Colleen Mondor Reviews Cocktails & Chloroform by Kelley Armstrong
Cocktails & Chloroform, Kelley Armstrong (Subterranean Press 978-1-64524-161-4, $45.00, 136pp, hc) December 2023. Cover by Maurizio Manzieri.
Fans of Kelley Armstrong’s Rip Through Time series with protagonist Mallory Atkinson will be happy with her heroine’s latest exploits in the novella Cocktails & Chloroform. Trapped in the Victorian era after a mysterious circumstance found the homicide detective stuck in the body of Catriona Mitchell, a housemaid who was strangled and left for dead in the same Edinburgh alley where Mallory was attacked in a similar way 150 years later, the latest adventure finds Mallory dealing with some fallout for Cat’s less than savory habits. While reading the books in order is advised, Armstrong explains the situation quite handily in the opening pages and readers will be able to follow with ease how Mallory and Catriona’s fate converged. The story is much more historical in nature than fantastic, (fitting well with its ‘‘Outlander meets The Alienist’’ comparison), and thus a solid fit for those who like to see some modern detecting practiced in an earlier time.
Safely ensconced in the Gray household, where Catriona worked, Mallory has had trouble bonding with the young teenage parlormaid Alice, who suffered mightily from Cat’s bullying. Intrigued by the girl’s suddenly furtive habits, she follows Alice out one night to a secret dancehall where unsavory activity is taking place. Pretty soon Mallory and several other women have been kidnapped, Alice has disappeared, and even Dr. Duncan Gray, their employer, is in peril. Things end well with the assistance of some quick thinking plus the artful use of Molotov cocktails (one should always have a few handy when fleeing terrible men….). Mallory is yet again victorious (although her frustration with the constricting dresses and boots of the period is palpable), and a new friendship is forged with Alice. A quick read at 136 pages, Cocktails & Chloroform is more adventures with reliable companions tackling all sorts of villains while also engaging in the sort of banter at which Armstrong excels.
This review and more like it in the February 2024 issue of Locus
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