'The Way of All Flesh' written by husband and wife writing duo Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman under the pseudonym Ambrose Parry is a gloriously atmospheric and authentic 19th century historical crime novel. It really is superb! I read a lot of crime stories, but I don't come across a lot that are set in such wonderful surroundings as this. Victorian era Edinburgh is a dangerous place with all kinds of misadventure and misdemeanors taking place. The plot fizzes with kinetic energy, and the descriptions were so vivid that I could almost taste the haggis, neeps and tatties!

This is both crime fiction and historical fiction at its finest. The writing is compulsively readable, and you find yourself being drawn into the story from the first few pages. You truly know when you're turning those pages that you are reading something incredibly special. Produced by a rare and talented pair, this book deserves to be appreciated by a wide audience. I feel it will be particularly enjoyable to both those who are partial to a gruesome and gory crime novel, and those who love historical fiction - this book excels in both of those genres.

Many thanks to Canongate Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Will Raven has got a coveted position as a medical apprentice to the renowned Dr Simpson and begins assisting him in births and daily patients calling at the doctors house. Two women have died and their bodies were found in a contorted manner and there are rumours afoot that a french midwife has been offering abortions. Sarah the housemaid wishes to elevate her position to something more than a maid but its a male centric world, so opportunities are not open to her. Meanwhile Sarah takes a dislike to Will but eventually they are drawn together making an unlikely alliance investigating the deaths of two women they knew, working together to solve the crime before more women are found dead.

I thoroughly enjoyed this storyline set in the mid 1800s in Edinburgh. Its a cross between medical procedures that seem totally alien today, and frankly barbaric and a murder mystery. It also provides an insight into the lower classes and upper workings of the time. Will and Sarah worked well together and they story was told from both their points of view.

There seemed to be somethings that were revealed about characters that I felt should be left as a mystery and others that were left unanswered (though the characters had left for good) but should have been tied up that weren't.

If this set of characters were made into a series, I'd certainly read more of them in the future.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

This book is a joint venture of Chris Brookmyre (established novelist) and his wife Marisa Haetzman, and I understand that it is intended to be the first in a series featuring central characters Will and Sarah.
The setting is Edinburgh in 1847, and the city is split into two very different halves. Will Raven has spent the last several years growing up and studying in the poverty stricken and seedy Old Town, and now takes up a medical apprenticeship in midwifery under the famous obstetrician Dr Simpson, moving to live under his roof in the respectable and affluent New Town just over the river. Here he meets housemaid Sarah who, despite it being a man's world, is secretly keen to study sciences and healing to better herself if possible. Will also has secrets he wants to keep, in his case rather murky ones from his past. Despite a disliking of each other at first, together they are drawn into investigating a series of suspicious deaths of young women in the town. There are plenty of likely suspects. And are some doctors so keen to make breakthroughs that they will do so at any cost?
I found the book to be rather a slow burner at first (there's a wealth of information and description of life on both sides of the city) until at least halfway through when the pace picked up a little and then even more so to an exciting finish. It is very descriptive, particularly of new scientific advances in medicine and also of rather gory scenes of surgery and childbirth gone wrong.
The scene and main characters having now been established, I am looking forward to further stories in this series. Well worth a read if you enjoy murder mystery with an historical flavour.

This book was brought further into life for me as I was up in Edinburgh last week on holiday so it seemed the perfect time to bring it forward to the top of my skyscraper of a TBR pile!! And also, today is publication day for this gem of a book 🥂

Having done some of the touristy things we went and saw the Edinburgh Dungeons and The Real Mary King’s Close tour to see the rooms, streets and spaces underneath the famous Royal Mile, and Edinburgh’s only preserved 17th century street, so even though that was 2 centuries further back in time to when this novel is set it still went a massive way to bringing the past even further into my cozy reading chair!!

Set in 1840’s Edinburgh, when Edinburgh led the world in the field of medicine, in both medical practices and procedures and also pioneering drugs and anaesthetics.

As well as being a historical medical thriller it also brings to life Dr Simpson who was a real, pioneering figure of the time. Wanting to find better drugs and anaesthetics for his patients we get some great scenes of the research done by these medical practitioners of old which included nights spent with some of the city’s top surgeons sitting round the dinner table sampling various substances looking to find the perfect anaesthetic!!

