Review--The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective 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.

 

 

I finally picked up Kelley Armstrong’s The Poisoner’s Ring, the second book in the A Rip in Time series and it was a very intriguing mystery! My fascination with this series might be hard to come by but really it’s mostly because it’s Kelley Armstrong and the fact that there’s a time traveling element going on! While that part of the story wasn’t really looked at this time around, I suspect it will come back into play at the end of the series with the big question: will Mallory ever get back home, is answered. 

In the meantime, Mallory is content to spend her time continuing to moonlight as a house maid while also helping Duncan and the police investigate the occasional murder! This time the murder hits closer to home when Duncan’s sister, Annis, is accused of murdering her husband. Duncan believes she’s innocent in this matter, but the evidence tells another story. So naturally, Mallory and Duncan are on the case Sherlock/Holmes style. 

Mallory and Duncan soon learn that there are more suspicious looking murders in town, all involving men and poison. It’s starting to look like wives are offing their husbands for financial gain, but naturally, Mallory thinks something else could be afoot. 

It was refreshing to once again follow a modern day detective try to solve crimes several centuries before her time. Mallory will have to fall back on some serious old school skills while also trying to avoid plagues of the time period. Also being a woman is t really in her favor in this male driven society, so she’s met with all kinds of challenges that she wouldn’t normally face plus the usual challenges of trying to solve a murder. 

There continues to be a kind of hot/cold friction between Mallory and Duncan. Since Duncan is one of the few who knows Mallory’s secret, a romance isn’t likely wise since Mallory hopes to return home one day without having to die to do it. It’s mostly just some heated tension but also a good dose of comradery. 

The mystery itself was well written too. I struggled to figure out my whodunit right away as I guess I was leaning towards a different type of character, but I won’t get into those details. But when the reveal came about I felt like it made the most logical sense! Lol. 

All in all, The Poisoner’s Ring was an engaging mystery following a modern day detective a few centuries before her time! It’s a read that will keep you guessing but enjoying every minute of a heroine who feels very real and is a likable sort you can’t help but root for! Looking forward to the next mystery and the ever present question of just how Mallory will get home…or if she’ll still want to go back home!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars