Thank you NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an ARC.

I was very excited to read this book. The concept was really intriguing to me. I wanted to see where Kelley Armstrong went with it. She did not disappoint at all. The mix of modern day and Victorian was great. The main character’s wonder of when what started being more common when was really relatable. If I were to so happen to be thrown back in time I’d have no idea of when things happened and what was common for the time. I really loved the mystery through the whole book. It was a two for one. To find her would be killer she had to find Catriona’s. Catriona’s character was a lot more interesting and not what you expect when first introduced. The more you learn about her the more frustrated you get with her life choices. It was fun seeing how Mallory fumbled her way through Catriona’s life to gain the info she needed to solve her murder. I couldn’t put the book down.

4.5/5 stars

Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author. So I was beyond excited to read the first book in her new series. This is a mystery time travel book set in Victorian Scotland (1869).

The narrator is 30 year old homicide detective Mallory (1st person POV). I don't typically read historical fiction. But I loved this book. Because the narrator is from the present this book has a very contemporary feel to it.

I absolutely loved Mallory. And I loved seeing her try to live in 1869 Scotland. This was such a fun enjoyable mystery. With great supporting characters. The author writes such great series. And she always includes heroines who are strong and unique women.

The mystery is solved in this book. However there is so much more that I want to know. The book features only a hint of romance (I definitely wish that there had been more). However it gives me something to look forward to in future books. If you love Kelley Armstrong then this is a must read. I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens next in this series!

I've recently been on a bit of a binge of Armstrongs books, and I have to say I'm really love the time travel idea. It's sincerely something I haven't read often done this well. The smoothness to which engaging two times/eras/cultures is so well done that this book is a delight to read. There were parts that were a bit slow as the book worked through worldbuilding a little, but I really really enjoyed how it framed things out and cannot wait for the next in this series!

Prefacing this to say I rarely read mystery/thriller. I picked up A Rip in Time because I adore Kelley Armstrong and enjoyed her *other* Victorian time travel (romance) series, A Stitch in Time.

While A Stitch in Time is Victorian Gothic Romance, A Rip in Time is time-travel detective thriller. It was okay, but I had to suspend my belief a little too far at points regarding the “trying to blend in to a different time period” aspects.

Fans, be aware going in that this is a totally different universe. A Rip in Time focuses on the thriller aspects, with lead character Mallory putting her professional detective skills to use in the 1800s. From cringing at crime scene contamination to theorizing about a water boarded victim, her experience adds an interesting wrench into her ability to blend in to her new time period.

A drawback in this book that I didn’t run into in the Stitch books is how ridiculous Mallory sounds trying to blend in as a 21st century Canadian transplanted into Victorian Scotland. Her over the top accent and attempt to use “period” words is a gag that runs a little too long, and gets even worse when she switches to modern slang.

I was also skeptical with how easily Mallory was believed when she finally shared the truth with a major character.

All that said, it was still an entertaining quick read.

A Rip Through Time is latest from Kelley Armstrong, combining her trademark mystery-writing skills with an edge of the seat trip through time.

It’s 2019, and Canadian homicide detective Mallory Atkinson visits Edinburgh to be at the bedside of her dying grandmother. But an evening jog turns horrifying when she’s attacked and blacks out – only to wake up in the body of a nineteenth century housemaid. Even worse, it appears that her trip through time hasn’t made her any safer, as someone seems to be trying to get her attention – through murder.

Kelley Armstrong is a reliably excellent author, writing mysteries that usually carry at least a hint of the paranormal, and a healthy dash of romance. The romance aspect is minimal in A Rip Through Time – though there’s absolutely some very promising potential in a couple of directions. Instead, the focus is on the mystery, and on well-researched historical details; everyday life in the mid-1800s is detailed and accurate, without bogging down a well-paced story. The forensic aspects are fascinating, and allow the Victorian investigators to be forward in their thinking, while staying realistically true to attitudes in the time.

While there’s a lot to like here, the characters are the strongest part of the book, to me. It’s hardly surprising – Kelley Armstrong has a great track record – but it’s still such a delight to spend time with these people. Mallory is kind, intelligent, and able to handle unexpected time travel surprisingly well; she’s easy to root for. Her new Victorian allies are similarly likable, and they all feel like genuine people, ones with lives, cares, and dreams.

