I was delighted to return to 1870s Scotland and the Rip Through Time series. An Ordinary Sort of Evil by Kelley Armstrong has Mallory and Duncan working an unusual case and creating alternative paths. Advancement in our slow-burning romance and a suspenseful case had me reading & listening into the wee hours.
by Kelley Armstrong
Series: A Rip Through Time #5
Narrator: Kate Handford
Length: 12 hours and 52 minutes
Genres: Historical Mystery
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible | Libro.fm *affiliate
Heat Level:
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.35x
New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong returns to Victorian Scotland in the latest in the genre-blending Rip Through Time series.
Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Mitchell has grown accustomed to life in Victorian Scotland after travelling 150 years into the past into the body of a housemaid. She’s built a new life for herself. Even though she works as an assistant to forensic-science pioneer Dr. Duncan Gray and Detective Hugh McCreadie, she considers them true friends. And with Gray in particular, perhaps, someday, something more.
Late one night, Gray and Mallory are summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business, and they assume there's been a death in the household. But instead, they arrive in the midst of a seance with a ghost demanding Gray's presence. The ghost is Lady Adler's former maid, who had gone missing but now requests that Gray investigate her murder. Although Gray and Mallory are skeptical, they agree to look into the matter, whether she's dead or alive. But unsure if there's been a murder or not, unable to call out the medium as a fraud, and concerned for the fate of the young maid, Gray and Mallory are once again drawn into a mystery much more puzzling--and more dangerous--than it first seems
The author does a wonderful job of bringing new readers and listeners up to speed, and each of the books in A Rip Through Time series has its own standalone mystery. However, if like me you enjoy seeing the slow-burning romance develop as well as the motley crew of friends Mallory Atkinson has surrounded herself with, I recommend devouring them in the order of their release. I also highly recommend reading all the novellas, too.
An Ordinary Sort of Evil is the fifth book in the series and takes place shortly after the events of Death at a Highland Wedding. Mallory and Duncan are enjoying a drink when there is a knock at the door. It seems Duncan is being summoned urgently to the home of Lady Adler, a patron of Gray’s undertaking business. Both he and Mallory assume there’s been a death in the household. They arrive to find the Lady hosting a séance and it seems a ghost, a maid in the Adler house, is requesting Dr. Grey’s help in finding her murderer. Yep, I was hooked. I love how Armstrong weaves in the history of this time period and séances.
Of course Duncan doesn’t believe in ghosts, being a man of science, but Detective Hugh reminds him he should be more open-minded, especially since Mallory is really from the twenty-first century. Speaking of Hugh, his romance with Isle continues, hampered only by Mallory being an unmarried woman in the Grey household. Because of that, we see some movement in the slow-burning romance between Mallory and Duncan.
I absolutely loved the mystery, Jack’s involvement, and the interest from a certain royal figure. It delivered some twists and suspenseful moments that had me holding my breath. I had the pleasure of switching between reading and listening. I have read the series and novellas, but jumped at the chance to listen along. Kate Handford narrates and did a lovely job of giving voice to Mallory and these characters.
I closed this one with a satisfied smile and look forward to the next book in this addictive series with characters I love. Perfect for fans of historical mysteries served with a side dish of romance.
About Kelley Armstrong
Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed. Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the NYT-bestselling "Women of the Otherworld" paranormal suspense series and "Darkest Powers" young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
About Kate Handford
Kate Handford is an award winning voice over artist, narrating audio books, voicing characters in video games, and international campaigns including The Modist & World Animal Protection. She has performed on stage at Shakespeare's Globe, the National Theatre Studio & in films shown at international festivals.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram
Rolé @ Hooked By That Book
I just love this series and this was an excellent addition to the story.
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)
I really do feel like this is a series I need to start. Nice to hear you can start after the first one though, although I would probably want to start with the first. Great review!
Lola
I still have to start this series, it sounds so good and I am glad to hear it’s still going strong.
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
I was so happy with how it all ended, too! Such a great series! I also read all the novellas.
Katherine
I really need to read more from Kelley Armstrong to get to this series. I’ve seen such great reviews for all 5 books. I’m not a big time traveler fan usually but I think I need to make an exception.
Anne - Books of My Heart
Yes these are fun and I love them. Cant’ wait for more. My review is tomorrow.