Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth entry in Kelley Armstrong's Rip Through Time series.

I have enjoyed every book that Kelley has written. Her female leads are always intelligent women that don’t back down. That’s certainly the case with modern day detective Mallory Atkinson. I say modern day because she has slipped back in 150 years into the past in the Scottish Highlands. She now helps an undertaker and a detective with cases.

It’s a great premise! Everything has to change if she’s going to stay….or go…. Speech, the attitudes, the roles and the rules of women, dressing, and so much more.

In this book Mallory, Gray, and McCreadie travel to a Highlands castle that’s surrounded by wilderness. A perfect setting for a murder, don't you think? It’s feels a bit like a Christie book. The answer for who dunit changes many times on the way to the final answer. I loved every page.

The mystery is excellent but that’s only half of it for this reader. The ‘yes, no, maybe so’ from some of the players will have you wondering. I’m always eager to see what’s going on with the players.

An easy five stars.

I read #ADeathataHighland Wedding by #KellyArmstrong through #NetGalley. The book is 4th in the time traveling series and needs to be read in order. Mallory is the time traveling Canadian homicide detective that ends up in a younger body. She is the assistant to Duncan Gray, a doctor who works as a Victorian undertaker and is illegitimate and brown skinned, probably Indian. They live with his sister who is white and is a chemist. His friend is Hugh McCreadie, a police detective who has been disowned by his parents. Hugh invites them to the Highland's fir his sister's wedding. While there, the best man is murdered, and the local constable arrests the groom. So they investigate. It is a historical mystery with some implied romantic inclinations between Hugh and Isla and Mallory and Gray which also comes into play. I like the series but it does seem formulaic in delivery. I like the banter.

Time traveling homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is in Victorian Scotland headed to a highland wedding with Detective Hugh McCreadie and Dr. Duncan Gray. Hugh’s sister is getting married to the arrogant Archie Cranston. After Mallory comes across a Scottish wildcat that appears to have been caught in one of the traps on Archie’s land, she feels something isn’t right. Then a guest ends up murdered and Archie is taken in by the local constable. Determined to prove Archie’s innocence, Mallory helps Gray and McCreadie get to the bottom of what exactly is happening on the property and hopefully save the wedding.

As a big fan of historical female investigator novels I was very much taken in by this installment and series. The heavier themes of rape and incest are balanced by the light romance and humor between the characters. The mystery keeps the reader’s attention as it progresses along with the characters. I can’t wait for the next installment!

Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong
A Rip Through Time series #4. Historical mystery, timeslip. Diverse. Best read in series order.
Detective Hugh Mcacreadie’s sister is getting married in the Scottish highlands and Hugh has invited his friends, Dr Duncan Graham and his assistant Catriona, aka Mallory to the week in the country. The Cranstons estate and castle are beautiful, but when traps are discovered in the surrounding wooded paths, Gray and Mallory feel something isn’t quite right. Their unease is proved correct when one of the guests is found dead.
Gray, Mallory and Hugh use their expertise to determine what’s hidden in the woods and why.

🎧 I alternated between an ebook and audiobook copy which narrated by Kate Handford who does the full series. The performance is incredible with characters coming to life over the storytelling. Emotions are clear and distinct as a death is investigated and the traps cause an uneasy background to the estate owner. Mallory can’t help investigating and it’s amusing when she stumbles between her true police background vs. her young assistant persona. Tense situations lead to a bit of an emotional reveal that had me paying close attention to what came next.
I listened to this at 1.5 and slightly higher to more closely match my reading and conversation speed. I love being able to read the two formats together. It deepens both the visual and emotional for me.

I love this series for the grand storytelling, the mysteries, and mostly the characters that are uniquely themselves. Mallory’s occasional lapses in conversation about her timeline and a piece of science or machinery gives us an inside scoop into how she has to adjust her thinking and knowledge back to 1870. We also mourn that Duncan can’t know the world she lived in. He would love the science advances of the times.

Complex, compelling, intelligent and intriguing. It’s an absolute thrill to read this series.

