Early Novella Review – Cocktails and Chloroform (A Rip Through Time, Book 2.5) by Kelley Armstrong (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Historical Mystery
Length: 115 pages
Publisher:‎ K.L.A. Fricke Inc
Release Date: December 5, 2023
ASIN: B0C5GHMLJF
Stand Alone or Series: 2.5th book (novella) in the A Rip Through Time series
Source: eGalley from NetGalley
Rating: 4/5 stars

“For modern-day detective Mallory Atkinson, being trapped in the body of Victorian housemaid means overcoming endless obstacles. Her current challenge is winning over the suspicious young parlormaid, Alice. Mallory’s plan starts with teaching the girl to make Molotov cocktails, which is a perfectly valid science experiment and not at all a desperate ploy to gain Alice’s attention. Before the lesson can begin, though, Alice receives a letter that has her slipping off in the night. Concerned for her safety—and naturally curious—Mallory follows.

Mallory finds Alice at what seems like a simple dance hall, watching young men and women flirting and whirling in pretty dresses and dapper suit-coats. But nothing here is what is seems, and what starts as a simple surveillance exercise turns into a full-scale spy mission with Mallory’s boss, Dr. Duncan Gray, at her side. Before the evening is done, those Molotov cocktails are probably going to come in handy.”

Series Info/Source: This is a novella set after the second book in the A Rip Through Time series. I got an ebook of this from NetGalley to review.

Thoughts: I didn’t realize this was part of the A Rip Through Time series when I requested it for review. I read the first book in that series but not the second. This novella is supposed to take place after the second book. Even though I never read the second book, I remember the characters from the first book and the story so far has been fast-paced and fun to read. I ended up really enjoying this.

The story follows Mallory, a modern detective, who has found herself sent back to the past and trapped in the body of a Victorian maid working in the household of a mortuary scientist. When the other maid, Alice, goes out on a mysterious nighttime jaunt, Mallory follows her, concerned for Alice’s safety. At first Alice’s trip seems fairly innocent, but once Mallory figures out what is really going on she is plunged into a dangerous mystery.

This was a fun and entertaining read. You could probably read this as a stand alone, but you would be better off reading at least the first book in that series so that you have the background of the main character. I never felt lost but I had read the first book in this series already.

This is fast paced with intriguing characters and an engaging mystery. I was completed engaged the whole time and found the book hard to put down. I really enjoyed the unique characters here, the Victorian setting, and the well done mystery. Mallory’s insights into Victorian culture as a modern detective are highly entertaining as well.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this and would recommend it if you have read at least the first book in this series. Although this story has time travel aspects to it it is more focused on a mystery surrounding disappearing girls. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first book in this series, so I never read the second. However, this novella has me reconsidering that…I kind of want to go back and read the second book in the series now! I would recommend to those who enjoy historical mysteries and fun, quirky characters.