This wasn't a bad book, but I don't think I could go on the record saying it was necessarily good either. I wasn't into the time travel thing. I think that is the main reason I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to.

Thank you NetGalley, Minotaur Press, and Kelley Armstrong for this free ebook.
“Disturbing the Dead” (Rip Through Time #3) by Kelley Armstrong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Time Travel/Historical Fiction. Location: Edinburgh, Scotland. Time: 1869.

THE SERIES: Mallory Atkinson (30) is a modern-day homicide detective ripped back into Victorian Scotland where she inhabits the body of Catriona Mitchell (20), housemaid to Dr Duncan Gray (31), undertaker/forensic-scientist, and his sister Isla (34), a chemist. Mallory likes her job as Duncan’s undertaker assistant-Duncan and Isla know her secret, as does Detective Hugh McCreadie. But Mallory really just wants to get home to 2019.

THIS BOOK: Considering the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at Sir Alastair Christie’s home. Their host disappears, and Gray and Mallory find it’s not a mummy that’s unwrapped, but a modern body. The actual mummy also disappears so Duncan, Mallory, and Hugh investigate, aided by Mallory’s knowledge of future methods, and a visit to the Goblin Market.

Author Armstrong spins time travel with mystery, romance, and historical fiction. Her clever plot and detailed prose brings the 1800s alive. She weaves in the Edinburgh Seven, the 1st UK women to study medicine at university. Because her friends know she’s from the future, Mallory uses outspoken, feminist language, confusing and amusing her Victorian friends. (“Slow your roll, Doctor”, “Right? I’m a freaking genius!”)

I love Armstrong’s inclusion of diversity: Well-educated Dr Duncan Gray is a person of color-rare in 1800s Scotland. Isla is a chemist not allowed to work as one because of her gender. Isla hires household staff with criminal backgrounds, because she believes in chances for all. If you’re a Kelly Armstrong fan, of course you’ll read this! If you want to read a book with intricate world-building and fascinating characters, read this! In fact, read all books in the series. It’s 5 stars from me 🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️

This is the third book in this series and they just keep getting better and better. I highly recommend this book and series to lovers of time travel.

DISTURBING THE DEAD is the third book in the fascinating time travel series ‘A Rip Through Time’ by Kelley Armstrong. Mallory and company, our modern detectives transported to 1860s Edinburgh, find themselves involved in a murder investigation related to Egyptian artifacts, educational integrity, and underground markets. I was skeptical of the time travel element when I started the first book because it frequently doesn’t work for me as a story element. Armstrong is a great writer, though, and the story and characters all work beautifully. The mystery is compelling, the descriptions of Edinburgh and the time are great, and there are some interesting developments in Mallory’s life in this one. Great story, but it helps to read the first two books in the series for background.

I love the rush of devouring an excellent mystery in just a few days, and Disturbing the Dead was a complete rush. Mallory and Gray are up to their usual sleuthing-while-fighting-social-norms, which is always a delight. The mystery was solid and I didn’t guess the ending, but even better was getting to know more about the interesting characters in Mallory’s new life. Jack and Queen Mab make another appearance, and how I loved their interactions with Mallory and Gray! This is what Dream casts are made of — wholly unique personalities coming together to make a complex tapestry of a story. I loved it.

A murder mystery set in 1869 Victorian Scotland. This is not a typical genre I would read and didn't realize this is the third book in the series.
I do think you can still read it without reading the other two books as they do talk about Mallory's history. She's been sent back in time to 1869 from 2019. She's not sure how she got there but now she's helping Dr. Gray solve crimes without all the technology of today. Really fun whodunit book.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's press for the ARC.

I love this series! Maybe even more than the Rockton Series……

This is the third book in this series, and I think they just keep getting better.

These books are a delightful mash up of : crime investigation, a main character who has time travelled, and a slow burn romance. It’s set in a morgue in Victorian England.

As usual Armstrong excels in: intriguing well fleshed out characters, great plot and pace, as well as a vivid setting.

I strongly recommend this series!

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book to read and review.

First off I have to say anything to do with Egypt and mummies and I’m hooked. Throw in a murder and stolen artifacts with a time traveling police detective stuck in the past and you have a recipe for an amazing adventure.

“Even as an adult, I still have a macabre turn of mind, as you well know.” A faint smile. “A turn of mind that we share, and I agree.

Mallory and Duncan are the Sherlock and Holmes of Victorian Scotland. There relationship has progressed in this third book and I’m loving the banter between these two. The mystery had me guessing and shocked at the reveal.

“I’m serious,” I say. “Look it up. It’s folk magic.” “Which you know because, in the twenty-first century, thieves run around using pickled hands to rob houses.”

I hope this series continues for a long time. Every year I’m so excited for a new installment it’s just that spectacular.

Disturbing the Dead is the third book in the Rip Through Time series. 21st century homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is still trying to find her way back home after being transported through time to 19th century Edinburgh. Luckily for her, she gets to experience an earlier version of detective work by helping out her undertaker boss, Duncan Gray, and his friend, Detective Hugh McCreadie, solve crimes!

In the newest installment to the series, Mallory, Duncan and the gang are attending a mummy unwrapping party! Mallory ends up assisting Duncan in the unwrapping when the host is nowhere to be found and they fear a riot and/or damage to the mummy from the disappointed attendees who came expecting some entertainment. The mummy turns out not to be so ancient but the host himself, Sir Alastair Christie. The investigation into the murder has them turning to familiar faces and I loved seeing all the characters again!

Time travel books are usually a little iffy for me, everyone has their own set of rules and it's a fine line between being too convenient and outright ridiculous. Armstrong does a great job of straddling that line, bringing in some personal elements that I loved! After the second book didn't touch on Mallory's inability to get back to her present time to see her dying grandmother, I was glad we got some answers in this one. We'll definitely be ordering this for the library!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Disturbing the Dead is the third book in the Rip in Time series. Mallory is a present day American detective living in Victorian Scotland as a chambermaid. Luckily, her employers are very forward thinking and she becomes Dr Gray’s assistant after they find out who she is. Mallory attends an unwrapping mummy party with the Gray family. Unfortunately, instead of unwrapping a mummy, the host is unwrapped. They are on the case!
I enjoy these books very much. They are light, entertaining and have interesting characters.

4.5/5⭐️

This third installment in a time travel series (from modern day to 1890s) finds our heroine Mallory Atkinson (a modern-day homicide detective in the body of Victorian Scotland housemaid Catriona Mitchell), settling into her new position as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray.

After attending the unwrapping of an ancient mummy, in which something goes horribly wrong, Mallory and Gray become involved in unraveling the hows/whys. There’s also a surprise twist towards the end that tests Mallory’s resolve about how she’s envisioned her future.

I love seeing the evolution of Mallory as she navigates her new life and how those around her perceive/accept her. Also there’s an abundance of humor which is always a plus.

Really enjoying Armstrong’s books.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for providing the free early arc of Disturbing the Dead for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

"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.