This series has quickly become one of my favourites thanks to the atmospheric setting of old Edinburgh and the engaging characters. Each story focuses on the women of the period through the lens of childbirth and the accompanying social ills for those in poverty. The scientific background of one of the authors is obvious in the authentic portrayal of medicine during those times. I'd highly recommend reading this series if you want a well-written historical mystery.

I enjoyed this book immensely ,as I have the others in this series.Possibly because I live in Edinburgh and can identify all the locations as well as some of the real life characters ,but also because it’s so well plotted and the characters are so interesting.There’s a fair bit of medical history linked to James Simpson and his use of chloroform ,but this book also deals with the fact that women were not allowed to study medicine, and the double standards of the time with regard to women who had children out of wedlock which is written about in a very poignant and moving way.I love the characters of Raven and Sarah .and the chemistry between the two of them always makes you want to read on .There’s also a fair bit of humour which lightens the mood in spite of some very dark scenes.
I now can’t wait for the next book in the series!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

Received arc from Canongate and Netgalley for honest read and review.
This is the 3rd book in a gripping series that I have thoroughly enjoyed from the beginning.Centres around Raven and Sarah more so ,who is really interesting and is beginning to get a name for herself.
Really brilliant series.

Unfortunately I did not realise that this book was part of a series and that did have a negative impact on my reading experience. While I appreciate that the book can be read as a standalone, i felt that I missed out a lot on the relationship between Raven and Sarah. The scene setting of historic Edinburgh was beautiful and mesmerising. The actual story itself was very slow to begin, but I'm unsure whether that was because I hadnt read the previous books. As such I am not going to post on public media as I do not think it is a fair reflection on the book.

Mixed feelings about "A Corruption of Blood" by Ambrose Parry. On paper it has all the ingredients of a book that I should enjoy (Victorian, crime, female protagonists) but for some reason the story didn't gel together as well as I had hoped for.

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

I love this series! This was a really great new instalment, with Will Raven on the case once more. The plot twists were a little obvious this time around, but it made the book no less enjoyable.

I look forward to book 4!

A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry
Having read The Art of Dying and The Way of All Flesh I was very much looking forward to reading this new outing for the husband and wife team who form Ambrose Parry. This time the novel is set in Edinburgh and there are wonderfully atmospheric descriptions of the city and some of its less salubrious areas. It is a gritty dark novel drawing on Chris Brookmyre’s crime thriller background and there is some wonderful historical medical detail.
There is a strong focus on the vulnerability of women particularly those at the poorer end of society. There is also a keen understanding that women, with the possible exception of widows, are wholly dependent upon men.
The story opens soon after the end of The Act of Dying. Will Raven is still working with Sir James Simpson and Sarah has been widowed and is keen to seek out Doctor Elizabeth Blackwell in the hopes of achieving her aim to train to become a doctor. Will is then caught up in two crimes which seem to be unrelated. – These are the discovery of a murdered baby in the harbour at Leith and the death by poison of a wealthy socialite and businessman. Straightaway we are launched into a network of blackmail, sibling rivalry and deceit.
This is a book I will definitely be recommending to all of my various book groups. Many thanks to the authors, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Having enjoyed the previous books in the series I was not disappointed in reading it. A further story of the medical scene in historical Edinburgh following two themes. One of the investigations following the discovery of a murdered baby and the other of murder in high society, that provides a fascinating insight into two disparate levels, that involving grand balls and high-born ladies at one end and chamber maids, prostitution, baby farming at the other. Our hero and heroine get involved into solving the mysteries and manage to finally settle their relationship and bring matters to a somewhat happy end.

A Corruption of Blood is the third in Ambrose Parry’s series about the residents of 52 Queen Street in 1850s Edinburgh embroiled in another historical medical crime thriller (who knew that was a thing...it is...and it is great!).

Dr Will Raven finds himself trying to defend a man who is accused of poisoning his father, at the very top of high class social circles. Meanwhile, his sometimes assistant, Sarah Fisher is trying to make inroads which will allow her to study medicine but she gets sidetracked searching for a missing child. The two plots weave together by way of a number of smart twists and turns.

It’s always a treat to go back to characters who you really like being with. Professor Simpson, Will and Sarah are fantastic and getting better with every book. While the plot of Corruption of Blood is really enjoyable, it is the development of the characters which I relished from the first page. It would work as a stand-alone but I would heartily recommend going back to the start and reading the whole series. It’s superb and getting better. A solid 4.5*.

Thanks to Netgalley and Canongate Books for an ARC.

A corruption of Blood by Ambrose Parry is the third in the Sarah Fisher / Will Raven series. You can read this as a standalone as I have not read the previous books in this series.
Set in 1850 Edinburgh Dr Will Raven is working under Dr Simpson and Sarah has gone on her travels to seek out Dr Elizabeth Blackwell that will help her with her medical career. Whilst she has gone Will Raven has got engaged to Eugenie, with the surprising blessings from her father.
He is asked to investigate the murder of Sir Alistair Douglas who was murdered, and his son Gideon has been accused of his murder. He faces the rope. But he claims he is innocent.
Will Raven after helping deliver a set of twins is called to the Port of Leith where a package is being found. When it is opened there is a body of a child. This is the result of baby farming. Now that Sarah Fisher is back, the pair investigate what happened to the child and catch the person responsible. Whilst doing this, their feelings for each other resurface.
This is a dark, gritty atmospheric story that I really enjoyed. I thought it was professionally researched and the characters were well developed and likeable. I usually find it hard to be kept engaged in a book like this, but I thought this was brilliant. I can’t wait to seek the others in the series and the next ones.

Dr Will Raven, assistant to eminent Professor James Young Simpson, is out on a call in Leith when he sees the recovery of a gruesome package from the water. He's interested enough to follow up on the case, using the contacts he's gained in his professional career. He's distracted by a blossoming friendship with the forthright, complicated daughter of another esteemed medical man.

