Growing up, I enjoyed time travel stories, but the books I read featured variations on H.G. Wells’s classic, “The Time Machine.” These stories featured a scientific gizmo that allowed a character to enter a different era. Sometimes, in a slight variation, the characters would go through a warp-like portal to the same effect. But I wasn’t a fan of stories in which characters found themselves inside other people’s bodies in the past. That is, until I read Kelley Armstrong’s charming novel, “Disturbing the Dead.” This book made me believe not in time travel but in the viability of the body swap story as an enjoyable subgenre.

“Disturbing the Dead” is the third novel featuring modern-day police detective Mallory Atkinson. While visiting Edinburgh, Scotland, she was transported 150 years in the past, inside the body of a housemaid, Catriona Mitchell. Fortunately, Catriona’s employer, Duncan Gray, was sophisticated enough to accept her story. Even more fortunately, Duncan was somewhat of an amateur detective with whom Mallory, in her new body, worked to solve cases.

In “Disturbing the Dead,” Duncan and Mallory attend a party at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. Despite my first hunch, Christie is not an ancestor of Agatha Christie’s first husband. Like Agatha’s second husband, he is an archaeologist who has just returned from Egypt with many artifacts, including a mummy. The party’s highlight is the unwrapping of the mummy to see what lies beneath the bandages. But when Duncan (who has a medical degree) and Mallory unwrap the mummy, instead of a long-dead Egyptian, they find a recently dead Christie.

Despite having one of the best corpse-discovery scenes in recent memory, the whodunit aspects of “Disturbing the Dead” are routine. There are only a few suspects, and the last chapters seem cribbed from an episode of “Moonlighting,” with Duncan and Mallory trying to trap the killer. But the mystery surrounding the mystery is much better. Christie’s murder isn’t the only crime which occurred that day. Someone absconded with the original mummy’s remains, and Mallory now searches for their whereabouts to see if they reveal a clue to the killer’s identity.

Mallory’s search for the mummy’s remains, perhaps to be used for medicinal purposes, is far more interesting than her search for the killer. Her journey takes her to a late-night occult flea market, appropriately called a goblin market. There, vendors peddle arcane herbs and common fakes to unwary buyers. I’ve read a lot of occult fantasy over the years, but this was my first encounter with a goblin market. I was utterly fascinated by Mallory’s trip and her bizarre companions.

Many historical novels feature archetypical characters that readers will immediately recognize. Nearly every character in “Disturbing the Dead” differs vastly from what readers might expect. The best example is Queen Mab, the local expert on preventing—and ending—pregnancies. She serves as Mallory’s “sponsor” on the trip to the goblin market, where Mab obtains some of the wares she uses. Either Queen Mab or the goblin market would be enough for me to recommend “Disturbing the Dead.” But the book contains at least a dozen similar characters and scenarios.

Mallory serves as the narrator of “Disturbing the Dead.” Her narration is an additional delight in the book. She provides insight from sources like the novel “Catch-22” and the movie “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective” to befuddled 19th-century listeners. And Mallory wonders about the scientific and cultural differences between life in 1869 and 2019. A major subplot in the book involves the first handful of women admitted to medical school in Scotland. Not surprisingly, they do not receive a warm welcome from their fellow students and faculty. Several of them figure in the storyline. And when Duncan Gray’s exploits are published in local tabloids, Mallory immediately notices the similarities between Gray and a similar consulting detective who would enthrall the reading public a few years later.

“Disturbing the Dead” is a time travel mystery that readers who rarely like mysteries or time travel stories can enjoy. It’s the third novel in the author’s series about Mallory’s adventures. However, the author does an excellent job filling readers in on the book’s central premise and recurring characters. Those like me who haven’t read the earlier books won’t understand all the references to previous storylines, but that won’t diminish this book’s entertainment factor. “Disturbing the Dead” may disturb a few readers’ sleep patterns as they keep some enjoyable late hours finishing the book.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book. I chose to review it and this in no way impacts my opinion of it.

Disturbing the Dead is book 3 in the A Rip Through Time series by Kelley Armstrong. If you haven’t read any of this series yet and enjoy time travelling historical mysteries, I highly recommend starting with the first book in the series, A Rip Through Time.

