Thank you St. Martin's Press for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own
5-Star Book Review: A Perfect Blend of Mystery, History, and Heart

Kelley Armstrong delivers another outstanding installment in her time-travel mystery series, weaving a rich tapestry of Victorian intrigue, slow-burning romance, and clever sleuthing. This latest novel is a masterclass in historical suspense, and once again, Mallory Atkinson shines as one of the most compelling protagonists in the genre.

Mallory’s journey—from modern-day detective to 19th-century housemaid-turned-investigator—feels as immersive as ever. Her growing connection to Duncan Gray and her loyalty to Hugh McCreadie create a warm, emotional core amidst the chilling murder and mounting tension. The Highland setting adds a fresh, atmospheric backdrop, with a crumbling estate, family secrets, and endangered wildcats all playing into a mystery that’s as thoughtful as it is suspenseful.

The murder plot is intricately crafted, full of subtle clues and moral complexity, and Armstrong balances historical detail with modern perspective brilliantly. The dynamic between Mallory and Gray continues to deepen in a satisfying and slow-burn way that feels entirely earned.

This book is everything I want in a historical mystery: beautifully written, smartly plotted, emotionally resonant, and impossible to put down. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction, intelligent mysteries, and character-driven storytelling.

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

First of all, my apologies to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. I read this one well over a month ago, but got slammed with work projects, and didn't get around to doing the review until now.

I really enjoyed this outing with Mallory, Duncan, and the rest of the gang. It was nice to see them go on a road trip, of sorts. I did have troubles keeping Hugo's sister and Hugo's ex-fiancee separate (which lead to some very confusing passages, until I realized that I was thinking about the wrong woman). I don't think that's any fault of Armstrong, but more of a me problem. I'm very interesting in seeing where Mallory and Duncan's relationship is going, but I also really like the historical mystery. It's been a great series for me.

Another enjoyable installment in the time travel historical mystery series A Rip in Time.

Canadian Police Detective Mallory Atkinson made a decision to stay in Victorian Scotland in a previous book in this series. Now she’s settled into life as an assistant to Dr Duncan Gray. She also is a close friend to Gray’s sister Isla and his best friend Detective Hugh McCreadie. They know she’s from the future.

The group plans a trip to a wedding in the Scottish Highlands that was sure to have some personal drama for Hugh. Instead, they find themselves trying to solve a murder where no one seems to have a motive for killing the victim and more secrets than truths.

Mallory begins to truly acknowledge her feelings towards Duncan in this story. Duncan does as well, except of course they both mess up - afraid of the consequences and too aware of the complications their relationship presents in society.

Spoiler Here: Still no kiss between Duncan & Mallory.

This one really made good use of the setting to keep it feeling fresh. The mystery wasn’t especially complex, as for the whodunnit part, but that doesn’t mean the motive wasn’t interesting and sufficiently compelling enough to keep my interest. I also really enjoyed the secondary love story development between Isla and Hugh.

Very much looking forward to the next installment in the series.
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Series: Book #4 A Rip In Time series

Themes/Tropes: time travel, Victorian era, Scotland, investigation, country parties, murder, mystery

Steam/Spice Level: zero from the main characters, not even kissing yet

Setting: Victorian Scotland in the Highlands

BIPOC Characters: yes, the hero is mixed race

LGBTQ+ Characters: yes, some secondary and extended world characters

POV: first person, present tense, single POV (heroine)

Standalone or Series: could be chaos read but I think it would be far better to do this series in order

Cops/LEO: yes, she’s a very progressive Canadian police detective and a secondary character is a Victorian era police detective

Does the Dog/Horse/Cat Die? There is a wildcat which is killed by a bad person. It’s off page but discussed. Also, there is an injured wildcat they save but must perform surgery on
__________
Thank you to St Martin’s for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Another delightful story involving my fav of Armstrong's time traveling characters, Mallory and Gray.
Yes, I like the mysteries. And yes, I enjoy the world building Armstrong does of Victorian Scotland. But I am mostly invested in these two people working their way towards one another! This series is definitely a slow burn, with very little "romance" and I'm okay with that.
In this installment of the "Rip Through Time" series we get to spend more time with some of the friends and family of Gray, which is a fun new element.

This is the 4th in the A Rip Through Time Series. I saw that it said it could be read as a standalone (and it totally can) so it sounded good.

I started reading and loved it right from the beginning. Mallory, a forensic detective, has been thrown back in time 150 years into the body of a young Scottish housemaid. She has become an assistant to an undertaker and a detective, both know that she is from the future.

This is the perfect blend of mystery, time travel, an almost sort of maybe will-they-won’t-they romance, humor, and even a little historical fiction since we learn a lot about the progression of forensics.