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

Kelley Armstrong is back with the next installment in her Rip Through Time Series and this time Death is happening on the road:

Mallory, Gray and McCreadie are off to the Scotland Highlands to attend the wedding of McCreadie's younger sister. McCreadie's younger sister is upholding a match between the McCreadie's and the Cranston's as McCreadie canceled his engagement to Cranston's sister, so things are going to be a bit awkward. But Mallory is happy to escape the city, and the Cranston Estate is beautiful. But beauty can only hide so much especially when Cranston has placed deadly traps around the grounds, a wildcat is killed and one of the Wedding Guests turns up dead, it is up to Mallory, Gray and McCreadie to find out who the murderer is before another life is lost.

As this is the fourth book in the series, I highly recommend that you read the first three books in the series, starting with A Rip ThroughTime. These previous books will set up the relationship and time travel aspect in this book and really the struggle that Mallory has gone through from moving from the 21 Century to the 18th Century. I think that Armstrong does this aspect very well and builds upon with each book in the series.

I will admit that I was not sure about this series when I first started it but this one and the book before it have me even more hooked. I love that even Mallory was even more out of place in this one, as herself, Gray and McCreadie don’t have the tools and connections they have come to rely on. The country law enforcement leave much to be desired. I enjoyed that Armstrong did not rely on body after body to keep the reader's attention in this book and with that it turns out to be more of a who-done-it. This leaves a lot of room for deduction as none of them can rely as much on forensic science as they may do (even if this is less than Mallory is used to). I think that Armstrong did a great job in creating possible suspects and motives throughout the book and by the end I had not guessed who the murderer was, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Another aspect I thought that Armstong has done throughout the series is the relationship and co-worker relationship that Mallory and Gray have. They are really in a Gray area when it comes with the two of them being in private together for the time period. Their relationship that they have has this Oh Shit moment in the book, and i wonder how Armstrong is going to use that in the future.

I really enjoyed this book, the mystery it has and the relationships that Armstrong has created here. I look forward to reading another book in this series and to see where Armstrong takes this series.

Enjoy!!!

If you love time travel, historical mysteries, and slow-burning romance, you need to read this series. Death at a Highland Wedding is a great read and I’m already counting the days until the next one.

After reading Disturbing the Dead, book three in Kelly Armstrong’s A Rip Through Time series, I knew that I was going to eagerly reach for more in this time travel historical mystery/fiction series. While I’ve picked up the first two book with plans to see exactly how the main character ended up where she is, I couldn’t resist diving into the next chapter, Death at a Highland Wedding.

As an assistant to undertaker Duncan Gray, modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has adapted well to her life in Victorian Scotland. The skills she has gained in her real life in the present give her an edge when it comes to solving mysterious deaths. Fortunately, the people she lives with are aware of who she really is and that she’s living in the body of their former housemaid (the explanation of exactly what happened is detailed in each book to catch the reader up) and have helped her adapt to her new circumstances.

When Hugh McCreadie, detective and friend of Duncan Gray, asks Duncan, his sister, Isla, and Mallory to come to the Scottish Highlands with him for his sister’s wedding, they are all too happy to oblige. Hugh has been estranged from his family for quite some time after breaking an engagement they had arranged. The ex, Violet, happens to be the sister of Archie Cranston, who is marrying Hugh’s sister Fiona. Awkward! Fiona has asked Hugh to come to her wedding and even though it will mean seeing Violet again, Hugh knows it’s the right thing to do. He also hopes to be able to apologize to Violet and provide a better explanation as to why he abruptly broke their engagement.

At the McCreadie’s rural estate, the guests settle in for pre-wedding festivities. One thing that mars their enjoyment (besides the obvious tension between Hugh and Violet) is Müller the gamekeeper. He’s a recent addition to the staff, recommended by Archie’s friend, Ezra, another of the wedding guests. A surly German, Müller has installed several lethal animal traps around the property that the guests must be careful to avoid. One of them had even caught and killed a cat, leaving several kittens orphaned - though when Mallory and Gray examine the cat, they realize it must have already been dead before being in the trap. The small mystery of how the cat was killed, and how it ended up being made to appear as if it were killed by the trap is soon dwarfed by a bigger tragedy; one of the houseguests is found murdered and Archie has been arrested for the killing. It will take all of Duncan and Mallory’s skills to catch a killer before one of them ends up dead themselves.