Meantime, Sarah Fisher is back from Europe, living again at Queen Street, assisting Professor Simpson in his clinics and obstetric procedures, administering the still controversial chloroform when needed, not sure if she'll ever be able to realise her own ambitions. One of the newer housemaids enlists her help in a delicate enquiry.

As they ask for each other's opinions and support in their separate endeavours, Raven and Fisher discover that their quests are linked, and upsetting the fragile status quo of Edinburgh society is dangerous.

This is the third in a series and the growth and maturity of the characters is clear, so starting at the beginning is rewarding.
The relationship between Raven and Fisher has changed with time and is the heart of this novel, which also explores social injustice, corruption and hypocrisy in ways that are resonant today. The mid-Victorian period detail is never laboured and the medical descriptions, while gruesome, are never gratuitous.
The ending of this is just a wee bit neat for my liking, but I'm sure there will be more messy complications in future instalments.

Thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for the ARC.

Another excellent episode in the Dr Will Raven and Sarah Fisher series set in Victorian Edinburgh. Dark deeds with baby trading and murders to the fore. The complex relationship between Raven and Fisher is strained by his involvement with a new lady friend and her seemingly overprotective father. Edinburgh high society is mixed with the lower elements of the Old Town and when a rich man is found dead with arsenic the apparent cause his son an ex student with Raven is accused of murder the tale enters an enthralling twisting stage. The city as in previous episodes is beautifully and atmospherically described all building to a satisfactory climax ! More please!
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Another brilliant instalment in this brilliant series! I love spending time with Will Raven and Sarah Fisher (particularly Sarah) - already can't wait to see what they get up to next.

I love this series. Great to revisit Will, Sarah and Dr Simpson.

I like that historical facts are intertwined with a fictional story. Kept me gripped from page 1 to the end. Thoroughly recommend. Next book please. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for offering me the opportunity to read this in advance in return for an unbiased rd iew

I hadn't read the first two books in this series but it worked well as a stand alone. Although there is a crime at the centre of the story, this is much more than that. Set in Edinburgh, the author draws a vivid picture of life in this beautiful city, particularly the plight of women, medical experimentation and breakthroughs and the dawning of social conscience in the 19th Century.
Well researched, great characters and a pacey plot.
I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Ambrose Parry has delivered yet another fantastic title following the detective duo of Dr Will Raven and Sarah Fisher. Sarah returns forlorn from her travels around Europe to find Will engaged. Amid their awkwardness Will investigates the discovery of tiny wrapped baby boy while Sarah searches for a housemaids missing daughter. Their discoveries unearth a horrible reality of what happens to children that their parents are forced to give away.
Sarah and Will's relationship becomes ever more complex and this as much as the unraveling mystery will keep you turning pages long into the night. Expect to get no sleep until you have finished!

Will Raven is still working in the household of Dr Simpson but Sarah is off on her visit to Europe and Will has a new girlfriend so things are looking positive for both of them. Then a very important person is killed, Will's girlfriend asks him to get involved, Sarah is back and the whole merry dance begins over again.

I enjoy this series as much for the background as the story itself. I know the authors use real people if they can and this really does help bring the story to a life of it's own, even outside the murders and mysteries that Will and Sarah seem to fall into.

The relationship between Will and Sarah is, of course, as complicated as ever and she is still struggling to find her place in the medical establishment as he is able to find his.

Once again, and engaging and interesting read with some really value added by the background to the story.

My only caution would be, this is not a series to start in the middle so start at book 1 for your best experience.

This is the third in the Raven/ Fisher series by Ambrose Parry, the husband and wife writing team formed by Christopher Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. This could be read as a stand-alone, however there are some references to the previous books (The Way of All Flesh and The Art of Dying) and reading them in order will give a deeper understanding of the characters and their relationships. Overall, they are great reads in their own right and well worth reading anyway!

Will Raven is steadily establishing his reputation as a doctor in Edinburgh, working alongside Dr James Young Simpson, and Sarah Fisher is travelling through Europe at the beginning of the book, seeking out a female doctor to ascertain if she could also follow her path and become certified to practise medicine.

They are drawn together to investigate when a grisly discovery is made at the Edinburgh docs - that of a small baby, which has been murdered and hidden in the water. This is the start of a twisted tale, reaching from the slums of Edinburgh into the highest levels of society, where the circumstances of your birth are no guarantee to your safety.

I really enjoyed this book, I thought the story was great and this is a strong addition to a really great series. The characters are well written and believable, and realistic, in my opinion. This is a really strong series and I hope there are plenty of instalments to come. I have been a fan of Christopher Brookmyre for a long time, but I think this writing team, which brings in his wife’s medical knowledge is a really interesting, fresh take on the genre. The medical aspects of the book are interesting and well written - it’s difficult to add these levels of detail without it feeling like unnecessary exposition, but it’s done extremely skilfully here. I would recommend this book wholeheartedly, and indeed the whole series!


I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Parry’s historical Edinburgh set mystery novels. Raven and Fisher are great characters and the setting adds to the reading experience enjoyment. This was another great instalment in the series. Will Raven finds himself embroiled in assisting a petty enemy escape the noose when a truly disturbing package of human remains washes up in Leith. Sarah Fisher has heard of a woman who was awarded a medical degree – an ambition she holds herself – and sets out to find out how this was accomplished. The pair are plunged into the gritty twists and turns of a gruesome murder investigation, set against the backdrop on mid-19th c medical advancement. Absolutely gripping.

Part of a series,best read from beginning. Set in Edinburgh, medical mysteries to be solved and the hunt for a wife/life partner. Very detailed,well described and plenty of twists.