The nineteenth century was a fascinating time for scientific discoveries, especially in medicine and this book closely follows the doctors involved in the first uses of anaesthetics. Ether was most famously known for its use during childbirth and this book is clearly exceptionally well researched as the authors describe the history of female medicine during a time of ridiculous modesty – I loved this insight into something that was shrouded in mystery for so long.

The story is told through the perspectives of Will Raven, young doctor’s apprentice with a troubled past, and Sarah Fisher, respectable but intellectually ambitious housemaid. Both of them are well developed characters, struggling against the constraints society has placed against them, which gives them both a depth that I found fascinating. Their character arcs during this book were steady, which I now realise is because this title is the first in a series which has filled me with great joy knowing that I’ll get to read more of them in the future!

All of the characters in this book are well written and contribute something meaningful to the narrative, I particularly liked Mina (sister in law to Will Raven’s mentor, Dr Simpson) as well as the general descriptions of the Simpson household.

The writing style feels convincingly authentic for a historical fiction set in the Victorian era Scotland which made the story a pleasure to read, my only reservation was that the suspense wasn’t really mounting in the lead up to the whodunnit reveal. I can certainly say that the beautiful writing style made the book a pleasure to read in its own right, but if you’re going to put a mystery in a novel then I want it to be a nail biter!

A medical murder mystery set in Edinburgh in 1847. William Raven an apprentice doctor/midwife and Sarah the housemaid/doctors receptionist set out to resolve the gruesome deaths of young women. It is a dark historical based story with gruesome details of the practice of childbirth during that period. In parts not for the faint hearted. This was not a quick read but I still thought it engrossing with many twists and turns. The characters were well described and easily related to.

At the start of a new apprenticeship in Edinburgh in the 1847, William Raven is distracted from his studies into midwifery by a money lender on his tail for a repayment he can’t cough up, as well as the mystery of women who keep showing up dead - seemingly murdered in a painful, gruesome way. Raven, with the help of clever housemaid Sarah, start to investigate the murders and their discovery leads them closer to home than they thought.

The writing in this book suits what I believe the atmosphere of the story is - it’s a bit dark and moody but also holds a lot of intelligence and elegance behind this. The medicine in this book is written very well and the authors definitely knew what they were talking about when they were writing the methods used by the doctors - and the medicine was explained in ways that made it easy enough to understand as well.

I did like the characters of Raven and Sarah though I do think they were both cliche in their own ways - Raven being humble, and striving to rise up from his modest beginnings and Sarah being smart and plucky, and desperately frustrated by her lack of opportunity because of her gender. The things Sarah faced as a woman desperate to learn but not given the opportunity was done well at first but sometimes felt a bit forced down the reader’s throat and became a bit repetitive.

The book was just a tad boring for me at parts. There was nothing in it that really thrilled me and made me want to pick it up to finish. I didn’t have that urge to dive back into the story at any point so it took me longer to finish than I would have liked.

I also WOULD NOT recommend this to readers who are pregnant or may have recently given birth as obviously the main medicine applied in this book is midwifery and some of the methods used are utterly appalling because of well, the lack of knowledge at the time. Some stuff is very upsetting and gruesome and is explained in a little bit of detail and could upset someone currently carrying!

I loved this - I have already pre-ordered the second in the series!

This one had me guessing right to the end and every time I thought I had figured it out I was twisted back around!

1840's Edinburgh was richly described helping me feel like I was wondering the streets as a I read and I am immensely grateful for the advancements in medicine over the last 150 years having read this, surgery without anaesthetic and the horrors of childbirth and both mother and child mortality are not shied away from in this world of developing midwifery.

Wonderfully developed characters came together in a graceful dance of circumstance and they stepped together and apart just where needed. Initially I wasn't sure about Raven, we knew he was hiding something and his early behaviour made him less likeable than I normally expect of a main character, but it was refreshing and I felt similarly about Sarah and her disdain for the 'upstairs' folk, even when they were being genuine, she didn't view it as such. Though I appreciated her frustrations it made me wish she would stop looking for the ill in people.
But, as you would hope, as the story progresses and they develop both together and apart, you grow to love them, to root for them, and hope that they make it to the end of the book!

Book 2 promises even more of the last half of this which I just adored once they came together.
I have some wonderful new names for people (seriously - if you can't see the beauty of 'sphincter-blossom' then you need to reassess your insult list!)

This book is brilliant, it had me hooked from the beginning. It tells the story of an apprentice midwife/doctor who is investigating the death of a friend, against the background of the scientific discoveries of anaesthetics. The gruesome descriptions of labour and birth are quite horrific, but not gratuitously so, and the descriptions of life during those times are excellent. I am delighted that this book is the first in a series, I'm looking forward to reading more about the adventures of Raven and Sarah.

