Caffeinated Reviewer | Kirkyards & Kindness by Kelley Armstrong
5th Jan
I love Kelley Armstrong’s A Rip Through Time series featuring twenty-first-century detective Mallory, who finds found in 1869 Edinburgh, in the body of Catriona Mitchell, a housemaid working for Dr. Duncan Gray, a pioneer in forensic science. Kirkyard & Kindness is a novella in the series and just the thing to hold me over until the next full-length novel in the series.
Kirkyards & Kindness
by Kelley Armstrong
Series: A Rip Through Time #4.5
Genres: Historical Mystery
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Rating: 
Mallory Mitchell and Dr. Duncan Gray take a break from investigating murder to find the most famous dog in Victorian Scotland.
A year ago, twenty-first-century detective Mallory found herself in 1869 Edinburgh, in the body of Catriona Mitchell, a housemade working for Dr. Duncan Gray, pioneer in forensic science. Shortly after she arrived, she made the unfortunate acquaintence of Catriona’s former criminal mentor, Davina, an entanglement that nearly got Mallory killed. Now she’s about to meet Davina again.
Greyfriars Bobby has disappeared. The little terrier is already a legend, and Davina has made a tidy living showing him off on graveyard tours…while picking the pockets of her guests. When the elderly dog vanishes, Davina calls in a favor from her old student. Mallory agrees to help find Bobby in return for the one thing she’s been unable to get from Davina—the mysterious Catriona’s life story.
Note this is not a full-length novel. It’s a novella set after Death at a Highland Wedding.
Events in Kirkyards & Kindness take place after Death at a Highland Wedding. While each book/novella in this series features its own mystery, the overall arc of what happened to Mallory and the relationship she forms in Edinburgh have me recommending you read the series in the order of their release.
Greyfriars Bobby has disappeared, and a deadly acquaintance of Catriona is seeking Mallory’s help. Davina was the former criminal mentor of Catriona, and the last time she and Mallory tangled, she was nearly killed. So naturally, Duncan is concerned. The two agree to meet Davina, who seeks help to find Greyfrairs Bobby.
Bobby is a terrier who sits on a grave and is beloved by children and tourists alike. Davina claims his disappearance is hurting her tours, and Mallory and Duncan agree to help for information about Catriona. The story was clever, with twists and turns that kept me entertained. I loved spending time with Duncan and Mallory in this quieter investigation.
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. All efforts to make her produce “normal” stories failed. Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She’s the author of the NYT-bestselling “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series and “Darkest Powers” young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat.