A Wedding! The Highlands! Murder! What’s not to like in this engaging and page turning read? The setting is well described and the author has clearly researched the time period and culture such that we get lessons through Mallory’s eyes as she continues to adjust to her new life. There is a growing romantic attachment between Mallory and Duncan, stifled by the expected norms of the time with respect to their positions and unmarried selves. Indeed, when Duncan proposes a marriage of convenience to Mallory so that they can be seen together in private without causing harm to either of their reputations, Mallory is initially quite offended since her feelings for him are quite real. Thought it causes a small rift between them, she eventually acknowledges that it’s Duncan’s way of protecting her. (Her reaction is a bit over the top, which is the only thing that led me to downgrade the book from an A).

But all that aside, it is the mysterious cat-killing and the bigger, more ominous death of a wedding guest that have the pair delving deeper into the lives of the secondary characters. Tensions are already running high due to the strain between the two families over the previous broken engagement, and there appears to be no loss of motivation for more than one of the characters to be guilty of the murder, including the arrested Archie. As Mallory and Gray investigate, they uncover some ugly secrets that threaten to ruin more than one family, leading to several possible suspects. How the author weaves the threads together into a tightly plotted and intriguing mystery is what makes Death at a Highland Wedding such an enjoyable read. I’m happy to recommend this latest book in the series and look forward to finding out what Gray and Mallory get up to next!

5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Death at a Highland Wedding
Author: Kelley Armstrong
(A Rip Through Time #4)

Thank you so much Netgalley and St. Martins Press for my ARC copy of this series! My friend Leanne turned me onto Kelley this year (or maybe it was last year) and I devoured each book of this series. This one was probably my favorite of them all. For those who are not familiar with this series, our main character was a Modern-day homicide detective named Mallory, who was brutually attacked in present time. Somehow this attack caused her to time travel into another timeline and body where she is now living as housemaid Catriona Mitchel in 1870s Scotland. Each book in the series involves a different mystery she helps them solve. In this one our usual cast of characters travels to the Highlands for a wedding. When a guest is found murdered, Mallory and her companions must unravel the mystery before anyone else winds up dead. The atmosphere was beautiful and the mystery was super fun. Kelley is a genius. It’s so fun to read this coming from the POV of a modern mind but having to translate those thoughts into actions appropriate in the 1870s. Also this has the SLOWEST SLOW BURN OF ROMANCE EVER. Kelley I’m gonna die I think. I need more in book 5. 😆.

This installment of the Rip Through Time series has Mallory, Duncan, Hugh, and Isla, along with a few servants out to the countryside for Hugh's sister Fiona's wedding. From the start, Archie Cranston, the groom, is a truly unlikable fellow and a poor match for Fiona, in Mallory's opinion. But then an unalived body is found on the estate, the local constable is less than helpful, the townsfolk resent the new landowner and everyone seems suspect.
I can't wait for the next book in this series! The dynamic between Mallory and Duncan just keeps getting more tense and I'm falling in love with all the main characters even more.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth book in Kelley Armstrong's Rip Through Time series and is such a delight to read. When you combine time travel and a love of Sherlock Holmes that predates the detective's creation, you get some of Kelley Armstrong's strongest, most entertaining stories. Don't read this one as a stand-alone, the jokes are funnier if you know what has gone before...

As the title says, someone dies at a Scottish Highland wedding and Detective Mallory Atkinson has to worry her identity as Catriona Mitchel will be uncovered. Oh, and it looks like there is a murder to solve.

Each and every book in the Rip Through Time series has been a delight to read, and honestly, re-read (a lot).

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This fourth entry in the Rip Through Time series can be read as a standalone, but readers will want to go back and read the first three books in the series.

Modern day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson has somehow bounced in time to Victorian Scotland and is living a a housemaid/assistant to undertaker Dr. Duncan Gray. His great friend, Detective Hugh McReadie all head to the highlands to attend McReadie's sister's wedding. It's a bit of a complicated situation as McReadie was once engaged to another wedding guest. The wedding is planned at the hunting folly owned by the groom, Archie Cranston. Cranston hasn't owned the property long and the irascible gamekeeper, a German, has set out dangerous traps. The locals, long accustomed to hunting and having free rein of the property, intensely dislike the new owner and his guests and servants. When another guest is murdered, suspects abound, from the villagers, to the servants, to the guests themselves but Mallory (known as Catriona), Gray, and McReadie are ready to help the local officer solve the crime.