This novel starts out with Duncan, Mallory and friends being invited to a ‘mummy unwrapping party’. When the host goes missing, Duncan and Mallory step up to unwrap the mummy and keep the party goers entertained. But when it’s discovered that the mummy wrappings contain a much fresher body than they anticipated, the real excitement begins.

I was so excited to receive an e-arc of this novel as I have a great love for this series. Now I know you’re all saying “but Alice, you just have a great love for Kelley Armstrong” and you aren’t wrong, but this series has been so fun and exciting and this instalment isn’t any different.

I found this novel to be so fun to read and I loved trying to solve the mystery before the characters could. Armstrong has such a way with words that I could almost pretend that I was in Victorian Scotland along with the characters from this novel and I was part of their team. I cannot speak on the accuracy as I am a Canadian who has not yet visited Scotland, but she paints a lovely photograph.

I have never been one for historical novels but Kelley Armstrong has a style of writing that never fails to draw me in. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys mystery/thriller style novels with a hint of time travel. You will not be disappointed.

This is the third book in Kelley’s time-traveling detective series. I highly recommend reading the first two before starting this one. While it can be read as a standalone, I think some parts may be confusing without the backstory. That said, this installment is fantastic! Anyone who likes mysteries will love this series. The time-travel aspect takes it to another level! Thanks so much for the opportunity to read in advance!

This is the 3rd book in the series and I recommend that you read the first two books before reading this. I was very confused for first third of the book as I didn't have the basics of the story line. It took me about halfway through the book before I felt like I was enjoying the read. The book contains a time traveling detective from the present who is transported back to the 1800's, a detective in the 1800's, a Victorian household in Scotland of a sister and brother who is the undertaker, two murders and a mummy. The basic story is about a mummy unwrapping and what happens from that point forward. It is a very involved story line and you have a lot of characters to keep straight. Again, if I had read the first two books, it would have been an easier read.

I received a complimentary ARC copy of Disturbing the Dead: A Rip Through Time Novel #3 by Kelley Armstrong from Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press /Minotaur Books in order to read and give an honest review.

…Fast-paced, well-written and filled with a wonderful cast of captivating characters, a touch of romance, quirky humor, heartwarming moments, and a thrilling mystery….…

A huge fan of Kelley Armstrong’s work, I was thrilled to be given the honor of reading and reviewing Disturbing the Dead, the third entry in her “A Rip Through Time series”, and like the first two, I absolutely loved it!

We pick up the story of modern-day Canadian police detective, Mallory Atkinson, who is trapped in the body of Dr. Gray’s con-artist maid Catriona Mitchell in 1869 Edinburgh. Catriona/Mallory is now an assistant to Dr. Duncan Gray, an undertaker and medical examiner, she is doing what she can to cope until she can find a way back home to her own time to see her family and learn if the scheming Catrina is inhabiting her body, conning her family in the present day and she hopes to learn news about the fate of her beloved grandmother.

Dr. Gray and his sister, chemist Isla, are aware of Mallory’s secret and although extremely homesick, she is making the best of the situation by helping Dr. Gray with his cases as they arise, bringing modern day knowledge to help Duncan decipher crimes.

Whilst attending a high society function at the home of Sir Alastair Christie, a highly contested mummy unwrapping party goes very wrong when Mallory and Doctor Gray are enlisted to step in during the unwrapping when Sir Christie cannot be found anywhere. When the unwrapping reveals the dead body of Sir Christie and the authentic mummy and some of its grave goods are missing, they are called to assist Detective McCreadie unravel the clues and uncover Sir Christies murderer. Sir Christie’s children assist Dr. Gray and Mallory by revealing underground tunnels under their home and when Sir Christies unconscious brother-in-law is found in the tunnels it is discovered the mummy had been smuggled out through the tunnel by a cloaked figure. Determined to get to the bottom of things their investigation leads them into the seedy world of the black-market macabre antiquities scene in Victorian Edinburgh. Mallory used to investigating on her own puts herself in peril when she goes off by herself looking through the tunnels, possibly ending Mallory’s time in Victorian Edinburgh.