Dr Simpson makes his discovery of chloroform following some of these sampling sessions 😂

The plot is simply brilliant full of twists and turns, and some great characters, especially Sarah and Raven. They stole the show for me. Will Raven is a young medical student recently apprenticed to Dr Simpson and Sarah, a housemaid for Dr Simpson who has her own ambitions to work in medicine herself, despite their being little opportunity to do so for those born the ‘inferior sex’ as well as her social status.

When a couple of young women are found dead in similar suspicious circumstances, Sarah and Raven take it upon themselves to investigate the deaths as they both fear a more unscrupulous doctor operating illegally and naturally their investigations lead them into a whole host of trouble!

The medical reality in 1847 is horrifically compelling with some fairly narly procedures described throughout the book but they haven’t just been thrown in for a gross out factor, they serve a purpose and bring the story further to life.

Blending a historical tale with an intriguing mystery and even a little splash of romance this book really does have something for everyone.

If you are a fan of historical fiction or maybe interested in medical procedures and their histories you really don’t want to miss this book. I will go as far as to say that this is by far, hands down, the best historical fiction book you will read this year!!

And now for the cherry on top of the cake – It’s the first in a new series 😍 The only downside to that is the wait for the sequel to hit the shelves 😭

I’m already looking forward to it and can’t wait!!

And if you need an even bigger cherry on top to read this book, well apparently there are already rumours flying around that it is set to become a tv series starring Benedict Cumberbatch!! 🙀

The Way of All Flesh was published today 30th Aug 18 and you can grab a copy now

I found this book engrossing. It was nicely paced and the storyline was an intelligent murder mystery without the usual melodrama. As much as I love steampunk novels, it made a nice change to read something based in Victorian Britain that didn’t include clockwork men or dirigibles.
The slow build of the Will Raven’s was done well as was his transformation into an enlightened gent. The social history of the importance of and desire for female rights and education was welcomed as was delving into the history of anaesthesia and obstetrics. A great deal of work and research has gone into this novel and it shows in every page. I look forward to further collaborations of Raven and Fisher.

This is a story about medical student Will Raven and his apprenticeship as a midwife in Edinburgh. He has taken a place with the noted inventor of chloroform, Dr. Simpson. His home is a mixture of classes and students where he holds surgeries for poor and gentry alike and encourages his students and staff to read, learn and explore medical knowledge. Raven has become indebted to a money lender and, between ducking his minions and acting as staff with Dr. Simpson, he finds himself mixed up in a badly done medical abortion. With the house maid Sarah he tries to track down the killer, putting both himself and Sarah in danger. This was a longer book that moved quickly with a surprise ending. I recommend this book.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for an honest review.

What a wonderful historical thriller! There's a great plot, full of twists and turns, great characters and a well researched historical background.
The two main characters are realistic and well developed, and their relationship is interesting and engaging.
The book is atmospheric and enthralling and once you start reading you cannot put it down.
One of the best piece of historical fiction read this year.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Canongate Books and Netgalley for this book.

Parry has successfully managed to combine child birth, poverty, women's rights, use of anaesthetics and murder in 19th century Edinburgh. Although the main characters, Will and Sarah are fictional Dr Simpson is real. Some of the descriptions of difficult childbirths can be a bit graphic.
It is a very enjoyable book that defies catagorisation. Hopefully this is the first of a series.

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review**

Set in 1847 Edinburgh, THE WAY OF ALL FLESH is a frightfully riveting novel revolving around Raven and Sarah, two women on the hunt for answers to the mysterious murders taking place. Told in such a vivid manner, I love how the story jumps from the page and maintains a fast pace that never seemed to disappoint me.

LOVED it and would recommend.

— DISCLAIMER: I received a eARC of this novel via NetGalley – thank you to both Netgalley and Canongate Books! All opinions expressed in this review are my own. —

What I liked best about this historical crime novel is that the characters are actually human. The authors (Ambrose Parry is a pseudonym for the authorial team XX and XX) kept surprising me with their multi-faceted protagonists. Both Raven and Sarah, the two central characters, are utterly understandable and have reasonable flaws. The relationships between the different characters evolve organically, which makes for a wonderful read. Through Sarah, a smart, curious house maid, they also address the social implications of being a woman, and even foreshadow the suffragette movement later in the century. As they say, it needs women willing to fight for change to instigate changes happening.

