Title: Disturbing the Dead
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Published: May 7, 2024
Format: e-ARC
My Rating: 4 stars/5
Synopsis: 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 from the Vault
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC of this book. I chose to review it and this in no way impacts my opinion of it.
Disturbing the Dead is book 3 in the A Rip Through Time series by Kelley Armstrong. If you haven’t read any of this series yet and enjoy time travelling historical mysteries, I highly recommend starting with the first book in the series, A Rip Through Time.
This novel starts out with Duncan, Mallory and friends being invited to a ‘mummy unwrapping party’. When the host goes missing, Duncan and Mallory step up to unwrap the mummy and keep the party goers entertained. But when it’s discovered that the mummy wrappings contain a much fresher body than they anticipated, the real excitement begins.
I was so excited to receive an e-arc of this novel as I have a great love for this series. Now I know you’re all saying “but Alice, you just have a great love for Kelley Armstrong” and you aren’t wrong, but this series has been so fun and exciting and this instalment isn’t any different.
I found this novel to be so fun to read and I loved trying to solve the mystery before the characters could. Armstrong has such a way with words that I could almost pretend that I was in Victorian Scotland along with the characters from this novel and I was part of their team. I cannot speak on the accuracy as I am a Canadian who has not yet visited Scotland, but she paints a lovely photograph.
I have never been one for historical novels but Kelley Armstrong has a style of writing that never fails to draw me in. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys mystery/thriller style novels with a hint of time travel. You will not be disappointed.
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