After reading that the name of the housemaid she has become is Catriona, I thought that sounds familiar. Sure enough. Apparently I read the first book in this series, in 2022 and then somehow lost track of the series! I will definitely be going back and reading the second and third book!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I have really enjoyed reading this series. I usually read them in one day!! I loved the characters and their growth in this book. It was a great storyline. I would definitely recommend this book.

Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth in a series that involves mystery, time travel, and history, and it is the first of the series for this reader. The time is about 150 years earlier than present time, meaning Victorian England, and Mallory Atkinson leaves her contemporary world and appears in Scotland at Cranston Estate as a helper at the estate named Catriona Mitchel. When she arrives, we understand that she and others have been invited to take part in a wedding at the Estate.

The cast of characters includes the doctor/undertaker, Duncan Gray, and Hugh McCreadie, a detective. As the plot moves forward, it becomes clear that there is a burgeoning love interest between Mallory and Dr. Gray. When a guest is murdered, all three of this trio are drawn into the mystery of who has committed the murder and why, and there are plenty of plot twists to keep the reader avidly reading and trying to figure out who is responsible for the crime.

The setting of the story on Cranston Estate is craftily created, and other characters are drawn into the mix. The most suspicious of them is Muller, a seemingly less than honest German gamekeeper. Another intriguing factor is the trapping and injuring of a wild Scottish cat, caught in a trap. Catriona realizes, however, that the cat's injuries are not consistent with what one would expect from a trap, and she determines to figure out who is setting the traps.

Two other delightful characters are Isla and Fiona, who lend some levity to the story. Embedded in the Victorian era, there are many questions about the place of women, including some incipient misogyny. The interweaving of modern technology that Mallory thinks about and which she misses is interesting, and then the carriages and other aspects of Victorian times enrich the setting of the era.

Thanks to Minotaur Books, St. Martin's Press, and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this engaging book.

Mallory Atkinson and her friends Duncan Gray and detective Hugh McCreadie get involved in another mystery when attending a wedding. The host and bridegroom's close friend is murdered and the host is arrested as the murderer. It's up to Mallory, Gray and McCreadie to get to the truth, even though they are out of their jurisdiction.

This book was a lot of fun, as Mallory navigates all the unwritten rules of Victorian society while trying to protect her own reputation after living 150 in the future. Times are different then, and I love how many ways that was illustrated in this story.

There are many characters in the story and was thankful for the little primer in the front of the book. I thought the murder mystery was well-crafted and had me guessing until the end. There are plenty of villains to choose from in this tale. And most of all, I love the romantic overtures between Mallory and Gray. They are so adorable, even when they are trying to pretend they don't have feelings for each other.

I absolutely love this series and this book was no exception. I was so glad when I was chosen to read an ARC for this book I couldn't wait to read it. This series takes mystery, history and time travel and just meshes them perfectly together and I love it! Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite Authors. Her writing is entertaining and has always kept me turning the pages and not wanting to put my books down including this one. The storyline is well written and I loved every second of reading it! I can't wait to read more!

I've enjoyed this series so much. I already look forward to the next book. I am rooting for Gray and Mallory to end up together. Though she has gone back 150 years in the past and basically decided to stay there Mallory pretty much has fallen for Gray.

In this book the group go to the Cranstons estate for a wedding. While there they encounter a few things that will make you cringe. And there is a murder. The murder of the groom's best friend. All is not as it seems though. While trying to find out who the murderer is Gray and Mallory uncover some pretty dark and sinister things. Things that the deceased may have done and the grounds keeper is part of.

I enjoyed this book so much. It was a real page turner. It keeps you guessing and keeps you on edge. The things going on are of a touchy nature. Or I should say things there went on. There are a few love tangles along the way. Some scandals also. Even back in this time period women were held responsible for anything that may happen to them of a sexual nature that they may not have wanted. Pretty much the same is today.

There are quite a few secrets revealed. A murder of course. Attempted kidnapping possibly. There are a few who could be guilty. I can't say I was shocked at who the murderer was even though I didn't guess. The reason fit.

My favorite character in this book was Fiona. She was just fun. And so honest. My least favorite was Muller. He was a cad of the worse kind. I look forward to reading more about Gray, Mallory, Isla, and McCreadie. Where they will end up next. I think this is my favorite book of this series so far. All are great though. This author knows how to write a story that pulls you in and keeps you wanting more.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC.

I love this series. However, this one fell a bit short. It just was a bit boring in spots and too long. I do love the setting of Scotland! And I tend to get a bit bored with series. That is probably what happened with this book. I will give the next one a shot.

Beware: classism; misogyny; racism; disability; rape (not on page); violence on page; killing of an animal.

One of the things I love most about good writing is losing myself in the world the characters inhabit, and caring for those characters as I follow them along; so far, all the stories in the Rip Through Time series have provided me that much needed refuge from the real world.