Experienced actor and narrator Kate Handford voices the characters authentically and has done so for each of the audiobooks in the series.

Recommended for those who enjoy sci-fi mysteries, books about Scotland, and anyone else who just wants to hear a well-read, well-laid out mystery.

I’ve had the absolute pleasure of reading and absolutely loving this amazing series!
Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong is book four.
This entire series is so unique and the characters truly come to life. This book has an interesting premise with likable characters.
A compelling and intriguing historical mystery/thriller that will quickly draw the reader in.
I can’t wait to the next one assuming there will be one.

Thank You NetGalley and Minotaur Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

This is the first book I’ve read in this series, and I enjoyed it. The time-travel aspect added more interest to the historical setting. Several of the primary characters know Mallory’s time-travel secret and its fun reading their take. Mallory has had to adjust to solving murders without modern science as well as within the restraints of society’s expectation of women in 1870 Scotland. The first opens her up to good natured ribbing by her friends, and the second adds a layer of conflict for Mallory.

For those readers jumping into this series at book four, Kelley Armstrong includes an introduction to bring us up to speed. I wish more authors did this. It’s really helpful even if you’ve started with book one of a series, but it’s been a while between books.

The murder was well-written with plenty of red herrings and misdirection woven throughout the book. Several times I thought I had the murderer’s identity pegged, only to find out I was wrong. Always a good thing.

4/5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur for a free copy of the e-book. All opinions are my own.

Here’s a review you can use or adapt:

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Audiobook Review: Death at a Highland Wedding by Kelley Armstrong, narrated by Kate Handford

I’m a little obsessed with this series. Death at a Highland Wedding is the fourth book in Kelley Armstrong’s Rip Through Time series, and every time I pick one up, I fall even more in love with the characters and world she’s created. These books are such a comforting escape—full of rich detail, clever plotting, and a cast of characters you genuinely want to spend time with.

I absolutely love the dynamic between Mallory and Gray. The tension between them is so well-written—intelligent, slow-burn, and emotionally complex. That said, I’m really hoping we see some real movement or resolution in their relationship soon. The “will they, won’t they” tension has been great, but I think it’s time for a shift.

This series reminds me a bit of Outlander, but without the heavy romance and explicit scenes. Personally, I prefer that balance, and it’s actually why I didn’t finish Outlander. While the time periods differ, there’s a similar mix of time-slip intrigue, historical atmosphere, and character-driven mystery that works really well here.

Kelley Armstrong is such a talented writer. Her pacing, historical detail, and dry humor make these books so easy to get lost in. The mystery in this installment was solid and layered—there are always more secrets to uncover than you expect, and the setting in the Scottish Highlands added even more charm and atmosphere.

I switched between the ebook and audiobook and enjoyed both, but Kate Handford’s narration really brought the characters and world to life. She’s been narrating the series from the start, and her performance is consistent, expressive, and perfectly suited to the tone of the story.

If you love time travel, historical mysteries, and strong, slow-burning character dynamics, you need to read this series. Death at a Highland Wedding is another great entry, and I’m already counting the days until the next one.

I am obsessed with this series. I will admit I hadn't read any of the books in this series before listening to this one, and I'll say it: I had to go back and read the others to enjoy it to the fullest potential.

If you're looking for a good book that has bits and bobs that will entrance your senses and send them back in time, this is the one for you.

Now, time travel is tricky; it's one of those things that's either done well or just misses the mark, and this one is done so very well. It was immersive and and I loved it.

Since I went into this blind I didn't really know what to expect but I'm so glad I jumped on this one, it was a total delight and the narrator Kate Handford was just a fantastic choice for bringing Mallory to life, I'll be looking for more stories she's lent her immense talents to.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing copies of the audiobook and the e-book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

There are certain author's that are an automatic buy for me- and Kelley Armstrong is one of them (her mysterish series at least!!). Although I was a bit disappointed with the last one in this series- I absolutely loved this one! It is a bit different than the others, as it involves a wedding party and people that have known each other for years. We get to see more insight into Gray, Isla, McCreadie and Mallory. It continues to be a series that mixes time travel, nystery, historical fiction, and even a little romance. Yet it also has darker tones to it.

