2019. Mallory is an American Homicide Detective who has travelled to Edinburgh to say goodbye to her dying grandmother. She goes out for a walk in the evening hours and is attacked and left for dead in an alleyway.
But, Mallory isn't dead. And here's where the title comes in - she wakes up in a hospital to find herself in the body of a housemaid, who was also attacked in the same alley. But.....in 1869. Oh, what a great set up!
I really liked Mallory as a lead character. The reader is privy to her inner thoughts as she tries to figure out what she's going to do in the here and now, even as she wonders how she can return home. She has to think of everything - what her behaviour should look like, the language she uses and how to navigate in a past she doesn't really know much about. The supporting cast is excellent - the master of the house and his sister have skills and interests that intersect with Mallory's talents. How can Mallory keep her façade up, while still offering suggestions to the Detective in charge of the cases?
I really enjoyed how the case was solved using deductions, legwork, suspicions, observations and more. Forensic science is it's infancy and it too adds to the tools used on this case. Armstrong always draws the reader with the thinking and deductions of the investigator. Mallory reminds me a bit of Casey from Rockton.
I also enjoyed the description of the settings and the depiction of the mores of the time.
Armstrong has given us a unique premise with characters you can't help but like. The mystery and the solving of, is excellent. The ending is satisfying, but there are still questions to be answered. The biggest being if Mallory can ever get back through the rip. But on the other hand...where is Catriona?
See for yourself - read an excerpt of A Rip Through Time.
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