As this is the fourth full-length novel in a series with a number of ongoing relationship threads, I firmly believe that readers would enjoy it most after having read the previous entries. However, for those adventurous souls who jump in mid-series, the author--showing that she's also very much a reader--has kindly included a brief summary of the series setting as a kind of foreword.

Like all the stories before, this book is narrated in first person, present tense, by our protagonist, Mallory-slash-Catriona, as she and her employers, Dr Duncan Gray and his sister, Mrs Isla Ballantyne, accompany their friend, Hugh McCreadie, to his sister's wedding.

However, as is generally the case with weddings, regardless of time period or setting, the supposedly happy occasion hides many interpersonal entanglements which, here, culminate in murder.

Please note that, while the blurb gets the broad strokes right, the traps about the property aren't there to kill Scottish wild cats, but to "scare away" poachers who dare trespass on the groom's land; as is often the case when a wealthy man buys land for a song, evicts the population, and then walls it up, the people who were there first don't take any of this too kindly.

Mallory has never been much into history, which means that, despite coming back from the 21st Century, there are vast blanks in what she knows about the Victorian era; and while she's a fast learner, with a keen and pressing interest in getting things right and fitting in as well as possible in her new life--for her friends' sake as much as for herself--there are occasional stumbles as her modern training and the instincts of a lifetime clash with the mores of her new time.

On the other hand, as a modern homicide detective, forensics, criminal investigations, and human motivations are all up her alley. Which in turn means that she's catching a lot of the uneasy undercurrents floating about in this intimate gathering of friends prior to the wedding, even as she lacks a lot of the context behind them.

If you, like me, are a romance reader who enjoys mysteries (or a mystery reader who likes romance in their mysteries), all the feelings in this book will make you sigh. And yes, that includes the pull-push-pull harder dynamic between Mallory and Duncan, and all the many and varied reasons the road ahead will not be easy for them.

Also, as we learn what's behind Hugh's estrangement from his parents (and how it all connects to his much younger sister marrying, all these years later, the brother of the woman Hugh was once supposed to marry), there's finally some progress in his relationship with Isla.

This is a more intimate story than those told in the previous books; the solution to the murder hinges as much on the long history between this small group of people coming together for the wedding, as it does on what has been happening at the Cranston estate over the past few years. There are whole layers of complexities, wholly dependent on the characters' relative social statuses, gender and prospects.

Good characterization and believable growth arcs are often what make or break books for me (the rare exceptions are straight plot-driven mysteries). With a first person, present tense narrative voice, I'm always impressed by how well-rounded even the most minor characters in these books are. Here, as the story progresses, more and more secondary characters are introduced, until we end up with something like twenty plus people playing their part in the developing drama.

And with one or two very minor exceptions, they all have pasts, interests, ambitions, and quite distinct personalities.

Another interesting aspect is how much out of their element our core group are, not only because this isn't Edinburgh, but middle-of-nowhere in the Highlands, but also because of the insularity peculiar to many rural communities; here, people often never travel more than a couple of miles from where they were born, for the entirety of their lives. Superstition, xenophobia, and an even more stringent misogyny than usual for the period seem very entrenched here.

Therefore, when Mallory says that she doesn't know what to expect from the investigation, it's because their current circumstances go well beyond her usual struggle with the state of science in the 1860s, or even Victorian expectations of behavior for a woman in her position; in such a small, out-of-the-way place, the written law and what is actually done in its name, can be quite distant from each other.

As usual, I love how much sense of the era the author puts into the narrative; by giving us Mallory's modern perspective in contrast to how science was understood in the late 1860s, the reader is both more aware of how much has changed--and how much hasn't.

"We've reached a time when doctors are starting to understand that infection comes from dirty conditions, though cleanliness is still not common practice. While Gray believes in the new science, this insistence on a clean operating theater is in deference to his assistant, who could confirm that yes, dear God, you don't slice into a living body without first boiling your instruments" (Chapter 7)

As Mallory and her friends navigate these unfamiliar surroundings and, little by little, uncover secrets of long standing as well as more recent ones, things eventually come to a head with rather stunning violence.

Which makes the neat final plot twist, and the solution to the mystery, all the more satisfying; there's only one tiny "this is too convenient by far" thread, but I'm willing to let it go given the overall impact of the story.

(I still want to read Duncan's letter, though!)

Death at a Highland Wedding gets 9.25 out of 10, and I now wait impatiently again for the next story in the series.

Love Kelley Armstrong. Love this series. This book did not disappoint. What's not to love about a time traveling mystery in Victorian Scotland. I really appreciated that the introduction of the book gave a recap/general overview of series, because some times it hard to what's happened so far in the series without rereading the previous books every time a new book comes out.

