"Disturbing the Dead is the latest in a unique series with one foot in the 1860s and the other in the present day. The Rip Through Time crime novels are a genre-blending, atmospheric romp from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else's body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she's not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends - and feelings - in this century.

So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it's not a mummy they've unwrapped, but a much more modern body."

I mean, I love this series, but I love mummy unwrappings even more. So this is win win.

I absolutely love this series where a modern-day Canadian detective is transported 150 years back in time in Scotland and finds herself enmeshed with a progressive (for the time) mortician and his chemist sister and their crime-solving activities.

This installment has Mallory and the Scooby-gang investigating the murder of a prominent Egyptologist, whose body is substituted for that of a mummy that was to be the star attraction at a public unveiling. Mallory navigates the restrictions of the time that include expectations of women's roles as well as their clothing, while she chases down clues and follows leads. My only complaint is that the slow-burn romance is ice cold here. At this point, it seems to be a figment of Mallory and Grey's imaginations. Let's throw a little gas on that fire!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

"Disturbing the Dead" is the third installment in the "A Rip Through Time" series. Mallory Atkinson is a law enforcement officer that travels through time somehow and inhabits the body of a housemaid, both of which were attacked 150 years apart. She becomes the assistant to a medical examiner in the 1860's and helps to piece together how an important figure in society is killed.

I'm not sure whether it was because I didn't read the first two books in this series or what, but I didn't enjoy this book. At all. While I began to understand why Mallory traveled back in time, there was a lack of intention behind it and nothing special about it. If she was trying to save something or be the hero, it could have been more interesting.

I also don't like how there were way too many characters introduced, and it was hard to follow who did what and what their purpose was in the story. I felt like so many details surrounding solving the murder were disjointed, which made it hard to follow and made me completely uninvested in the story.

I was disturbed, disappointed, and a little irritated that it took me a week to finish this book. I wish I could have that time back.

The third Rip Through Time book.

Mallory is a modern woman. A detective. Homicide Detective. But at the moment she is a maid. In Victorian Scotland.

Yes, Mallory is a time traveler. And an assistant to Dr. Gray, who is an undertaker/medical examiner. He and his sister know her secret, but no one else.

Tonight they are all going to a mummy unwrapping! But unfortunately there is a death at the party. But the body they unwrap is not a mummy at all!

And now they have to find out who killed the man and why! Is there a curse on the mummy?

Always a pleasure to take a trip with Mallory!

NetGalley/ St. Martin’s Press May 07, 2024

NetGalley sent out an email a week or two back offering folks a chance to read this book in exchange for a review, and I jumped on it. I enjoy Kelley Armstrong's work, but I haven't kept up with her in recent years. This seemed an excellent opportunity to change that, although I had to break my personal rule about always starting a series with the first book. I was not disappointed.

The main character, Mallory, is a modern police detective who finds herself in Victorian Scotland after a stalker almost kills her. She inhabits the body of Catriona, a housemaid with a very different personality, to say the least. Fortunately for her, Catriona is employed by an eccentric, forward-thinking family, including undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray. Mallory's knowledge of modern police practices and forensic science gives Duncan a leg up in solving crimes, so she has become his assistant.

I found all the main characters intriguing. The plot involving a mummy and Egyptian artifacts was a bit convoluted, but it worked. I can't help but wonder how well Mallory coped with adjusting to the 1890s in the first two books, but she has largely adjusted in this volume. I definitely intend to pick up the earlier entries in the series and add them to be to-be-read stack.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook and reader copy of Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong in exchange for an honest review. I read the first half of this as an ebook and the second half I listened to. I feel so grateful for all the advance copies of Kelley Armstrong books I have been granted. She is truly my favorite author and I love every book I read of her's. This series has been has been a genre I normally don't read, but is so good! I love the continuing relationships between Mallory and Duncan, Isla, Jack and even Mrs Wallace. There is a lot I can't mention due to spoilers, but you will love this next installment of Mallory's adventures in 19th century Scotland.

If you enjoy mysteries featuring strong, female detectives, intelligent, caring men, an interesting cast of characters, and a Victorian setting, all topped with time-travel, then the Rip In Time series is for you. Actually, now that I’ve typed that, it occurs to me how much this reminds me of Sherry Thomas’s wonderful Lady Sherlock series. With time travel.

