I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Schemes & Scandals by Kelley Armstrong Series: A Rip Through Time #3.5
Published by Subterranean Press on October 31, 2024
Genres: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical
Pages: 176
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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It’s Mallory Atkinson’s first Christmas in Scotland. Victorian Scotland, that is. Also, as the twenty-first-century detective learns, Christmas really isn’t a thing in Victorian Scotland. It’s all about Hogmanay. But her boss, Dr. Duncan Gray, treats her to an early gift of tickets to the event of the season: a Charles Dickens reading. There, they bump into Lady Inglis—the lovely widow who has sent Gray sexy letters trying to entice him back to her bed.
Lady Inglis introduces Mallory to Dickens—the meeting of a lifetime—but in return she wants their help. She’s being blackmailed. Someone stole letters she wrote to another lover and is threatening to publish them.
Mallory isn’t sure what to make of Lady Inglis, but no woman deserves that, so she insists on taking the case with or without Gray’s help. Growing tension between them soon tells Mallory that Gray is hiding a secret of his own. She has until Hogmanay to uncover the blackmailer…and, hopefully, to put things right with Gray so they can enjoy the holiday together.
This was fantastic! Kelley Armstrong is such a talented author; this story is a perfect example of the quality of her writing. This is a novella in The Rip Through Time series which I would recommend reading in order since the relationships between the characters grow and change throughout the series. It was great catching up with Mallory and Dr. Gray in this entertaining story.
There is so much going on in this story. Instead of celebrating Christmas, they are preparing for Hogmanay. Dr. Gray takes Mallory to a Charles Dickens reading, which looks a little different from the author events that I have attended in the present day. They are introduced to the author by Lady Inglis, Gray’s former lover, who hires them to help her with a blackmail situation involving sensitive letters.
The mystery kept me guessing and I really enjoyed watching Mallory and Dr. Gray work together. We get to learn a little about a period in Dr. Gray’s life, and I loved that he opened up to Mallory just a bit more. Mallory once again proves to be an excellent investigator, even with the restrictions of the time. I was quite satisfied with the way things worked out in the end.
I would recommend this book to others. This was a very entertaining story featuring characters that I have grown to love. The mystery was multi-layered with enough twists to keep me guessing. I can’t wait to read more of this talented author’s work.
I received a review copy of this book from Subterranean Press.
I’m glad to hear this one was so good.
For some reason I have this scheduled for Halloween week. I’m excited to read it.
I just barely started her Rip Through Time series, but really enjoyed the first book. I love the way Armstrong writes. 😀
She has so many books, but I am trying 😀
I’m so glad that this series is going strong as it is continuing. I can’t wait to read it!