The Poisoner’s Ring (Rip Through Time Novels, 2)
While on a visit to Edinburgh to be with her dying grandmother, Canadian homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is attacked. She wakens in the body of housemaid Catriona Mitchell, who was strangled 150 years earlier in the same spot. In this sequel to A Rip Through Time, Mallory is still adjusting to conditions for women in service during the Victorian age. But she has been accepted as an assistant by her employer, Dr. Duncan Gray, who is a medical examiner and undertaker. In this novel, men are being poisoned, and the prime suspects are their wives, one of whom is Duncan’s older sister.
This is an involving novel for several reasons. The mystery is satisfying, and though the protagonists display impressive stamina, their urgency is explained by the need to save the innocent wives, which moves the plot along at a brisk pace. The characters are well drawn, and though the attitudes of Mallory’s close friends may seem conveniently helpful and progressive, that like-minded people should find one another is unsurprising. Mallory herself is the narrator, and she provides a lively, and at times rueful, commentary on the action in general and her own problems in particular.
The historical setting of Edinburgh in 1869 is convincing. Armstrong has done her research, and sending a modern character into the past allows her to draw attention to the changes that have taken place. The absence of modern conveniences like cell phones is frustrating; lighting, whether by candle, oil lamp, or gas, is dim; women’s clothing is restrictive, as Mallory discovers when her pursuit of a suspect is hindered by her copious petticoats and a tight corset. And, of course, class distinctions and condescending attitudes towards women raise further obstacles. An absorbing read. Highly recommended.
