. It’s fairly recently that that word has been used in that context. (Mallory may have said it, but Gray would not have.) Just my humble opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Disturbing the Dead.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the galley of this novel. Below is my honest review.

If you've followed my reviews for a while, you'll know that I eat up pretty much everything that Kelley Armstrong writes. I really love this series, because it's like a mix between an The Alienist and Outlander with fun mysteries and a dash of a very slow burn romance.

This one ties up a few loose ends that have been dangling, but opens up a bunch of new cans of worms and dumps them everywhere. The mystery isn't as compelling in this one, at least to me, which was odd because I've always loved stuff surrounding ancient Egypt. For me, in this installment, what really drove the story was the character development, both on a personal level and in relationships.

I really love this series, and the new normal means that there should be many more to come. Personally, I can't wait for the next. Thank goodness Armstrong has multiple releases a year to tide me over.

Highly recommended, but I do suggest reading the others in the series first.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.

3.5 stars rounded up

This is book 3 in Armstrong's "A Rip Through Time Series." Mallory is a modern day detective who has been thrown back in time to Victorian Scotland, stuck in the body of Dr. Gray's housemaid. Gray knows Mallory's story, and they have been working together to assist Detective McCreadie in solving murders.

Mallory and Dr. Gray are invited to attend a "mummy unwrapping party," but when the host doesn't show up and the crowd is on the verge of chaos, Mallory and Gray are asked to step in. However, the body they find underneath is no mummy, and they now have another murder to solve.

We learn more about Mallory's modern day life in this story, and I appreciated this glimpse into who she was before she found herself in 1869. I'm also loving how Gray and Mallory's relationship continues to grow as they get to know each other more. I'm looking forward to more from these two.

This one started strong! I was absolutely engaged. Loved the banter and how the relationships were developed more between Mallory and all the other characters. But around the halfway mark I found myself getting kind of bored. I don’t know if it was a me thing or what but I was impatient!
I think I just wanted more with Mallory and Gray not even from a romance stand point, I just love their dynamic in general.
I also found a later plot point a bit too convenient and easy.
The atmosphere was still perfection and all the characters were great.
Will I read another? Yes absolutely, I'm invested, I’ll just keep my expectations in check going forward.

This is part of series and I didn't know it when I got the book. However I was able to read and enjoy the story without having to read them first. I will be reading the books leading up to this one and then reread Disturbing the Dead. I really enjoyed it and can't wait to start this series soon

Kelly Armstrong does it again! I love this series.

We focus on Mallory and she has been moved from current day to Victorian era Scotland. I listened to the audiobook and it was fabulous!!! the Narrator was fabulous. They start by focusing on a mummy unwrapping where a murder takes place. Mallory is not too sure about the mummy unwrapping as she finds it to be in poor taste based on her views.

I hope series continues.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Thanks to Minotaur Books for the gifted ebook.

5 stars.

Note: If you haven’t read the first 2.5 books in this series, I HIGHLY recommend doing so ASAP. It’s Outlander meets The Alienist – part his-fic, part mystery, part romance, part sci-fi. It’s genre bending in the best way and I’ve never read anything like it.

Review: WOW. I didn’t think I could love this series any more than I did coming into this book, but I do. Book 3 brings us back to 19th century Edinburgh and gives us murder, mayhem, and mummies. While the first two books center around world building and developing Mallory’s professional life in the 19th century, book 3 explores Mallory’s personal life and deepens her relationship with the Gray family. I always feel a little devastated when finishing a new book in this series, but this one was especially tough because I’m more invested than ever in the characters and their world. I CANNOT WAIT for book 4.

Disturbing the Dead (A Rip Through Time #3) by Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers, Sci Fi & Fantasy
Expected Publication Date: May 7, 2024

Disturbing the Dead is the third book in A Rip Through Time series by Kelley Armstrong. This book can be enjoyed as a standalone mystery or as part of the series. I was soooo looking forward to reading this book and it did not let me down!

This book is fast paced and absolutely captivating. It literally had me on the edge of my seat and was so emotional. This book was more than I expected and I loved it all!!!

I highly recommend reading Disturbing the Dead. I’ll be patiently waiting for the next book!!!!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Mallory has settled into Victorian Scotland, working with Dr. Grey. Their latest case involves Egyptian antiquities and a missing mummy.

Why I started this book: Armstrong always tells a strong story... and I need more time with a time-traveling detective.

Why I finished it: Great story, and an interesting turning point for the series. Armstrong keeps up the pace and allows characters to grow.