Leanne Olson

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong

Releasing May 31, 2022 from Minotaur Books

A Rip Through Time was an absolute delight to read.  I tore through it in two days, in love with the Victorian Scotland setting, the suspense, and the witty dialogue.  

It’s the first in a new time travel mystery/thriller series by Kelley Armstrong.  Mallory Atikson is a Canadian police detective in 2019 who is thrown back in time to Victorian-era Scotland where she’s trapped in the body of Catriona, a maid to an undertaker’s family.  Mallory must find out who is trying to murder her and stop a serial killer.

Mallory’s a great character: she’s smart, funny, and driven. It’s so much fun watching her explore the 19th century and I was drawn in by her fascination with early forensics and police work.

Isla and Duncan, her employers, are a wonderful brother-and-sister duo who don’t fit in with society: Isla is a female chemist and Duncan is a biracial undertaker and one of the first forensic scientists.

There’s also a twisty mystery and some pulse-pounding action scenes as Mallory and her new friends track a serial killer through Edinburgh, and Mallory tries to find her way home. 

Armstrong’s writing is witty and warm, and this is a fantastic start to a series that promises to be fresh and exciting. Book 1 neatly wraps up its major plot points and can work as a standalone, but I can’t wait to read book 2.