Cocktails & Chloroform

Dust jacket illustration by Maurizio Manzieri.

We’re pleased to announce Cocktails & Chloroform, a long new time travel novella by Kelley Armstrong set in the world of her novel, Rip Through Time.

About the Book:

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 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.

Limited: 1250 signed numbered copies

From Publishers Weekly:

“Armstrong’s enchanting third A Rip Through Time fantasy (after The Poisoner’s Ring) offers an exciting escape into Victorian Edinburgh that answers the question: what if a renegade detective wore crinolines?... It’s nonstop action, which in such a short space never becomes too much: rather, it’s a refreshingly spirited break from real life. First-time readers will have no problem jumping in while Armstrong devotees will find exactly the magic and excitement they expect. This does not disappoint.”

From Locus:

“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… 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… 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.”