Before I get into the overarching consistencies of the series, let me tell you a bit about Disturbing the Dead. This book has a solid plot, laced with actual historical events, and a mystery that I thought I’d figured out, but the little twist at the end was one I didn’t see coming. Led by Mallory and Dr. Gray, the characters are wonderful, complex, and at times, very funny. We were introduced to a few new side characters, some of whom are based on actual historical figures (look it up!). I found the children, Phoebe and Michael, to be particularly delightful and if I had one complaint about this book, it would be that there wasn’t enough of them in it. I really hope we come across them again.

Best of all, and particular to this installment, was the way the author handled Mallory’s dilemma of getting home. No spoilers here, but I thought she handled it well, even giving a nod to loopholes in the concept itself. Admittedly, I am curious to know what happened to the real Catriona. Maybe we’ll find that out some day as well.

As for the series as a whole, I have enjoyed it from the start. The author does a fantastic job of including the history and geography of the time. I’ve found myself going down the rabbit hole a time or two, verifying people and events. It adds depth to the story and shows the author’s dedication.

It might seem funny to say, but I also love how realistic the story feels in its detail. For example, the author adds particulars, such as Mallory carrying a pocket watch, something that wasn’t the norm at the time, because of her modern-era obsession with tracking time. It adds authenticity to the story. Mallory’s frequent slips in language and internal questions about the sequence of events also feel completely realistic.

If you love Victorian mysteries with amazing women crime solvers, check out this series!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I haven't read anything else in this series but it didn't make me enjoy this any less. A fun little mystery in Scotland with a time travel/body swapped detective. It works so much more than you'd think with that description. I look forward to the next installment.

*I received an eARC for this review. Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books.

Disturbing the Dead is the third book in Kelley Armstrong's A Rip Through Time series. In book 1, Mallory Atkinson is thrown back in time to 1869 Edinburgh when when she attempts to rescue a woman being attacked in an alley. Instead, SHE is nearly strangled to death and finds herself in the body of a housemaid named Catriona. The household she lands in belongs to Dr. Duncan Gray whose family has owned a mortuary business and who performs autopsies for the Scotland police. Mallory/Catriona just happens to be a modern day police detective, so the two team up to solve murders as she introduces some modern day policing to Victorian Scotland. A few select people know who Mallory really is and believe her story. I somehow missed the second book in the series, but it is not necessary to read it in order to follow the current story. In this book, the victim is Sir Alistair, an Egyptologist and a peer, who is murdered at a mummy unwrapping party attended by Mallory and Duncan.

The series is a take off of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries with Mallory being Duncan Gray's sidekick, though she chafes at the comparison. Duncan is a reluctant Sherlock and the attention he and Mallory are getting in the press is an embarrassment. The mystery itself is engaging. Enough red herrings are thrown out to obscure the one responsible for the murder. The book does drag a bit in the middle, but finishes strong. I give the book a solid 4/5 stars.

I wasn’t sure what to think about this plot at first. A lot of historical novels can get mired in details, but this was not one of them. It made perfect sense and didn’t try to overly explain things or over-describe the scene. It was interesting and a lot of fun! I love the characters, and I love how the author made them real with actual flaws instead of some perfect version. I also love that Mallory wasn’t some idealized hero. She was fun and interesting, but had her troubles and flaws just the same as all of the others, it was incredibly well written and it was a fun ride.

Homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has been inhabiting the body of a housemaid in Victorian Scotland
after both were attacked in a dark alley 150 years apart. Her employers are aware of her true identity
and she now assists undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Grey.
Invited to the unwrapping of a mummy at the home of Sir Alastair Christie, he is nowhere to found
when the time comes. It is decided that Duncan is qualified to perform the unwrapping in Christie's
absence. However, the unwrapping will reveal Christie's body. Mallory is now involved in uncovering
who killed Christie before the wrong person is convicted.
Strong likeable characters, third in the series.
#DisturbingtheDead #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

This series has been so enjoyable to read! The concept remains intriguing and the cases Mallory works back in time (while in the body of someone else) are always highly interesting.

