This is a powerful but grim story. The main character has many personal faults and is one minute likeable and the next invokes our scorn - but this of course makes him human! The story is fast-moving but is, to me,unbelievable in parts as the heroine is more a product of the 20th century than the 19th. To readers who like historical novels this will greatly appeal .

When Will Raven starts his apprenticeship with the renowned Dr Simpson he gets more than he’s bargained for as women are being murdered around Edinburgh. Teaming up with housemaid Sarah, can they discover the truth before it’s too late?

The Way of All Flesh is a historical fiction mystery that has strong medical base and knowledge thrown in. I felt this affected the pace quite a bit as it was a little slow to start, but sped up nicely towards the end to make me tear through the pages to find out the culprit.

The story itself seems very nicely researched and based in fact which is a nice touch. Upon reading more about the subject online I can see many famous figures are used as side-characters and many true (and remarkable!) events are used in the plot which is great. I enjoyed the descriptions of ancient, violent Edinburgh and thought the fictional characters of Raven and Sarah were well integrated into the factual story. I liked the slight romance between them and I gather there will be a sequel based around them which I will certainly look out for. The alternating narrative between them was a good choice and helped to carry the story along.
I did feel that the ‘modern’ touches were a little jarring – Sarah is quite a feminist and I did feel her viewpoints became a little preachey and unrealistic at times, particularly for someone of the lower classes – it felt like it was written with much too much hindsight in mind. As the story includes historically accurate story of the birth of ether and chloroform used in medical practice I did feel the inclusion of ‘peri peri’ was a bit weird and brought me out of the story a little.

Overall The Way of All Flesh was a bit of a slow paced read to start with but is a well-researched historical fiction that will stay with you after you read it – and you learn some real history from it as well which is always a good thing! Thank you to NetGalley and Canongate Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

** spoiler alert ** I have to be honest,I was expecting more gore.
What I got instead,was what I hope is the first in a series of medical based mysteries set in the 1800's.
Two very good central characters in Will and Sarah,some interesting medical stuff (midwifery and anaesthesia),slums,murder,debt collecting.
Oh and an interesting back story for Will.
It ticks a lot of boxes for a good read.
Already looking forward to where we go next

After seeing this dynamic funny duo speak at the booksellers association, I had high hopes for this novel. Striking the right balance between forensic accuracy and a slightly dark romp through 19th century Edinburgh. Evoking the sights, sounds and smells, while introducing a great duo - and potentially room for more stories is a great feat. Throw in a really in depth look in the role of women and the limitations they faced and this is a super entertaining story.

Raven is an apprentice ‘midwife’ to Dr Simpson a kind, generous doctor with an interest in anaesthesia. Raven owes money to violent ‘loan sharks’ after borrowing to lend money to his friend who is then found dead. He feels this was murder, and then there are further women found dead with the same contorted bodies.

Sarah is a housemaid, who also works for Dr Simpson, part time, in his surgery helping with patients and clearing up. She has a thirst for medical knowledge and reads medical books but as a women in these times, was disregarded.

Sarah and Raven do not get on initially, but they begin to investigate the deaths of the women and a little romance begins.

There’s a lot of medical information given and the use of ether in medicine and surgery in the 1840’s and it reminds you just how much medicine has advanced , thank goodness. Ambrose Parry, the author has clearly done a lot of research and while he includes a lot of this in the tale it is not confusing but just reinforces the story and gives background to medicine of the time.

It’s a great tale of medical drama, romance and a murder mystery.

I would like to thank the Author/the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review (I also have my own hardback copy)

This is a deliciously atmospheric piece of historical crime fiction from the husband and wife authors, Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman, set in Victorian Edinburgh, a city split between the poverty stricken and dark underbelly of the Old Town and the more genteel wealthy households of New Town. This is a story about Edinburgh's heyday as the prominent player in its contributions towards the progress of medicine intertwined with the murder of young women, prostitutes, deemed to be of little consequence, unworthy of any real investigation. It is 1847, a penniless and indebted Will Raven has secured a much sought after apprentice position with the well known Dr Simpson, specialising in midwifery and anaesthesia. Shocked after stumbling on the dead body of his friend, Evie, a prostitute, he is badly beaten and cut by the thugs of a moneylender when he arrives to live at the Simpson household. Needless to say, he makes a poor impression on some members of the household that include the young resentful Sarah Fisher, a bright and intelligent housemaid with aspirations for a career in medicine that is denied to her by society's misogyny and her poverty.

Edinburgh abounds with quacks, charlatans and snake oil salesman willing to peddle their dangerous practices and wares on a desperate public. Amidst the medical community there are daring experiments run by men, often ruthless and arrogant, brutal and uncaring of the people they experiment on. Driven by a need to acquire wealth and build their reputations, it is barely surprising that so many are corrupted by their power over ordinary mortal souls with nowhere else to go. In that respect, Raven is fortunate that Simpson is driven by the need to improve the gruesome medical practices in midwifery and to alleviate the unspeakable pain experienced by women in childbirth. We see the good doctor discover and implement the use of chloroform in the profession. Many doctors believe that it is natural for the patient to experience pain and it goes against nature to provide pain relief. I believe their beliefs would shift remarkably quickly if they were the ones on the receiving end of their brutal and excruciating practices. Then there are the male religious voices, claiming that God wants women to undergo painful childbirth and to provide an anaesthetic is to go against God. Sarah and Raven overcome their initial difficulties to join forces to investigate who is behind the growing number of dead women when no-one else will, only to find themselves in deadly danger.

The authors give us an atmospheric and richly described picture of the dark arts and science behind the breakthroughs made in 19th century Edinburgh amidst a background of a medical profession that was not always keen to adhere to the best interests of their patients. We are not spared the gruesome horrors of what people had to undergo in the hands of these powerful doctors, this includes the malignant abortionists taking advantage of poorer women with impunity. Sarah and Mina, whilst on different ends of the social strata, nevertheless epitomise just how powerless women were in their inability to choose their path in life, or even have control over their bodies. This novel does a brilliant job in providing such a great sense of time and location, giving an authentic glimpse of the state of medicine in the period, with all the tension and suspense of murder. The characterisation and development of Will Raven and Sarah Fisher was done well and with great skill as I found both of them utterly compelling as people. I look forward with great anticipation for the next in this series. Highly recommended! Many thanks to Canongate for an ARC.