Another really cool aspect was the detailed use of the state of the medical profession in Edinburgh at the time, going into practical midwifery, but also public surgeries, and even the beginning use of anaesthesia. This is a subject I didn’t know much about beforehand, and I found it fascinating to learn more about how medicine worked and developed in a period not that far from ‘modern science’, but often perceived to be almost as dark as the Middle Ages in popular conception.

I really enjoyed the novel, and could barely put it down at times, even if the culprit of the overarching mystery was rather obvious to me – though it made sense from the characters’ point of view that it took them so long to figure out the solution. The resolution at the end was well crafted, and gave the book a nice stand-alone end (although there are going to be further novels in the series).

The Way of All Flesh is a twisty mystery and a historical thriller set in Scotland in the mid-1850s. If you know anything of Scotland at that time, you will know that Edinburgh had become the seat of medical innovation. This story is set when the use of anesthetic concoctions were just beginning to be formulated, tested and used on patients. There are plenty of fascinating medical tidbits to satisfy those with an interest in the macabre history of medicine, and it was nice to read them embedded in a work of fiction.

The story also revolves around a young apprentice doctor and a housemaid determined to rise above her station. They both work with a lauded obstetrician who is at the forefront in using new techniques in the hopes of better survival rates for mothers and babies. Unfortunately, there is someone killing working women - housemaids and prostitutes - who find themselves in the "family way" and looking to remedy the situation. This, and the sketchy backgrounds of a couple of the physicians introduced in the book, make for an intense read.

This is an interesting, well-written book by two authors, Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman, writing under a pseudonym. I will definitely be picking up any other books they collaborate on.

Thank you Netgalley and Canongate Books for the ARC.

A lot is happening in 1847's Edinburgh. Will Raven is set upon by thugs for not returning money borrowed from a loanshark. Then the girl he borrowed the money for is found dead. Meanwhile he's moving from the old to the new part of town to start as an apprentice for Dr. Simpson, obstetrician. In between seeing patients he also helps his collegues in finding a workable anesthetic.
The book gives a good account of the use of ether and its sometimes fatal results, while the discovery of chloroform also makes an entrance. The medical world is buzzing with excitement and fear for the unknown. And who would have thought peri-peri could do anything other than spice up a good meal?
Last but not least there's an abortionist poisoning the desperate. Oh, the mysteries, this book just won't stop!
Edinburgh is oozing muddy streets, dirty alleys, nasty operating theatres, fancy ladies and department stores.
Wonderful historical fiction, with an exit line that put a big smile on my face. Highly recommended reading!

The Way of the Flesh is a brilliant, atmospheric, historical, crime fiction novel that had me completely enthralled. The story is rich in history surrounding medical advancements and butchery during the period particularly those surrounding the development of anaesthesia. A full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on October 1st.

Edinburgh 1847, a time when ruthless medical experiments were being carried out, quite often by the unscrupulous, those whose patients were of no consequence, who’s lives mattered little when set against the desire for fame and fortune.

Against this backdrop, Will Raven secures himself an apprenticeship with the much respected obstetrician Doctor Simpson.

The story begins with the suspicious death of Will’s prostitute friend Evie, but her death ( as we are about to find out) is only just the beginning!

Will is determined to discover who killed Evie and along with his sidekick, housemaid Sarah, he is dragged into Edinburgh’s very dark and seamy underbelly.

The author has brought 19th century Edinburgh very much to life, in particular, the medical experiments of this period. Descriptions of medical procedures won’t be for everyone, particularly those involving difficult births, these proved to be particularly gruesome, and remember, this was a time when these procedures were carried out without the use of anaesthetics! Although some doctors were experimenting with ether and chloroform, Scotland’s religious leaders were denouncing such methods as going against God.

I must say, I found our two main protagonists to be very engaging, and descriptions of Old Edinburgh with it’s cobbled streets and dark and dirty alleyways, along with some really fascinating facts , lent great atmosphere to the proceedings.


The writing flowed effortlessly, and this would have been a 5 star read for me, had the crime not taken something of a backseat in favour of the medical research at times. However, once the crime took centre stage again, the pace was relentless and I certainly found it to be an interesting and enjoyable read.