I love this series in particular the way the author creates such vivid and authentic characters. Mallory is an intelligent, strong, and independent female character but we also see her vulnerable, heartbroken and afraid. Armstrong’s prose feels authentic as she does not shy away from tough topics such as racism, transgender, homosexuality, and misogyny which has made her one of my favorite authors.

Fast-paced, well-written and filled with a wonderful cast of captivating characters, a touch of romance, quirky humor, heartwarming moments, and a thrilling mystery, Disturbing the Dead is a page-turning historical mystery that I highly recommend.

An excellent addition to the Rip Through Time series! The mystery/murder plot is terrific, with plenty of twists, suspects, and red herrings, and the character development is fantastic as well. This series is highly recommended.

Series Info/Source: This is third book in the A Rip Through Time series. I got an eGalley of this to review through NetGalley.

Thoughts: This is the third book in the A Rip Through Time series and I think it was the best book in this series by far.

Gray and Mallory are invited to a mummy unwrapping party hosted by Sir Alastair Christies, an Egyptian explorer. However, when Alastair doesn't show up, the crowd asks Gray to employ his skills as a surgeon and do the unwrapping. Unfortunately, the mummy that they unwrap is not nearly as old as they thought it was going to be. Suddenly, they are wrapped up (ha, ha) in yet another Victorian murder mystery.

I love that we get a bit more information around the time travel story line. I also really enjoyed the mummy mystery. I didn't rate this 5 stars because I do still find some portions of the story to be slow. At times there is just a bit too much police procedural type data for me.

I continue to really love the characters in this series. I was excited by the events that happened to Mallory and hope that we can get a bit more explanation around why they happened and also hope that Mallory can start to move past some of the uncertainty in her Victorian life now.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this installment in this series much more than previous installments in the series. I loved that the time travel storyline makes more progress here. I also enjoyed the mummy themed murder mystery a lot more than previous mysteries. I do feel like parts of the story still move a bit slow for me. Sometimes there is just too much police procedural detail and I end up skimming those parts. However, I do feel like this book in the series had much more consistent pacing than previous books in the series.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. Like the plot involving time travel, the adventure transported me back to my days in Edinburgh. The description of the town was quite accurate. The character MS Mallory investigates a crime. As a detective in the modern day 21st century, she is faced with the challenges of being thrown in the past. She faces many challenges involving, cultural, what women can not do, and technology to solve the death of Mr. Alistair.

I have read the first and third book in the series. References made about what happened in book two were nicely done without the reader been confused. Got me interested enough to grab book two when I noticed it on sale. I really enjoyed the interactions between the various characters. In this book Mallory must make a challenging decision. If the force of time allows, which century will she decide to stay in? Will she, together with her employer and friends been able to safe an innocent man from hanging. Together with Mallory we learn about Victorian era attitudes towards Egyptian artifacts, the male doctors towards the woman wanting to study medicine, the class divides between the gentry and servants. In general, I am not a great fan of time travel, but Kelley Armstrong makes this story feel real to a point that I got a bit emotionally involved. Hoping for a book four in the series.

4.5 Stars
Disturbing the Dead is book 3 in Kelley Armstrong’s A Rip Through Time series which follows a modern-day homicide detective trapped in the body of a 20 year old housemaid 150 years in the past. If you haven’t read the first 2 books yet, I highly recommend you do!

Mallory is now officially the assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray and this time around, they are invited to a mummy unwrapping party. When the host disappears they are asked to step in and soon discover it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped but a fresh corpse.

It was wonderful being back in Victorian Scotland with Mallory, Gray, Isla and McCreadie! I absolutely adore all of these characters and their mystery solving skills. It’s always so much fun following along as they investigate and their banter is truly top notch!

If you’re familiar with this series, this installment resolves a specific plot point regarding Mallory’s time-travel and I couldn’t be happier with the way it was handled.

I love this series and I’m so excited to know there are at least 2 more books on the way. Here’s hoping for many more!

