Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA HISTORICAL DAGGER 2024
EDINBURGH, 1853.
In a city of science, discovery can be deadly . . .
Body parts have been found at Surgeons' Hall, and they're not anatomy specimens. Dr Will Raven is able to identify a prime suspect, but the individual he seeks happens to be an accomplished actor, a man of a thousand faces and a renowned master of disguise.
Meanwhile, mesmerism, spiritualism and other unexplained phenomena are taking hold of hearts and minds. Frustrated in her own medical ambitions, Sarah Fisher sees opportunity in a new therapeutic field not already closed off to women. With the lines between science and spectacle dangerously blurred, the stage is set for a grand and deadly illusion . . .
About the Author
Ambrose Parry is the penname for two authors - the internationally bestselling and multi-award-winning Chris Brookmyre and consultant anaesthetist of twenty years' experience, Dr Marisa Haetzman. Inspired by the gory details Haetzman uncovered during her History of Medicine degree, the couple teamed up to write a series of historical crime thrillers, featuring the darkest of Victorian Edinburgh's secrets. They are married and live in Scotland. The Way of All Flesh, The Art of Dying and A Corruption of Blood were shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. A Corruption of Blood was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger in 2022.
@ambroseparry
Reviews
I loved Raven and Sarah's latest fabulous adventure concerning the infancy of hypnotherapy whilst exploring the darker elements of the human heart -- ALEX GRAY
Praise for the series: Parry's Victorian Edinburgh comes vividly alive - and it's a world of pain -- VAL McDERMID
Brilliantly conceived, fiendishly plotted and immaculately realised, these thrillers pull off the most difficult double-whammy of all: beneath blood and butchery so real they almost stain the pages lie both heart and soul . . . Wherever Parry takes them, I'll follow -- MICK HERRON
A rip-roaring tale of murder amid the medical experiments of 19th-century Edinburgh. The book brings both city and period to colourful life and is a joy to read -- IAN RANKIN
Menacing, witty and ingeniously plotted, Ambrose Parry's debut draws you into the dark heart of nineteenth-century Edinburgh and won't let you go until the final page -- S. J. PARRIS
The dark and dangerous past is brought thrillingly to life. I can't wait to read more of Raven and Sarah -- MARK BILLINGHAM
Utterly compelling, this tale of Old Edinburgh is so full of characters and startling incident that I never wanted it to end -- DENISE MINA
A thoroughly entertaining tale of murder and misadventure in 1840s Edinburgh * * Sunday Times * *
A dynamic new arrival . . . Ambrose Parry's The Way of All Flesh is set in an 1840s Edinburgh where new science and old beliefs rub shoulders. Its twisty gothic plot is based on grisly real events -- NICCI FRENCH
The city of Burke and Hare has found a new classic murder. The Way of All Flesh is a darkly stylish mystery underpinned by hard facts and expert research. A hugely enjoyable debut -- LOUISE WELSH
Awards
Short-listed for CWA Historical Dagger 2024 (UK).
Book Information
ISBN 9781838855512
Author Ambrose Parry
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint Canongate Books
Publisher Canongate Books
Weight(grams) 289g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 128mm * 20mm