This is the fourth book in a series about Mallory a 30 year old female police detective from current times who after an attempted murder, finds herself in the body of an 20 year old Scottish parlor maid in the 1860s. How she got there is revealed in books 1 and 2, and she gets to briefly go home in book 3. I have come to love the characters in these stories, especially Duncan Gray, and Mallory’s slow burn romance with him. ( When I say slow - I mean sloooow, not even a kiss after 3 books) . Humor and friendship themes remain strong.

In this story we have our group of main characters heading to a wedding in the Scottish Highlands, and are introduced to McCready’s sister and some school friends. I found these extra characters much less compelling and felt this book dragged quite a bit ( I usually can read a book in less than a week- but this one took me 5 to finish) . The story line doesn’t progress much, and this book could be skipped by readers of the series. I love this author but book 5 really needs to pick up the pace.

The mystery itself is pretty dark and involves sexu@al assault ( though it’s not graphically described). We have lots of red herrings, but aren’t given enough clues to really figure out “who done” it. Still, the ending was satisfying with the characters behaving in a realistic way for the time period.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love how the characters are quirky, and they work together to solve this mystery. They think they are going on a holiday, to the wedding of Hugh's sister. What they get is a murder with too many suspects and secrets. As the gang works to solve the murder, they keep uncovering secrets. If some of these secrets are revealed, it could hurt some of the people they love. What will they do?

I have loved the previous books in the series and yes I loved this book just as much.
Such a fantastically written story that got me hooked from the beginning.

I highly recommend reading it.

Mallory Atkinson, Isla, Dr. Duncan Gray and Hugh McCreadie are headed out of town to the Scottish Highlands to attend Hugh's younger sister's wedding. Fiona is to be married to Lord Archibald Cranston, a wealthy young man whom Gray and McCready know from their school days. Cranston’s best man is Ezra Sinclair, a well-liked person also well known to Gray and Hugh from school. Travelling with them is Hugh's former fiancé Volet, who is subdued and seemingly still hurting from Hugh's rejection years earlier.

Mallory quickly becomes annoyed with Cranston for his loudness and persistent bullying of Duncan, while she is impressed with Fiona's good sense and logical, curious mind.

Mallory also notices that there are tensions amongst the people of the village, who are angry that Archie has employed a dreadful person as his gamekeeper, who has laid many bear raps on his land, and that Archie has made no effort to get to know who the people of the village are.

When Ezra is found dead the next morning, Mallory and Duncan begin investigating, even while Mallory chafes at the societal restrictions upon women that force her to curtail her normal activities as an investigator. Much is revealed by their detecting, and much of it shocking.

I really enjoy this series, and the way Mallory is forced to rely on observation and interrogation in the form of tea and chats, rather than the forensic science she was used to. Thankfully, she's not had to hide her 21st century self from her closest associates while getting to the truth of their cases. Also, Mallory has developed genuine feelings for Gray, which only complicates their activities.

I enjoy that conflict and friction, and also the low tech approach to detection, as well as the great relationships Mallory has forged with Isla, Gray and Hugh, and Alice, the Gray's young maid.

I went back and forth between the prose and the audio, and greatly enjoyed voice actor Kate Handford's narration. She brings a humour and intelligence to Mallory, as well as to Isla and Alice which I enjoy a lot. And she creates a good balance between Duncan's curiosity and social awkwardness.

This was another enjoyable and compelling instalment in this series, and I can't wait for the next.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for these ARCs in exchange for my review.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press.

Another great installment in this series. I love the characters and their relationships with each other, and we finally get a slight movement in the anticipated romance. I love how this series does not focus on the potential love interest and it doesn't take over the story, although I'm sure it frustrates many on its slow movement. This wasn't my favorite in the series, perhaps because of the new location, but overall a great story with characters that I love!

I’m not huge on historical type of stories, but I have enjoyed many other books by this author and the time travel aspect seems interesting, so I gave this a go. It is fun for a modern day detective type to be solving cases in the past; I enjoyed the mystery surrounding a murder case. The setting being a wedding in Scotland is fun too! I found myself enjoying the whole Victorian vibe to the story. Modern Mallory trying to fit into a time when women were expected to follow along with a man is interesting, and all the societal restrictions and decorum at that time. Enjoyed the dynamic between Mallory and the whole group of friends. They are all supportive of each other! A great friend group!

Warning about some animal cruelty being involved in the story; not super detailed, but still a sad part of this story.

Overall, an entertaining story! Really did enjoy the setting! Looking forward to more!

I loved Death at a Highland Wedding. Kelley Armstrong’s Rip Through Time Series is one of my favourite comfort reads — a perfect mix of mystery, fantasy, and a very slow burn romance.

It follows a Canadian police detective who has been transported back in time to Victorian-era Scotland.

Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth book in the series, taking us out of Edinburgh and into the Highlands. I loved the setting and the twistiness of the mystery.

I often get bored with series but I’d probably read another 20 books in this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Minotaur Books for my review copy.