Once again, I’m guilty of reading a series out of order. I have no problem doing this, so long as the overall story arc of a series doesn’t get spoiled by doing so. This time it’s Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong, the third in her A Rip Through Time time-travel historical mystery series. Described as a ‘genre-blending atmospheric romp’ on Goodreads, it’s a great read that definitely has me wanting to read the books I’ve missed!

This review doesn’t really have spoilers for the first two books since I haven’t read them yet, but there is enough detail in book three to take a new reader into this interesting world. Basically our main character Mallory Atkinson is a present-day homicide detective, who, while being strangled in the present in the first book (A Rip Through Time), at the same time as a housemaid was being strangled in 1869 Victorian Scotland, switched bodies and came out of her eventual coma back in time, in the body of the housemaid. With a completely different personality explained away by the attempted murder/head injury, Mallory has told the truth to Dr. Duncan Gray (whose housemaid position she inherited) and his sisters at some point in the previous books so that at the start of this one, they’ve successfully solved two crimes and Mallory has graduated from housemaid to assistant to Dr. Grey who is an undertaker/medical examiner.

Now onto the current case. Dr. Gray has been invited by a noted Egyptologist to assist in the unveiling of a mummy that has been brought back to Scotland. While Mallory has issues with this from our own present-day sensitivities to misappropriation of cultural items and the indignity of how remains have been treated as curiosities, she reluctantly agrees to participate, knowing that she can at least ensure the corpse is treated with some respect. However, upon unwrapping the ancient linens, it becomes clear that whoever is under the wrappings isn’t as old as they expected.

Props to the author on writing such a fun and intriguing story! Like any good mystery, there are plenty of suspects and red herrings before the case gets solved. Some of these characters are involved in the trade of Egyptian activities while others are related more to the issues of the day, such as the plight of women wanting to be doctors but denied entrance into medical schools. The author does a great job of setting up the worldbuilding with what to me felt like authentic representation of the time period and the lives of those lived at the time (but I’m no expert so others may have more knowledge on this). Suffice it to say I was hooked from the start and as the mystery played out.

Of course there is also the special insight of our main character Mallory having come from the future and how she can aid Dr. Gray with her knowledge without doing anything to affect the normal course of time. And along with that are Mallory’s own feelings (guilt included) about what her parents must be going through, and whether the woman whose place she’s taken has shown up in the future in her body. In this third book there is some movement on these plot points to the satisfaction of readers of the series.

Lastly, there is a slow burning (really slow) romance between Mallory and Dr. Gray. It’s clear in this story that they care for one another, but whether or not it will become a full fledged romance is up in the air. But that shouldn’t deter new readers to the series, If you like historical mysteries and are fine with a time-travel premise, Disturbing the Dead is one I’m happy to recommend. I’m eager to catch up on the earlier books now!