Both Mallory and Dr. Duncan Gray are excellent characters - the entire cast of characters are fleshed out and realistic and the growing relationship between Mallory and Gray has been one of my favorite aspects of the books, along with the severe shock of what it must be like for a contemporary homicide detective to be thrust back to the 1860’s, and in an entirely different body at that.

In some ways this series reminds me of the 80’s series “Quantum Leap” - when will Mallory get to go home? In other ways it doesn’t - does Mallory really want to go back?

While these do work as stand-alones, I’d really suggest reading the entire series because you’re otherwise missing out on the growing relationships.

The writing is top notch, the plot well thought out, the banter between Mallory and Gray is perfect, and the pacing is terrific (can you tell that I adore these books?).

This series is definitely a recommendation from me and I can’t wait to read more titles in the future ❤️



Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the DRC

This series combines some of my favorite components: dark and gritty mystery, time travel, and feminist female lead with male characters who respect women.

I adored the first two books, and this third in the series did not let me down. Still stuck in dark Victorian Edinburgh of 1869, Mallory is not longer having to work as the housemaid, but has been upgraded to ‘assistant’ to the wealthy family who is…quirky and odd, to say the least. That’s because they don’t act like people from the 19th century. The brother is a funerary direction but actually a forensic pathologist, the sister is a chemist of renown, and the wealthy oldest sister is just a hoot and surprises me at every turn.

This time around, the mystery involves Egyptology, a popular pastime of the Brits as they steal away another country’s treasures. It is filled with tension, violence, a little romantic tension, family drama, and humor. Can’t wait for book #4 to drop!

The characters are great, the setting is so realistic, but where the author shines is in plot development. A twist in the story makes the reader examine all that’s gone on and follow even more closely through the well-crafted story.

*SPOILER-FREE REVIEW*

Whoa! I didn't see THAT coming!!! Disturbing the Dead is a fascinating addition to the A Rip Through Time Series. I can't even imagine being invited to a mummy unwrapping party but that's how the book opens! It's a bit of a stretch even for Mallory, a detective from the 21st century who has just started adjusting to her life inhabiting the younger and curvier body of a house maid in Victorian Scotland. It probably helps that she's been recently promoted to assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray.

I see some reviewers are going into detail about the huge twist this book has. WHY??? All I will say is that I was stunned by the twist and that I'm very happy I went into it blindly, not knowing anything other than what had happened in the previous two books.

I suppose Disturbing the Dead could be read as a standalone but I highly recommend reading all three books in this fantastic series in order.

Many thanks to both #MinotaurBooks and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of DisturbingTheDead This book is #3 in the A Rip Through Time series, with the expected publication date of May 7, 2024. #KelleyArmstrong

Another great story in this series. There was a twist part way through that I wondered if it might be a possibility. It opened up a new avenue of sub-plot that has great potential for development and depth in Mallory's character in several different ways. Part of the resolution of that twist seemed to easy (it needed to happen, so it did), but it didn't bother me in the end.

Another great story that shows Kelley Armstrong's mastery of character development.

This is the third book in this excellent series, and I'd recommend reading it in order. Mallory was actually a police detective in the modern world who was visiting Canada when something happened: she heard a scuffle, went to see what was happening, and was assaulted by a man. The next thing she knew, she woke up in the body of a teenaged girl ... in 1860's Edinburgh.

Dr. Duncan Gray, his sister and Mallory are going to a dinner party followed by a mummy unwrapping. Oddly, the host does not appear during the dinner or after it, and it was decided that the unwrapping would continue without him.

Everyone gets a shock during the unwrapping. Their missing host is shrouded in the mummy's wrappings, and he has been murdered. Dr. Gray and Mallory interview the people present to try to ascertain who had motive and opportunity. As if the murder was not enough, Mallory has also been experiencing episodes where she was briefly back in her own time. Now she has to figure out what she would want to do - if she had the choice.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hope the next book comes out soon. I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and voluntarily read and reviewed it.

Disturbing the Dead (A Rip Through Time #3)
by Kelley Armstrong, narrated by Kate Handford

In the present day, Mallory Atkinson is/was a thirty something police detective but something strange happened and she was thrown 150 years back in time and into the body of a younger housemaid, Catriona Mitchell. By this third book in the series, Mallory is settled in as Catriona and there are even three people who know that she isn't THE Catriona but someone from the future. This makes things easier since Mallory can be herself when she's with these three people, people she likes very much and is now working with closely.

