Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong Narrator: Kate Hanford
Series: A Rip Through Time #2
Published by MacMillan Audio, Minotaur Books on May 23, 2023
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 368
Length: 14 hours, 52 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
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.
While this is a time travel mystery series, this book has no time travel which suits me very well. I’m enjoying the historical mystery and the lovely characters here.  Now in The Poisoner’s Ring, we have a series of poisonings and since Isla is a chemist there is concern she will be drawn into the suspects. I am really enjoying how Mallory is fitting into the household and building her friendships in her new circumstances.  She is very helpful in solving the crimes and assisting Duncan in his undertaking / doctor business.
The poisonings are blamed on the wives / cooks since they are generally the ones feeding the men. However, Mallory and Duncan find that in almost all cases there was a gift or purchased special item of food or drink which ended up containing the poison.  The details and deductions about human nature put together a very clever mystery. Jack is am unreliable new supporting character. I really enjoyed learning more about the rest of Duncan and Isla’s family.
There was very little about Mallory’s going back to her own time and she doesn’t seem to have any idea of how to make it happen. Of course, since a death situation brought her here, it’s not an easy thing to plan. I have to wonder what happened to Catriona, and is a killer taking more lives in which time period? What does Mallory’s family know?
The author writes an excellent mystery so I am in no hurry to return to the present day, other than my previous questions. I hope if she does go back, Mallory gets to somehow retain her friendships made now in the past.
Narration:
I enjoyed the narrator and her performance of the male and female voices. The various accents and distinct character voices seemed well handled to me. I’ve no idea if the accents are accurate but they sounded right to me. I was able to listen at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Kelley Armstrong
Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could
write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a
story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls
and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. Today, she continues to
spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked
away in her basement writing dungeon. She lives in southwestern
Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
| Rating Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Plot |
|
| Writing |
|
| Characters |
|
| Narration (Audio) |
|
| Overall: | |
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 23-COYER
The poor wives/cooks. Always to blame for a poisoning.
That’s the way.
I have just recently been acquainted with Kelly’s writing with Murder at Haven’s Rock and since I loved that I’m going to get to know those characters really well by going back to their origins in her Rockton series books then I may just have to investigate her other series like this one. Great review Anne Thanks
Thanks Debbie. I love her books. I hope you enjoy. She writes in a few different genres.
I have the first one from my library. I just need some time to listen to it! I’ve have a lot I need to get through right now. Nice to see this is a 5 star read for you, Anne!
I hope you love it. I don’t usually like things with some of these aspects but I trust this author.
The cooks are always the first to blame in cases of poisoning. They make the perfect fall guy.
Isn’t that the truth? And without the forensics, they got shafted in those times.
I really loved this one too! I thought that the mystery was very well done and I love this group of characters.
Kelley Armstrong has been doing some amazing work lately. I really enjoy the mystery aspect of her books and she does a great job with character development.
I read and listened to this one…so good. This author is on fire.
IKR?!? I love everything Kelley Armstrong is writing these days.
This is an author I’ve been wanting to read and this sounds like an interesting mystery! I don’t think I’ve seen any bad reviews for her books which makes me really look forward to reading something by her.
I think you would enjoy her Katherine, especially this series and the Stitch in Time series. They are both historical cozies with some aspect of time travel and Stitch in Time also has a romance in each book. I love them.