⭐⭐⭐⭐ Was I hooked by that book? Yes. This excellent and thrilling historical crime mystery delivered plenty of twists, one of which forced Mallory to make life-changing decisions.

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends, and feelings, in this century. So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn’t that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

MY THOUGHTS

Mallory had been promoted to full-time assistant to Dr. Duncan Gray and the household was looking for a suitable person to take over her housemaid duties. These two remarkable individuals were becoming more and more comfortable with each other, and I loved their interactions. They made an excellent team. As for the secondary characters, I so enjoyed Annis’s no-nonsense personality and the housekeeper’s surprise involvement.

The investigation kicked off at a mummy unwrapping party when a body was discovered underneath all the wrappings, instead of the expected mummy. Mallory and Gray had a whole host of suspects to consider, and they vacillated quite a bit between the options as they gathered more information. Secret tunnels and an underground market all contributed further to the excitement.

Don’t expect a romance, though. There were plenty of heated looks and thoughts, which neither Mallory nor Gray acted upon, for various very valid reasons.

I can highly recommend this series if you like time travel, historical fiction, and crime-solving all in one place. It is definitely best to read the books in order.

Thank you to Netgalley 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 7, 2024
Sensuality Rating: None
Series: A Rip Through Time