Death at a Highland Wedding

Modern-day thirty-one year-old Vancouver, Canada homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is back. She’s still 150 years in the past in Scotland and still in the body of twenty-year old maid Catriona Mitchel. Mallory is enjoying her job as assistant to undertaker and medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray and assisting him and Detective Hugh McCreadie in a variety of cases.

In this fourth book of the A Rip Through Time series, Mallory along with Duncan, his sister Isla Ballantine, and Hugh travel to the Scottish Highlands for Hugh’s younger sister Fiona’s wedding to Archie Cranston. The weekend is uncomfortable due to some family history. However, the Cranston estate is beautiful. Duncan and Mallory go for a walk and find traps have been set out to prevent poaching and to capture a Scottish wildcat. They discover irregularities when one is caught, but even more when one of the wedding guests is murdered.

Mallory is a character with plenty of depth. She’s logical, kind, relatable, and empathetic. She’s good at seeing clues and connections in people’s speech, mannerisms, and expressions and is protective of her friends. While she makes for a strong female protagonist that readers can cheer on, she flouts convention and is sarcastic as well as being an independent thinker unafraid to speak her mind, which isn’t normal for women in Victorian times. Gray is passionate about his work, enthusiastic, confident, caring, occasionally relaxed and teasing. He’s a pioneer in the field of forensics, has an eye for detail, and has a scientific curiosity. He reads and interprets evidence well, but can be obtuse when it comes to evaluating emotional situations. Isla is a chemist who is brilliant, strong-willed, and kindhearted. She’s also been a widow for two years and is well-respected by those who work for her. McCreadie is clever, good-natured, and a bit of an adventure hound. The remaining supporting cast of characters are well-developed and provide insight into individuals in various roles in a Victorian household as well as those they interact with.

The introduction catches readers up if it’s been a while since they read the last book. It also provides a summary for new readers jumping into the series with book four. Kelley Armstrong has a fluid writing style that quickly brings readers into the well-paced story. They also get insight into the state of police forensics during this early era as well as how the local constable approaches a murder investigation. My biggest quibble is the lack of progress in one of the potential romances.

There are some twists and surprises as the story progresses with an ending that is full of action. There are some dark aspects that are uncovered during the investigation. Two things that stand out are the world-building that transported this reader to the Scottish Highlands and the humor that is sprinkled throughout the tale. Themes include endangered wildlife, weddings, family, arranged marriages, relationship, friendship, how servants are treated, and changing laws regarding estate land, as well as attitudes toward, expectations of, and limitations on women.

Overall, this is a well-written, suspenseful, gripping, and entertaining novel with great characterization as well as some pivotal stressful and emotional moments. Readers of historical mysteries will likely enjoy this novel. It captured the characters, attitudes, and lifestyles of the times and brought them to life. I can’t wait to see what will happen in the next book in the series.

St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and Kelley Armstrong provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date is currently set for May 20, 2025.