Mallory Atkinsion modern day police investigator has found a home with the Victorian "Gray" family. Transported back when she is strangled in the same place as Catroina Mitchell a housemaid of the Gray family has been, Mallory inhabits her body but retains her scruples and eye for detail.
Each book has an investigation into a murder and this one is quite literally revealed by Dr Gray and Mallory at a mummy unwrapping.
The side characters of Isla, Gray's chemist sister and of Inspector McCreadie enrich these novels with clever conversation and playful banter.
Mallory likes her place in Victorian Scotland and in her ability to make a difference. Her character faces tough choices and vows to stay with Dr Gray for personal and professional reasons. The introduction of forensic details into police investigation is in it's beginning stages at this time, and Mallory tries not to interfere with it's progression.
In this story we are introduced to various women characters who are clearly making their mark in the world.
I love Armstrong's ability to blend facts, humor, insight, and tradition into her books.
Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur books for this ARC. Opinions expressed are strictly my own.

I love this series and this installment was no exception! There was a resolution of a big, ongoing plot point here. I love how it resolved and that it left some questions open for the future. The crime here was creative and appropriately mysterious. I always love the cast of characters and the witty banter. I’m looking forward to future installments!

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I started this without reading the first two books in the series. After consulting other readers, I stopped, and read the first two and came back to this one. The Rip Through Time crime novels are fantastic! Its blend of fantasy and thriller that I have come to love.
Mallory Atkinson, a time traveling detective, living in someone elses body is between the present day and the Victorian Scotland. This is so well written that the characters jump off the page in this cinematic third installment. Armstrong’s attention to detail should be applauded.

A Rip Through Time Series is one of my favorite series, so I can’t even explain how excited I was to finally read a new book about Mallory Atkinson. This series is everything for me!! And let me tell you, as the rest of the series, this book is absolutely amazing!!! It's like all my favorite elements – a lot of Victorian drama, time-traveling shenanigans, and a contemporary detective - combine together in this wonderful story! I couldn’t ask for anything more!

The main character, Mallory Atkinson, is a fantastic homicide detective who, for some reason, ends up back in Victorian Scotland. She is living in somebody else's body, working as an assistant to a medical examiner, Dr. Duncan Gray. They receive an invitation to Sir Alastair Christie's home for a mummy unwrapping party (yes, you read it correctly). But imagine their surprise when they open it, and find a fresh corpse instead of a mummy!

This book's characters are so vividly drawn that they seem to jump off the page. With their combined skills at mystery solving and butt-kicking, the entire group resembles the perfect dream team. It's lovely to see how they've always supported one other, even throughout centuries. And the bond between Duncan and Mallory is so heartwarming!! I really enjoy their witty banter and their emotional connection. It makes me feel all kinds of emotions!

And I have to say that Armstrong has an impeccable eye for historical detail. She clearly did her homework, which greatly increases the story's credibility. I could really imagine being in Victorian Scotland with all those characters!
If you enjoy epic adventures, emotional relationships, and time-traveling entertainment, "Disturbing the Dead" is a must-read! Highly recommended!

I am always here for a new Kelley Armstrong book and Disturbing the Dead did not disappoint! I'm so enamoured with Mallory and Duncan's relationship, as well as the cast of secondary characters that make their escapades so entertaining. I can't wait to see what shenanigans they get into next, AND WILL THEY FINALLY GET TOGETHER FOR REAL?!?

I was excited to return to the Rip Through Time series with Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong. This is the third mystery novel about modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson, who solves cases in Victorian era Scotland with the handsome undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray. A fantastic case and reveals.

I absolutely love spending time in Victorian Scotland with Mallory, Duncan, Isla and Hugh. They make quite the team as they solve murders. I would love to take tea with them in the afternoon and discuss clues while enjoying cakes.

Disturbing the Dead proved to be an interesting story with a murder-mystery, Egyptian mummy and clever plot twists with the murder at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. Armstrong weaved in historical fact, women’s issues and the plunder of Egypt into the tale.

As you know Mallory is trapped in the body of housemaid Catriona Mitchell. Fans of the series will be excited to learn we are enlightened about what happened and how Mallory handles it. Another side thread that wove in nicely was about local serials depicting their adventures.