What a terrific read! Will Raven is a new apprentice to the renowned Edinburgh Obstetrician Dr Simpson. (Simpson is a real historical figure, of the mid 19th century, pioneer of the use of chloroform and inventor of obstetric forceps still in use today). Dead young women start appearing and Will wants to find the perpetrator as on of them was a friend.. He teams up with Sarah, Simpsons house maid, who is a bright girl frustrated by her low position and lack of opportunity. The action is fast and riveting. The medical history is pretty accurate. Its a great story, and a look at how awful childbirth (and its medical treatment) could be at the time.

Thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

In my reading experience Canongate tend to be pretty discerning when it comes to whom they publish. Whenever they have an upcoming book release I tend to be on it like white on rice and this book was no exception.

I enjoy reading about some of the more ghoulish things in life and Edinburgh is a city which history has that in spades. I went to universityin Edinburgh and lived there for five years so that added an extra layer of interest for me.

This book follows Will Raven, a young medical student who is apprenticed to a brilliant doctor. In amongst a healthy dollop of medical history, we also have a murder mystery which our intrepid hero seeks to resolve.

Despite the often gruesome subject matter this novel felt like a love letter to Edinburgh.  The contrast between the old and new town was captured perfectly and the cameos from some of the famous persons of the day such as James Syme, David Octavius Hill and Robert Adamson was a nice touch.

Sarah was a plucky, charismatic and intelligent heroine, constrained by the limitations of her gender in 19th century Victorian society. Her story arc added a bit of much appreciated  feminism to the narrative.

My main issue with this novel was a personal one. I have a scattershot approach to trigger warnings but the descriptions of child loss, pregnancy complications, stillbirth, miscarriages and abortions in this novel almost caused me to give up on it at various points. Just something to be aware of if anyof these issues have affected you.

The pace of the narrative also felt a bit glacial at times and the whole seedy Victorian medical/murder mystery thing is starting to get a bit tired. I guessed the twist relatively early on too which dulled my enthusiasm somewhat.

Overall, this novel is absolutely fine. I didn't love it but it's well written and I enjoyed the Edinburgh setting.

Murder, mystery, crime thriller, historical fiction set in 19th century Edinburgh...what’s not to like? It’s a story of social divide; dead prostitutes, housemaids and a pioneering medic’s assistant. Old town, New town and a smattering of encounters with real people. There’s a duality throughout this narrative and it’s only since finishing the book I’ve learned that the author is, in fact, a husband and wife team.; one a crime author, the other his wife an anaesthetist. Hence perhaps the interest in chloroform and the horrors of pregnancy!

In 1847, Edinburg was at the centre of medical research and innovation. But a killer’s on the loose and The Way of All Flesh really captures the dark, seedy and dismal underworld sitting alongside a prosperous and outwardly genteel cultural city. There are depictions of grim and brutal medical reality alongside tranquil domesticity of those who are better off.

I found it realistic and was quickly drawn in to the darker scenes where the sham of decency is drawn aside. This looks like the start of a series with potential. It’s a clever mix of fact and fiction with intricate plotting which throws out enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing. A great read and my thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

An incredible book full of twists and turns. I love the style of writing and the medical history being explored. As a Scot for me the setting in Edinburgh was an added bonus. I finished this at 3am because I just couldn't put it down!

Ambrose Parry is the pseudonym of a writing duo who have combined their respective talents to create this compelling crime fiction. Parry reminds me of Anne Perry, CJ Sansom and Laura Shepherd-Robinson. The fluid combination of historical facts and intriguing fiction with a great cast of characters.

Will Raven and Sarah Fisher seem like an unlikely sleuthing duo at first glance. They butt heads, because Raven acts like a boorish snob and Fisher oversteps the boundaries of her station. The truth is the two of them probably have more in common than they realise, aside from both of them living in a slightly eccentric household. Raven stumbles across a connection in a series of deaths, which propels the both of them into the dangerous path of quite ruthless individuals.

What drives this story is the medical history, discoveries and advancement made during that era, whilst the crime element of the story flows smoothly alongside. Simultaneously Parry shows the gender inequality and how society tries to repress the intellect, and educational and career development of women.

The majority of well-researched historical fiction, even crime fiction, will often include facts or events that readers may previously have been unaware of or had little knowledge of. I like that aspect of reading, the feeling of acquiring something, whilst enjoying the worlds created and penned by others.

However those facts or events can be shocking, disturbing and unpleasant at times. I would certainly put some of the elements and scenes from this story into those categories. In particular the details surrounding the birthing process, in particular the craniotomy procedure. Reading it made me glad I had my children in the 20th and 21st century, although maternal mortality rates, stillbirth and infant mortality are still quite high considering we are in the 21st century. We have come a long way since the barbaric methods tested, tried and used in previous centuries.

