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.

Rating: 5/5 Stars
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Is there any genre that Kelley Armstrong can't write?! Seriously I have read police procedural series, I have read her horror and now I just read the third in this historical fiction / mystery series and let me just say, it just keeps on getting better. I am a huge fan of time travel books. And this series is just everything...
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Disturbing The Dead is the third in the "A Rip Through Time" series and seriously I cannot begin to explain how much I loved this book. This one is hands down my favorite of the three. This story was so captivating right from the start. Mallory, a modern day detective is still living in 1860's working alongside Dr. Duncan Gray, the undertaker/medical examiner. This time these two head to a mummy unwrapping and get a little more than they asked for. Just as in the others in the series, these two along with the help of a cop and Duncan's sisters, they face the mystery and try to solve it using resources available with Mallory's futuristic brain.
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This one was fast past, engaging and was so interesting right from the start. There was even more character growth in so many of the characters in this one. One particular part of the story really set me on edge and had me jumping up and down in excitement (but I will refrain from saying because of spoilers)... But that ending though, let me just say.... I better get a fourth book! I just loved this one so much. I cannot recommend it enough.
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I was able to listen to this one while reading along with it on my kindle and this was just so well done. I loved it. Kate Handford was amazing and brought this story to life form me.
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Overall, this is a phenomenal series. All of my historical fiction / mystery friends - you really should pick this one up. Disturbing The Dead is releasing on 5/7. Be sure to check this one out! Huge thank you to NetGalley, Kelley Armstrong, St. Martins Press, Minotaur Books, and MacMillan Audio for the eARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I really really love this series! I can't wait for the next book! It's not really sci-fi at all, but she does go back 150 years in time, but it's more like Outlander in that is not so much about the time travel and more about where they are at the moment. Mallory is in Victorian Scotland and living with a doctor without a license and his sister a chemist without a license. But they are cool with mallory being in their housemaid's body but not being the housemaid, but a detective from the 2020's. Hey, it sounds weird, but it works! They solve cases and the doctor's best friend IS a detective, so they help him. I'm telling you, it all makes sense when you're reading it and loving it! Well done Kelley, keep them coming!
Highly recommend, but read them in order!!!!

"Disturbing the Dead" was a real trifecta of enjoyment for me. It had time travel, mystery, and humor. Still, as I read along, it seemed as though this book might be part of a series. Sure enough-- when I looked it up, I discovered that "Disturbing the Dead" was #3 in "A Rip Through Time."

That rang a bell. I checked my records and there it was: "A Rip Through Time," the first installment. That was a fun read and the only reason I hadn't yet checked out "The Poisoner's Ring" (#2) is that I was busy reading other books. I've remedied that and can report that "The Poisoner's Ring" is as intriguing and captivating as the other two. I hope Kelley Armstrong continues the series.

The time travel mode involves no magic compartments or rocket ships to the past. Mallory, the main character, really doesn't know how she came to alight in Victorian-era Edinburgh. In many ways, the time seems tailor-made for her. Mallory does wonder if she'll ever see her family again.

I recommend all three books in the "A Rip Through Time" series. They can stand alone, but isn't it much more fun to read them in order?

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reader's copy of "Disturbing the Dead" by Kelley Armstrong.

I have been trying to read this book for a week now and I am having a hard time getting into to. It sounded like a book I would enjoy but it is not my type of read. I am going. To continue to read it and hopefully I will get more into it as I read on.

I am so in to this series! I love the characters and the author's attention to detail makes it feel so authentic.

Loved reading the mesmerizing and spellbinding paranormal story. Because the host is missing, Dr. Duncan Gray and Mallory take his place to unwrap the mummy and shocked to find the body of the host, Sir Alastair Christie. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, and a must read riveting `story engaging the reader from the first page of the story until the last page of the story.
Can't wait to read the next story in the series by the phenomenal author, Kelley Armstrong.

I enjoyed the story of a modern day detective stuck in Victorian England without her tools. The book is clearly part of a series and now I want to go back and read the rest of the story to see how she met the cast of characters. The author weaves true facts into her story, which make the reading come alive. I did struggle with some of the names of the characters because they were a bit unusual but they were appropriate of the timeframe. The only story I felt lacking was that of Jack-the scribe. I feel like that story is missing and I want to know more.

Loved this book. I don't want to give any spoliers but the last half I couldn't put it down. Great story and great way to clear up questions and make a continuing series. If you are reading this series then you will want to read this one.
Can't wait for the next one.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

I really liked the first one in this series, and thought the second was merely okay. This one was much better than the second one. I thought the plot was tighter, and the author didn't really too heavily on telling what happened instead of showing it. The characters and their reasonings made sent, and I enjoyed it.

This is not the first story in the series, which is evident right from the start. I read this book without reading any of the precursors, so I was a little behind the eight-ball in the beginning. There is enough background information to allow one to surmise the circumstances without having the benefit of the information of the series start. I enjoyed the characters from the different timelines (mostly Mallory and Gray) and how the author managed to keep the characters true to their time periods. The attitudes and abilities are different in the alternate timelines, and the author did a great job of comparing, contrasting and challenging these issues even in a setting of murder and thievery. The story is a wonderfully entertaining whodunit with a hint of romance - and the subversion of women plays an integral role in the crimes and investigation. The manner of time travel was original right down to the reactions of Mallory's family. I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, the characters and the crossed timelines!