“An Ordinary Sort of Evil” is the fifth book in the very clever “Rip Through Time” series by Kelley Armstrong. It’s as gripping and engaging as the earlier novels. The main character, Mallory Mitchell (Atkinson) is the first person narrator, and that narrative device helps us understand her thoughts as she recognizes the necessity of behaving like a 19th century housemaid-turned-assistant even though she’s really a 21st century police detective. The other main character is Dr. Duncan Gray.

It starts with a missing housemaid. Nellie disappears from the home of one of Dr. Gray’s patrons. Lake Adler hosts a séance, and during it, the ghost of Nellie, the missing maid, informs the group that she is dead and that they should contact Dr. Gray to solve her murder. Dr. Gray rushes to the Adler home thinking, because of the late hour, that someone in the family has died. Mallory is of course included in the investigation as she is the real detective of the two. They arrive only to find that there is no death, not even a murder. Just a supposed ghost of the missing maid saying that she was murdered and that Dr. Gray should be called to investigate.

Mallory’s story began around a year before, when she, a Vancouver police detective, was visiting her dying grandmother in Edinburgh. She went for a midnight jog and during that run, she saw someone in period dress being strangled. At that same moment, she was attacked. When Mallory woke up, she was in the body of Catriona Mitchell, a nineteen-year-old housemaid, who worked for Dr. Gray. The year was not 2019, when Mallory went on her jog, but rather 1869.

The first books in the series deal with Mallory getting used to life in the past and her evolving relationship with Duncan Gray and his sister, who lives with him. There are murders in each novel that the intrepid duo solve, along with the able assistance of Duncan’s sister Isla and his best friend, police detective Hugh McCreadie. And while reading the novels in the series in order is really a way to get all the background on the characters and how their relationships have grown, Armstrong kindly provides a little cheat sheet at the start of the novel which is really helpful for those starting the series late or even for those of us who read the last book in the series a year ago.

There are many pieces to this mystery, and just past the halfway point in the novel, Mallory admits to Gray that she is having trouble tying the pieces together. To be honest, so are we. But we have several suspects who we really think are possible murderers. Lady Adler’s lady’s maid, Sully, is a nasty, jealous person who we know did not like Nellie. But did she have the opportunity? There is Freddie, the medium’s brother, who assists her during the séances and who seems too eager, too involved in the “business” and too shady. But is he a killer?

Another complication is that Nellie’s best friend recently committed suicide in their small town, and Nellie’s death is similar to her friend’s death. Was Nellie joining her friend in death? Did Nellie commit suicide? And before they can even find out about all this, they must discover where Nellie is from. It’s not like modern times where when we are employed, we have to show identification and provide references. Even Nellie’s employers don’t know where she came from or who her family is.

Little by little, more clues surface. One of the joys of reading this series is the juxtaposition of Mallory’s 21st century detective skills with what police practices were over a century ago. We see how Mallory has learned to deal with the prejudice of that era, when women were thought of as lacking in intelligence and rational abilities. Another pleasure is watching how Mallory’s relationship with Duncan evolves. While he is living an upper middle class life, and he inherited his father’s undertaking business, he is an illegitimate son. His father had a relationship with a woman and brought their son home for his wife to raise. And his wife did so, providing Duncan with a wonderful life. But because of the color of Duncan’s skin, it’s obvious to all that his parentage is not that of his siblings.

The title is important: An ordinary sort of evil, which according to Armstrong is “the kind people do every day, and never think twice. It’s just how you get ahead in life. If you’re a man, it might be how you get sex.” It’s about lies as well as promises that one has no intention of keeping. It’s about class inequality and how those in positions of power, with more money and prestige, can get away with things no matter the harm to others. And that’s a universal truth, isn’t it? One that still rings true to this day.

This series is really enjoyable, and the historical information about policing, treatment of women, and life in Edinburgh is fascinating. There are clever twists in this story. In fact, this is the book in which the relationship between Mallory and Duncan takes a huge leap, both romantically and in business. All these changes and questions about the future will make the next book one that will be eagerly anticipated. I don’t know of another time-travel murder mystery series, and if there is, I can’t imagine anyone doing it better than Kelley Armstrong has with this creative, clever, and at times touching series.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.