It’s historical crime fiction with accurate historical facts, strong characters and a compelling plot. I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series and hope this is the first of many more.

My thanks to Canongate for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Way of All Flesh’ by Ambrose Parry in exchange for an honest review. I am reviewing for the paperback edition as it’s been out in hardback since last August.

Ambrose Parry is such a fabulously Gothic name and is the pen name for a collaboration between novelist Chris Brookmyre and consultant anaesthetist Dr Marisa Haetzman. As the audiobook edition was available I elected to listen alongside reading the eARC.

“The only difference between a medicine and a poison is the dosage.”

Edinburgh 1847 - Will Raven is a medical student apprenticing with the renowned Dr. Simpson, who is undertaking daring experiments in the new medical frontier of anaesthesia. Sarah is a maid in the Simpson household and while she is intelligent as Will she hasn’t the privileges he enjoys. With Dr. Simpson’s blessing she also assists with his clinics and is eager to learn more.

A number of suspicious deaths of young women across the city attracts the attention of both Will and Sarah and eventually they team up to investigate. Both Will and Sarah are the focus of various chapters and the audiobook edition is narrated by Brian Dick and Louise Brealey.

It was quite clear to me that someone with a medical background had crafted this novel as it is so meticulous in its representation of mid-19th Century medical practices. In addition, it is well plotted, entertaining and very atmospheric in its setting. Both protagonists proved resourceful and appealing.

I read a fair amount of historical fiction and really appreciate it when such care is taken in capturing the period represented. I enjoyed this very much and am delighted to see that it was planned as a series with the second, ‘The Art of Dying’ due out at the end of August.

Will Raven – has been brought up in a school for Fatherless boys, at his Uncles expense, out of duty to his sister. A matter his money conscious Uncle likes to remind his mother and Will about regularly.

Will finds himself lucky enough to gain an apprenticeship, with Dr. Simpson – a highly regarded obstetrician in Edinburgh. He quickly becomes accustomed to the inherent wealth and far more salubrious furnishings of Dr Simpson’s well-to-do townhouse practice, than his previous living quarters in the the squalid and tattered lodgings he kept in the Old town, run down, dirty and filled with dark alleys in which the debt collector Mr Flint is lurking, waiting for Will.

Will’s new job requires him, to administer Ether – new to the medicinal world and not always welcomed by Dr. Simpson’s many laboring mothers, who would do well to heed his advice. And not suffer the pains of labor, having read Parry’s detailed and atmospheric descriptions of the agonies which they must endure. But the Revered Grissom has been preaching and argues that it is not safe and Mothers should go through birth without pain relief. Despite the fact, he as a man can not completely comprehend the pain which can occur and one that he will of course, never encounter.

After a difficult start Will becomes friends with Sarah Fisher, the Simpson’s housemaid and it is together they try and solve what the cause of death was to two of their friends – Evie – Will’s friend, was a prostitute and so her death is duly ignored by McLevy the Police chief in charge of her death. And Rose – Sarah’s friend, also a housemaid and so another considered too low in status to be concerned about when her body is dragged from the river. But their deaths contain similarities that Will and Sarah cannot ignore.

Sarah reads a great character and strives to better herself and has a mind as good as any of the medical men that pass through Simpson’s door. She reads and assists the Doctor in his home practice, and would like to do more but women were never Doctors in those days, merely maids with intellect and endeavor beyond their reach.

Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman have used their combined knowledge and created a beautifully sculpted, historical narrative, flowing and descriptive novel. The use of medical terms and medicines of the day have created the perfect pairing with crime thriller and medical history mixing socially and seamlessly between the pages. A wonderful insight into the use of Ether – or lack of and how the world has progressed from the agonizing operations that were once performed, into the world as we know it today and the wonderful NHS we know so well, in the UK. I have 3 children – 2 born naturally and know how painful childbirth can be, and that it’s soon over. But to think that all amputations and operations were done without the use of anesthetics makes me glad I am alive in the present day and not the 1847 Edinburgh version.

I realised that I had read this book before. Here is my review.

An interesting intriguing read set in historical Edinburgh. A wonderful atmospheric city to write about. This historical story is about the often gruesome practice of medicine in the 1800s. It is also about murders in the city. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I loved Parry's characters groom earlier book, and medical student, Raven really engages me .. okay the relationship to Sarah is slightly stereotypical, but then women were treated as lesser beings then .. which Raven resists as they plunge into dark corners of the the city tracking murders. The set up takes a bit of time, but the narrative speeds forward rapidly as he ance sarah get drawn into killing sprees ... very impressive! I hope more to come .. really enjoyable

Chris Brookmyre, a fine crime novelist in his own right, has joined forces with his wife, under the pseudonym of Ambrose Parry, to create a new series set in 1840s Edinburgh. The Way Of All Flesh is part historical fiction and part a history of approaches to childbirth. While the latter is an interesting aspect, it detracts slightly from the central crime, the disappearance and murder of young women. Nevertheless this is a very enjoyable read and I look forward to future instalments.