The crew is going to the Highlands for McCreadie's sister, Fiona's, wedding. They know that there will be some tension and drama because McCreadie's ex fiance will be there- se is the sister of the groom! He also is not speaking to his parents. The lodge is isolated, and the groundskeeper has set traps around the grounds to kill certain wildlife. The first "murder" is that of a highlander cat- wild cats. However, things soon continue to go downhill very fast, with tensions rising between the locals and the wedding party- and more murder occurs.

The mystery is very well done, and draws you in quickly. Gray and the team are left to look into the murder(s) without their usual resources, and this makes it even more interesting! The atmosphere soon becomes very dark and claustrophobic. And there is a deeper level of emotional development in all the characters both seen in the mystery, and in their personal lives. I found that I was quite addicted to this story, and continued to read well into the night!

I can't really explain exactly what it is that Kelley Armstrong does with her writing- but it calls to me and draws me in every time! It's a bit magical! I highly recommend this author and this series. I cannot wait to see what is in story for these characters in the future. I am a huge fan!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

“Death at a Highland Wedding” is another standout in Kelley Armstrong’s delightful mystery series. Set in the breathtaking Scottish Highlands, this book had everything I love in a cozy mystery: charming setting, smart sleuths, and a tightly woven plot that kept me guessing.

Mallory and Duncan continue to be such a fantastic duo. Their chemistry, humor, and steady partnership add so much heart to the story. The wedding weekend gone wrong premise was the perfect setup for a twisty, satisfying mystery, and Armstrong does a brilliant job of layering clues and red herrings without ever making the plot feel overcomplicated.

I loved the mix of local color, witty dialogue, and just the right touch of danger. If you're a fan of clever, character-driven mysteries with a strong sense of place, this series and especially this book is a must read.

Can't wait for the next one!

Is this my favorite installment in the series so far? I think so. This is the fourth book in the Rip Through Time series but can be read as a standalone mystery with enough context on previous books. That said, highly recommend starting from the beginning.

This book sees the mystery gang take a trip to the Scottish countryside for a wedding where they inadvertently stumble upon the murdered corpse of the best man. Sounds simple enough for two police detectives and a forensic scientist to solve but throw in an incompetent local constable, an unsavory groundskeeper, and oh, the limitations of Victorian era law and science. One of my favorite things in the series is modern day detective Mallory’s commentary on the marvels of current science and police work and the MacGyver like approach she and her boss, Duncan Gray, are forced to take instead. It’s like watching chess the way they have to carefully navigate the rules of their time period while being so much more than what society expects. I particularly relate to how Mallory bristles at yet takes advantage of the fact her appearance as a pretty young housemaid can disarm people who underestimate her. The world is rich and immersive and I feel like I always learn so much. That said, the true stars of the series are the characters and their relationships. And while I’m glad that romance is not the focus, how much more of a slow burn do we need??? Eagerly awaiting the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love the entire concept of this series - a modern day detective that is transported back in time due to unknown reasons. The twist to this is that she is not occupying her own body but that of a local woman whom she initially saw being unalived. Mallory has settled into life in Victorian Scotland, having made friends with some forward thinking individuals - Hugh, a criminal officer, Isla, an ascerbic but insightful widow, and Duncan, the undertaker with a passion for science.

This story revolves around a wedding party gone very wrong. There is much that Mallory finds odd about the practices of this hunting lodge in rural Scotland, but she keeps her modern opinions to herself. However, when one of the guests is found unalive not by natural causes, the group jumps into action to find out the truth.

I was intrigued and drawn into the story. The plot was well paced, the characters interesting,

i was really looking forward to this installment in the series. being at a different location allowed for interactions that normally would not have happened between the main characters. and it was encouraging to see progress in Hugh and Ida's relationship. but wished for more between Mallory and Duncan. the mystery itself wasn't really compelling to me, and i didnt really care about the secondary characters. still, can't wait for the next one!