While A Rip Through Time wraps up the first mystery very satisfactorily, there’s still plenty of open ends to play with for the next book in the series. I, for one, will absolutely be following the further adventures of this historical series.

Mallory Atkinson is a Vancouver police detective visiting her dying grandmother in Edinburgh, Scotland. While out for a jog in the city’s Old Town, Mallory is attacked and strangled. When she wakes up, she is still in Edinburgh, but it is 1869 and she inhabits the body of a chambermaid, Catriona Mitchell.
Time travel is tricky to explain to readers and to other characters in the story. The author gets a little bogged down trying to do this, but if the reader suspends that sense of disbelief, I think they will enjoy the story as I did.
Catriona is chambermaid to independently minded Isla Gray and her brother Dr. Duncan Gray, who runs a funeral parlor. He is also a scientist fascinated by death. Mallory learns that the doctor also assists Detective Hugh McCreadie with murder investigations. Of course, with her own background as a homicide detective, Mallory wants to assist Dr. Gray and McCreadie with their investigations, which she finds impossible to do as a lowly chambermaid in Victorian Scotland. She also needs to find a way back to her own time.
I enjoyed the author’s descriptions of Edinburgh and Victorian life. The characters are interesting and I look forward to reading the next books in this series.

The description for this novel intrigued me and, fortunate enough to receive an advance e-book of this, I started reading and almost immediately the plot grabbed hold of my interest and didn’t let go.

Highly fun, highly addictive, I loved this story. This was an absolutely compelling start to a new series, this was my first novel by the author. I'll definitely be reading more of her work, since I’m already looking forward to reading more of this series.

This is my first Kelly Armstrong novel and it certainly won’t be my last! A Rip Through Time is the first in a new series by this author and it checked so many of the things I love in a book: historical fiction (1869 Scotland), time travel, a mystery, a strong, engaging female lead, well-developed supporting characters, a easy to read writing style, and a well-paced story. There is also the hint of a possible relationship to come in future novels in this series! The novel also included a look at the beginning of police forensics which I found fascinating. I devoured this novel in a day it was so good!!! The style and plot pulled me in and kept me engrossed throughout. I am so looking forward to the next installment in this series. Loved it!!!!!!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time reading this author.

Took me a while to get engrossed in this story, but by the 30% mark it got better, and then progressively improved until the end.

Mallory is a detective from Vancouver, visiting her dying grandmother in Edinburgh. When she goes out for a run at night in the old part of town, she see/hears something suspicious and is strangled by an attacker.
When she wakes up, she finds herself in 1869 in a housemaid's body. It's time travel with a twist.

I liked the way Mallory adapts to Catriona's life and surroundings, while trying to find how to get back and solve the murders.

Now that the world is set up in book 1, I think book 2 will be easier to get into, and I'm excited for it.

I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

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.

Excellent story! Totally engrossing!. Looking forward to reading more by this author! Could not put this down!

There is a lot happening in this book. We've got Mallory, a time traveling detective- who is unwillingly thrust into another woman's body and is now in 1800's Scotland. In addition to trying to adjust and learn to fit in as a maid, Mallory is also trying to help solve a series of murders, with the hopes that it may help her return to her time and body.
I was wondering if Armstrong was going to be able to make all of these different plot elements work, and in my opinion, she hit a home run. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the continuation of Mallory's story!

I am a big fan of this author, and absolutely love time travel books, so I was excited to read this. However, I kept putting the book down, finding excuses not to read. It wasn’t a bad story, but I found some of the things too over descriptive. I know things were less sanitary 150 odd years ago, but I don’t need to have a detailed account of all of it. I would recommend this, because I did eventually finish and enjoy the book, but I’m hoping the next one will be better.

There are definitely things I like about the concept of this book, but the author has the infuriating habit of describing a scene, then having the narrator tell you what just happened and why it's significant.

This book in a new series from Kelly Armstrong. A Rip of Time is two timeline books. The first timeline is in 2019. Malory is a homicide detective who is watching her mother who is dying. She is attacked out running and wakes up in 1869 in the body of a woman who was killed.

This is an interesting book. Malory must use her modern-day skills to find out who wanted her dead.
I have read several series by this author, and this one is going to be a keeper. I recommend this book and am looking forward to the rest of the series.