I wasn't too sure what to make of this book when I initially started to read it, but somehow it seemed to reel you in and it got more and more interesting until you didn't want to put the book down! Despite being a 'historical' setting, it made it very interesting to read and the characters were enjoyable too.

I have to admit that this genre is one of my guilty pleasures.
Women are dying in suspicious circumstances. The story is set in 1870, the research the author has done is so detailed.
Raven is training to be a midwife or as we know a doctor for women. No female doctors in this time period. Women were not to be trusted or respected. THIS WAS MAN'S WORK !!!!!!
This is a compelling and educational read. No not a history lesson, our author gives the reader some amazing insights into how medical practitioners worked in this time period and how much has changed. Thank god. A historical murder mystery with a touch of romance and so much more. Readers of this genre are in for a treat. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, Canongate and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

The Way of All Flesh has been on my TBR piles ever since I attended a book festival and listened to the authors discuss how it came to be and all that went into it. Having finally got round to reading it I know that it was worth waiting for.
Raven certainly grew on me over the course of the book. I loved the different nicknames he gave to people that quite often related to a physical attribute they possessed. He was hiding secrets to his past from others, and himself from lenders that who were after their money or his blood and didn’t seem too fussed which one they ended up with. This kind of made him appear to be a bit standoffish especially with those who he believed to be beneath him. His saving grace was that he was determined to find out what happened to a local prostitute who he had become friendly with. As his investigations into her death progressed he slowly began to take maid Sarah into his confidence. Their constant interactions even when he didn’t really welcome them slowly changed his character.
Sarah was a character that was stifled by the era she lived in. Helping out the doctor whose household she worked for, she had a naturally inquisitive mind and would have dearly loved to have been more involved in patient care or medicine but unfortunately she had one thing going against her…. She was a woman. Despite initially taking a dislike to Raven, her natural inquisitiveness meant that she was soon helping him. By the end of the book I wouldn’t say that she liked him, but she certainly had a better understanding of him and what he was really like.
The book really is right up my street, mixing historical facts with a bit of humour and mystery. I will admit that I did have to check that it was ok to find bits of it funny as I am known to have a very odd sense of humour and will often be found chuckling at gruesome bits. There were some medical procedures though that even had me cringing and I don’t remember reading about them as I studied medicine through the ages at school many moons ago. I am also relieved that childbirth and complications surrounding it are managed vastly differently in the modern era. This husband and wife writing team have produced a real winner of a book in my opinion as you can’t help but get caught up in Raven’s life and I look forward to the next instalment to see what lies ahead for Raven and Sarah.

I'm not sure this novel stood out from any other historical fiction of this time period, and the focus on surgery and medicine seems particularly popular, I also guessed the twist early on in the book. However it was easy to read and peopled with some interesting characters and I did learn more about anaesthesia without feeling I was reading a textbook.
Thank you to netgalley and Canongate for an advance copy of this book.

If you think the title sounds familiar, then you are right! It was used in the nineteenth century by Samuel Butler in his semi-autobiographical novel that attacks Victorian hypocrisy. Most fitting then that the husband and wife team of Ambrose Parry appropriate it for their partnership in crime fiction which also focuses on Victorian duplicity.
Set in Edinburgh in 1847, a few decades before the original work, this is an exciting time for medical developments and we follow the research and experiments of the eminent Dr Simpson as he looks to find a safer substitute for the ether that he uses during operations, including incidents of difficult childbirth. His assistant, Will Raven, is equally keen to promote safer labour and the two of them pay no attention to class or economy when treating their patients. Others of the profession are less scrupulous. The historical accuracy of the material, alongside the vivid descriptions of the ordeals suffered, ensures that the reader is engrossed and appalled in equal measures.
Patterns in female mortality begin to emerge and Will, helped by the Simpsons’ capable, intelligent and ambitious housemaid, Sarah, is keen to track down the abortionist who clearly has little concern whether or not the women live or die. In this society women are worth very little. Many girls in domestic positions, ‘ruined’ by their employers, have no choice but to become prostitutes; clever Sarah has little outlet for her medical knowledge; even the sophisticated middle-class Mina seems desperate in her attempts to catch a husband, certain that her life will be depleted without one.
This novel is not just for those who enjoy solving crimes. It is a very interesting exploration of both the scientific developments and the grimy underbelly of Victorian life. Raven and Sarah are likeable, flawed yet resourceful detectives and I look forward to reading more of their adventures. Ambrose Parry’s characters come alive on the page and I am sure that they are ripe for being portrayed on the small screen too!
My thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books for a copy of this novel in exchange for a fair review.