⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Absolutely, yes. There’s no getting away with murder when Mallory and Gray are on the case, in yet another excellent and thrilling adventure.

Mallory, Gray, and McCreadie are on their way to the Scottish Highlands for McCreadie’s younger sister’s wedding. The McCreadies and the groom’s family, the Cranstons, have a complicated history which has made the weekend quite uncomfortable. But the Cranston estate is beautiful so Gray and Mallory decide to escape the stifling company and set off to explore the castle and surrounding wilderness. They discover that the groom, Archie Cranston, a slightly pompous and prickly man, has set up deadly traps in the woods for the endangered Scottish wildcats, and they soon come across a cat who’s been caught and severely injured. Oddly, Mallory notices the cat’s injuries don’t match up with the intricacies of the trap. These strange irregularities, combined with the secretive and erratic behavior of the groom, put Mallory and Duncan on edge. And then when one of the guests is murdered, they must work fast to uncover the murderer before another life is lost.

MY THOUGHTS

The estate that played host to the wedding provided plenty of secrets, suspicious events, and even more dubious people. There were also intricate familial connections to navigate. As usual, our intrepid investigators played to their strengths and worked together as a well-oiled team, with plenty of lighthearted banter.

Mallory and Gray were still engaged in their dance of will they, won’t they, with things taking an unexpected turn. They were facing a whole host of obstacles, combined with personal reservations, that made things complex. This book is not a romance, per se, but more the hope and possibility of one.

The plot flowed really well through the highs and lows of the investigation, cleverly revealing pertinent details about the way of life from the past and the prevailing detective methods of that time. I believed that Mallory was now in exactly the right place, where she belonged. Before, the whole concept of her living in a different body felt alien and a bit uncomfortable to me.

I can highly recommend this entire series if you like time travel and historical murder mysteries. I think it’s better to read the books in order, as there are a lot of character and relationship development happening.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Were you hooked by that book? Let me know in the comments below.

Genre: Historical
Published: May 20, 2025
Sensuality Rating: Subtle
Series: Book 4 of A Rip Through Time