* Thank you to Netgalley and Canongate for an ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *

What a brilliant book, I absolutely loved it! Set in Edinburgh in the mid 1800s, it combines a murder mystery with an accurate historical account of medical research and practice of the time. Student doctor Will Raven joins forces with housemaid Sarah to investigate the suspicious deaths of several young women. The way Sarah's obvious intelligence was disregarded was true to the conventions of the time, and I loved the way she began to command the respect of the men she was considered subordinate to. You can feel yourself immersed the culture and atmosphere of 19th century Edinburgh, it was so authentically written and evocative of the period. Some gruesome medial scenes right enough but that is the way things were then! Also some extremely dodgy characters masquerading as respectable members of society. Excellent book, I would certainly recommend it.

I would like to thank Canonbooks US and Netgalley for issuing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The Way of All Flesh is one of the best historical novels I have read recently. Set in the mid 1840s in Edinborough, it focuses around mysterious murders committed in the city, but not only the mystery is the best part of this novel. All details regarding the period such as the descriptions of women's clothes, lively characters, witty dialogues and superbly created atmosphere of the Scottish city add massively to the attractiveness of the novel. And one other thing, the medical discoveries and research of those days are one of the strongest points of this novel. Hope to read more by the author(s) in the not so distant future!

The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry a pseudonym for the husband and wife authors Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. Historical fiction that takes place in 1847 Victoria Edinburgh. The characters and settings are so realistic you feel as if you are there watching every event. Excellent characters especially Raven and Sarah the reader knows them well. Wonderful insight into medical practice, knowledge and latest medications. The authors show in detail how medicine can be used for good or evil. Plenty of thrills, suspense, mystery romance and secrets. I look forward to reading all the books in this series and other books by the authors. My thanks to the authors, publisher and netgalley for making this book available to me to read and review. Well done.

The way of the Flesh grabbed me from the book cover .... I know you should never judge a book by its cover but so glad I did ....

But I will say this book starts off slow but builds momentum, Its a fantastic book sent in Edinburgh in the 1847 and Ambrose Parry really sets the scene and you can really imagine what it was like living there during that time in history and having kids with not much medical help but with the invention of Cholorform to help patients during childbirth its makes for educational but interesting read.

The characters are really well written and you really feel for them and book has some really great moments between the two main characters Raven and Sarah. I would quite happily read another from Ambrose Parry and would recommended anyone who enjoys a historical thriller with midwifery aspects .... this is the book for you !!

This book drew me in because it is historical fiction with medical elements, the setting is Edinburgh and it sounded quite mysterious, dark and gruesome, everything I want in a book! I think I first came across it on Savidge Reads channel on Youtube and I aways adore his historical fiction and darker book recommendations.

We follow aspiring doctor, Will Raven (the best character name ever) as he discovers the gruesome death of a friend and he starts his apprenticeship with an illustrious doctor, Dr Simpson. What follows is a peak into the lives of women at that time from various levels of society and how they are viewed as second class citizens and inferior to men as well as Will Raven's struggles and the medical and technological advances of the time such as ether, photography and more. As with The Death Of Mrs Westaway I loved the eerie, grim and atmospheric tone of the book, it was also quite quick and easy to read and it was definitely compelling, full of mystery and intrigue.

My only negative about this read was that it was fairly slow paced, that's not to say that nothing happens as there are always events but it was just gory labour, gory labour, birth, blood, gory labour which is the topic Will Raven is interested in and a major proportion of the book; however it felt very repetitive. Despite those negatives, it was definitely an engaging, atmospheric and interesting read that I cannot recommend enough if you are a fan of historical fiction, especially with a medical elements.

"Mrs. Graseby sat by the fire, sipping her Darjeeling." #thewayofallflesh #ambroseparry #canongate #netgalley

I LOVED this book, by far the best one I've read all summer. So atmospheric with great characters and witty, sharp and intelligent writing. I saw the villain coming a mile away, and some plot points wrapped up a little too conveniently, but it didn't matter. Will Raven and Sarah Fisher are wonderfully drawn, and I look forward to reading more of their adventures, as the authors indicate this is the first in a series. Fascinating, and fun, with some good scares thrown in. "An eerie silence settled upon the room, broken only by the disconcerting sound of dripping. Then the baby began to cry."

P.S. Thanks so much to NetGalley for the ARC.