Book Review
Disturbing the Dead
A Rip Through Time Novel #3
by Kelley Armstrong
Release date: May 7th, 2024
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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.
Belinda Witzenhausen 