With recent discoveries, the romantic thread shows more promise. I didn’t dare to hope, but am excited to find out what develops. While each book in this series has its own unique murder mystery, I recommend reading them in order.

I was a tad worried that this might be the last of our adventures with Mallory, Duncan, his sister, Isla, and Detective Hugh because of events surrounding Mallory’s time-slip, but every indication suggests we will get more mysteries and romance. I for one cannot wait!

The third book in this series is wonderful! Time travel, murder mystery, set in Victorian England with a modern-day female detective stuck in the Victorian era has all of these elements in this amazing book! Thank you Kelley Armstrong for writing such a great series!

Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong
A Rip Through Time series #3. Historical mystery, police procedural with a slight paranormal time shift. Best read as part of the series in order.
Mallory Atkinson is a police detective. Or she would be if she could get home. Mallory is stuck in Victorian Scotland because of a weird time slip. She’s a maid and part time assistant to Doctor Gray in 1890 since she woke up in the body of another woman that was strangled in the same place but different time.
Together Duncan Gray and Mallory investigate the murder of a man wrapped like a mummy and try to find the missing Egyptian artifacts. Tunnels and marketplaces and the help of the Queen send Mallory and Gray on a twisted path to find the murderer.

🎧 I alternated and reread passages between an ebook and an audiobook. The series is narrated by Kate Handford who is simply amazing with voices and emotional expression. She has one voice for Mallory, an accented different voice for Mallory when she is talking as if she’s the maid, and a very distinct voice for Doctor Gray. I looked up the narrator more than once to verify it was really just one person. There are other voices as well for secondary characters, but the best part is following along with the mystery and being drawn into history and situations as they are happening, and being drawn in by the passion.
I listened to this at 1.5 which is my preferred speed. It best matches my reading.

I loved reading print still as I see the images in my head like a movie. Listening for me is more about hearing the personality such as the snark or sarcasm and tension. Mallory has a strong personality that just jumps out of this narrative.
Which did I like better for this book? It’s a toss up. Both are equally well done.

Dramatic, entertaining, and enthralling.
Chapter 29 through 32 killed me. I was an emotional wreck.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley and the publisher Macmillan Audio.

Praise for the latest in the Rip Through Time series!

A return to Victorian Edinburgh and the freak out life of a thirty year old, twenty-first century detective, who went to the aid of a woman being strangled in her time and woke to found herself trapped in the body of a nearly illiterate housemaid to a Dr. Duncan Gray. The maid Catroina had been a young, well endowed servant with sociopath tendencies, consequently Mallory has had trouble winning over her fellow servants. They’re all waiting for the other shoe to drop!
Now six months later Mallory Atkinson (her real name) is a valued member of the doctor’s household and has become Duncan’s forensic assistant. Mallory had been a dedicated homicide detective. She knew all about DNA, fingerprints etc. She has to be careful not to let her knowledge outstrip the times.
Much to her disgust Mallory is to attend a mummy unwrapping party with the Dowager Countess Lady Annis her siblings. Suffragette chemist sister Isla, Dr. Gray, her illegitimate brother, and Detective Hugh McCreadie (Gray’s friend)
The unwrapping begins, only to find the missing host within in said wrappings.
Now they have a murder to solve which necessitates the descent into a mysterious underground market, the meeting of the illusive Queen Mab, the Edinburgh Seven (females seeking to attain entrance to the medical profession), and a host of further surprising happenings which had me on my toes. This time the investigation is somewhat stranger than usual (although that’s an epitaph I’d apply to the entire series thus far).
A fulsome read!

A St. Martin’s Press ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I haven't read a time travel book in such a long time, and this was such a wonderful read.

Main character Mallory Atkinson was transported back in time and working as an assistant to a ME. She and her boss Duncan get invited to a mummy unveiling. Not what they expected happened! This is a whirl wind of a read and the characters I felt were described so well they all come to life.

This is the 3rd in a series called Rip Through Time and it's a crime series which stands alone. I would highly recommend this book for anyone that loves a time travel crime read.