A Rip Through Time – Kelley Armstrong

A Rip Through Time sounds like a fast event, but the book starts slowly. I struggled to pay attention for the first 30-50 pages. I hoped it wouldn’t be a slog through the whole book, and lucky for me, it picked up quickly! I ended up finishing it in one sitting. 

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I like many of the themes A Rip Through Time offers, including body swapping, time travel, Victorian England, class differences, and early forensic sciences. I liked the way the book handled the prejudice and racism a gentleman with a mixed ethnic background might have experienced. Catriona/Mallory also got her own prejudices shoved back in her face, and it felt really good when she acknowledged that she was wrong. 

The characters were chill about the time travel aspect and the body swapping. If, suddenly, someone I knew had knowledge of things they shouldn’t and claimed to have come from the future, I’d call the mental health lines ASAP to make sure they got appropriate treatment. I’m surprised that the author didn’t lean into the Victorian affection for spiritualism to explain why the characters were so relaxed about it. 

Of course, there is a murder mystery, and Mallory works her way into the investigation. Gray and Detective McCreadie were not only okay with involving Catriona/Mallory but also listened when she provided ideas—unusual for Victorian men! I did find the descriptions of the murders a little gratuitous, but A Rip Through Time does get into some of the nuts and bolts of early forensic science.

The tension between Gray and Cat/Mal was an excellent slow burn. Armstrong didn’t just wave a wand and make her characters disregard social morals to push the plot in a particular direction. I appreciated that a lot. A Rip Through Time is wholesome but by no means boring.

Links

A Rip Through Time Series Reviews

#2 – The Poisoner’s Ring
#2.5 – Cocktails & Chloroform

thestorygraph
Kelley Armstrong’s website
sloreads reviews of other books by Kelley Armstrong

Characters

Mallory Atkinson—A fish out of water in the Victorian era, Mallory is a Vancouver homicide detective from 2019. She has sharp investigative senses and is slowly acclimating to living in 1869. She time-travelled into Catriona Mitchell’s body, which is different from hers. 

Catriona Mitchell—We know where her body is, but we don’t know where she actually is. She’s rude, sneaky, and sly. She hasn’t had it easy in life, but she has alienated people around her.

Dr. Duncan Grey – A Victorian undertaker trained as a doctor. His mother was from India, his father was British, and he was raised in England. He faces a lot of stigma but is calm, calculated and focused. Reserved and wry, he doesn’t open up to many people.

Detective Hugh McCreadie – Duncan’s friend on the Edinburgh police force. He is frequently hindered by his coworkers, who don’t believe in new-fangled forensic methods or other systematic policing strategies. Works with Duncan and Mallory to help resolve cases.

Isla Ballantyne – Duncan Grey’s half-sister. After she was widowed, she came to live with Grey. A brilliant chemist who is frequently underestimated because of her sex, Isla spends most of her time researching assisting Duncan and Mallory when needed.