This is the beginning of a new series by Kelley Armstrong. Mallory is a Canadian police detective. She is career driven and has made little time for family or a social life. She is in Scotland at her seriously ill grandmother's house. She heads to a coffee shop, and deep in her thoughts she accidentally bumps into another customer. She apologizes profusely and leaves. She is taking a run when she hear the sound of a girl in trouble. As she gets closer she sees that the girl is transparent and is being choked. She begins to look for a projector, when she is suddenly attacked and blacks out. When she awakes, she finds that she has been mysteriously transported into the body of the girl who was attacked on the same spot. She also discovers that the girl is a housemaid in a Victorian estate. She soon finds out that learning about an era from reading and novels leaves her ill-prepared to cope with living in a different time.
This was a very interesting read with a mysteries which did not have easy answers. It was fun to see a modern, career woman try to cope as a woman of a different time.. It was also interesting to see a time which was at the beginning of using forensics to solve murders. I look forward to seeing where the series goes from here. If you like mysteries, historical elements and a well built world with strong character development you will enjoy this book.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I've been really pleased lately to be able to preview the last few ARC's from Ms. Armstrong. I am a longtime fan and the books she has been putting out lately have been enjoyable. This one is the first book in a brand new series (I actually wasn't sure it was going to be a series until the very last page....but then stupidly realized that that fact wasn't a spoiler because it actually says "Book 1" in the summary.....duh)

So, this book is a bit different in the fact that we have a person from this timeline finding herself all of a sudden in another person's body - 150 years in the past. What makes it unique is that we are only hearing from the one POV. We are not really sure if the person who's body that she has entered has also moved bodies and has moved forward into her life 150 years in the future....and well, let's just say that there are a lot of questions.

What makes the book interesting is that you have a very intelligent and professional woman (she's a Homicide Detective) all of a sudden in the body of a 19 year old maid for a London household. A maid who previously did not have the ability to read or write. Not only that, but she finds out little by little that the woman she has replaced may have not been the most "trustworthy" of an individual. Then top that off as murders begin occurring and things get interesting.

Was it the best book that I have recently read from Ms. Armstrong? No. Not really. But, it did keep my interest. I found that by the end I was more invested than I thought I was going to be. That does happen sometimes with the first books in a series. The author has to create the world, and the characters and sometimes the pacing suffers. In this book though, it wasn't the pacing as much as I just never really settled in with the female MC - the old Mallory /Catriona. I'm not sure if it was because the character that she finds herself in is not a very likeable person, or if I couldn't just really like the "new" Catriona. I'm not really sure why, but an unlikeable MC is hard to overcome.

Regardless, there is a strong cast of secondary characters in this book and I found myself liking Dr. Gray and his sister Isla.

Will I continue with the next book? Yep, I think I will. It will be interesting to see what is going to happen next......

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me preview this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

I haven't read a Kelley Armstrong book in ages, but this sounded like it had potential. Sadly there were too many incidences where I just couldn't suspend belief or didn't like the premise.

1. It really bothered me that the heroine is transported back in time while her grandmother is possibly dying in the hospital. At first, the heroine had a sense of urgency about getting back but as the book moved along, that urgency dissipated.

2. The time travel mix-up was confusing. Two women strangled in the same place so one is thrown back in time. It was never clear what happened to the other woman. Did she go to the future?

3. Too coincidental. The heroine of the story just happens to be a detective and she goes back in time to live in the house of an individual that uses his medical training to solve crimes.

4. Modern-day progressive thinking was given to the individuals from an earlier century., which made the historical aspect seem more like wallpaper.

5. Heroine explains that she is from the future and it is easily accepted -- like "Oh, sure, that explains everything."

A good mix of time travel and mystery. This is a solid story, and I stayed engaged. The author has a good imagination, and she's published a lot so she knows her way around a plot.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

Kelly Armstrong has a great new series to readers to enjoy. If you like time travel, detective work, and crime during the Victorian era, this one is for you. In 2019 Detective Mallory Atkinson is strangled in a dark alley and as she is dying she ends up in 1869 Edinburgh in the body of an unscrupulous housemaid who works in a house of a well to do doctor who is interested in forensic medicine. Murder is committed and although Mallory needs to play the part of a most unlikeable housemaid, she works on solving the murder. This book had many twists and turns and I read it in 2 days because I enjoyed it so much.

l enjoy reading Kelly Armstrong books and this first.book in this series did not disappoint. I'm excited to see what will happen to the characters in this book in the sequel and beyond.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this title and the opportunity to review it.