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 parlor maid, 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 suitcoats. But nothing here is what it 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.

Mallory is a 21^st century police detective who has found herself transported to Victorian-era Edinburgh where she is trapped in the body of housemaid Catriona, a girl with an unsavory past. Her employer, Dr Gray, has become aware that Catriona is, in fact, Mallory and she acts as his assistant in his unofficial work with the police. Fellow housemaid Alice still is suspicious of the change in Catriona/Mallory so when she receives a letter asking for her help Alice goes off on her own, refusing to confide in Mallory. Mallory follows her and, along with Dr Gray, they uncover a Victorian smuggling ring.

This is a short novella in Ms Armstrong’s A Rip Through Time series. The action almost all takes place over the space of one evening.  We do learn more about Alice’s past as she also learns that Catriona really has changed her past behavior while still not knowing that Mallory has time-traveled. I am enjoying this series and look forward to learning more about our cast of characters, Mallory, Dr Gray, his sister Isla and, hopefully, more about the housekeeper, Mrs Wallace who apparently used to be in the circus. Highly recommended. ~~ Stephanie L Bannon

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