Title: The Poisoner’s Ring
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Published: May 23, 2023
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Format: ebook
Length: 431
Series: A Rip Through Time
Goodreads Synopsis:
A modern-day homicide detective is working as an undertaker’s assistant in Victorian Scotland when a serial poisoner attacks the men of Edinburgh and leaves their widows under suspicion.
Edinburgh, 1869: Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.
Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Mallory’s story continues in this, the second book in the A Rip Through Time Series. Still trapped in Catriona’s 19 year old body. She continues to assist Dr. Duncan Gray and this time it’s a mystery that involves his elder sister Annis. Several men have turned up dead, in what appears to be poisoning. The wives of these men being the immediate suspects.
Throughout the journey of solving this mystery we meet some very interesting characters. We also learn more about Dr. Gray, who seems to be getting very comfortable with Mallory. Though there are still some misunderstandings they settle into their roles as partners in investigating.
Annis, Dr. Gray and Isla’s sister, is a prominent character in this book, suspected of killing her husband with Gray and Mallory working to prove she didn’t. Annis definitely presents herself as someone who doesn’t care what people think of her with a blunt attitude and a sharp tongue. Making her somewhat difficult to like. But in her own way she protects her family, even if they don’t see it that way. She’s strong-willed and incredibly smart.
“Being in danger just because I’m a woman sucks. It really sucks. But just because it should be okay doesn’t mean I can act as if it is. That’d be like seeing my house on fire and decideing i’m going inside anyway because it shouldn’t be on fire. Until that fire is out, I can’t take that chance, however inconvienient it is, and however much I just want to say I’ll be okay, I’ll be careful, I won’t get burned.”
– Kelley Armstrong, The Poisoner’s Ring
I felt like the story took awhile to really get going, much like the first book in the series. I had hoped the pacing would increase a bit more since the bulk of character introductions had been done in the first book. It still took quite sometime in this book for the story to unravel and clues to be found, questions answered, which begot more questions. For a good chunk it felt like we were going around in circles with very little pushing the story forward in terms of the mystery to be solved. A lot like with the first book once that one piece of information is learned, it’s off to the races, so to speak, and the mystery is solved. That is not to say the journey to get there was not enjoyable. It just seemed like things might have been able to progress a bit quicker.
I am quite enjoying the development of each character as they intergrate into their lives together. I look forward to seeing how their relationships develop in the next books. Mallory and Gray have certainly grown closer. I’d like to see where the story takes their relationship.
One thing I did note was that there were only mentions of the possibility of Mallory returning to her own time but nothing to look further into how any of it is possible. It perhaps may come to her accepting her fate and settling into this new life she has found herself in.
Have you read this book?
What were your thoughts on it?
Are there any books you would recommend for me to read based on this book review?
Leave a comment below and let me know.
Happy Reading!
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