Because her boss, undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, knows Mallory's real identity, he's promoted her to work as his assistant since he can use her professional detective skills in his line of work. Dr. Gray's police friend detective Hugh McCreadie also knows Mallory's real identity and willingly and humorously steps back when he knows that Mallory's more modern skills can help to solve a tricky case. Overall, other than the guilt of leaving her parents and dying grandmother in her past (actually future), Mallory has settled in very well into Victorian times and loves the works she is doing and the people she is working alongside.

The latest case of Gray, McCreadie, and Mallory arises when Gray and Mallory attend a mummy unwrapping. But things go wonky when the host of the unwrapping can't be found and Gray and Mallory must step in and unwrap the mummy. When it seems the mummy is wearing a modern day (Victorian modern day) suit, it's obvious something bad is afoot and off go Gray and Mallory to find the killer, the mummy body, and who is doing what to whom.

This entry in the series gives us some much needed closer that I wasn't sure we'd ever get since Mallory's time travel experience seems to be one way, one time, thus far. Mallory is so settled in with Gray and company that it now seems she belongs with them. At the same time, her otherworldly-ness needs to be hidden from any but those in the know. Being a modern woman squashed into corsets, layer upon layer of confining clothing, and the need to act clueless when she is anything but, can be very frustrating. Thankfully, Mallory is now introduced as being trained as Gray's assistant so she is able to let some of her modern knowledge shine through when necessary. This has been my favorite of the three books in the series as Malloy is more often able to be herself as she becomes better known as "not" Catriona. Kate Handford continues to do a great job of narrating the story and these diverse characters.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio, St. Martin's Press, and Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Somehow this series keeps getting better and better! I've been a fan of Kelley Armstrong since middle school when I read her Darkest Powers series and recently rediscovered her works as an adult, starting with the A Stitch in Time series. A Rip Through Time, not to be confused with A Stitch in Time, is more of a Victorian time slip mystery while A Stitch in Time is more gothic time slip romance.

Disturbing the Dead continues the story of modern-day Canadian detective Mallory Atkinson, who slipped through time only to wake up in Victorian Scotland in the body of grifter-turned-housemaid Catriona Mitchell, and her boss - consulting detective, doctor, and undertaker Duncan Gray. This time, they work to solve a murder of an Egyptologist whose remains are disguised in the wrappings of a mummy and unveiled in front of a crowd of the rich and privileged.

I really appreciate Armstrong's historical accuracy regarding the differences in gender roles as well as race/class during this time period and the use of her characters to condemn them.


*SPOILERS*




A couple things of note:
-While I like the focus on the mystery and character relationships over romance, the slow burn is soooo slow. I had hoped Mallory's brief stint back to modern day would spur some progression there, but alas, no dice. Eagerly awaiting the next book.
-Mallory's return to her own body was kind of glossed over in favor of the big mystery of the novel. I thought it was a missed opportunity for more character and relationship development.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC!

4 stars

What a delightful book!

This is my first novel in the series, so I am a little shaky on the history of Mallory and how she found herself in 1860’s Scotland. However, I truly enjoyed this book. The characters, for the most part, were delightful. I did discover that Isla has uncharted depths to her personality.

Scotland is depicted brilliantly. The high society men and women and, in contrast, the poor and more downtrodden areas. I felt as though I was walking the streets along with the protagonists. I saw what they saw. It was a trip to a place I had not visited before and I found it interesting and wonderful.

Mallory (a police detective from the present), and her friend Dr. Gray are invited to witness a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. This was all the rage in Scotland at the time. A social affair not to be missed. Dr. Gray has a difficult past with Sir Alastair, the host of the party.

When Sir Alastair does not appear to unwrap the mummy, Dr. Gray and Mallory are pressed to perform the task. Something does not seem right. As they press on, they are horrified to discover that the “mummy” is their host.

So begins an investigation into who could possibly have murdered Sir Alastair. Dr. Gray and Mallory are joined by Detective McCreadie. Together, they uncover dastardly deeds, thievery and murder.

An excellent book. It is seamlessly written and plotted. The characters are engaging and life-like. I could see them behaving true to their characters.

I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for forwarding to me a copy of this delightful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed in this review are solely my own.