Description

A SCOTSMAN BOOK OF THE YEAR

EDINBURGH, 1853.
In a city of science, discovery can be deadly . . .

In a time of unprecedented scientific discovery, the public’s appetite for wonder has seen a resurgence of interest in mesmerism, spiritualism and other unexplained phenomena.

Dr Will Raven is wary of the shadowlands that lie between progress and quackery, but Sarah Fisher can’t afford to be so picky. Frustrated in her medical ambitions, she sees opportunity in a new therapeutic field not already closed off to women.

Raven has enough on his hands as it is. Body parts have been found at Surgeons’ Hall, and they’re not anatomy specimens. In a city still haunted by the crimes of Burke and Hare, he is tasked with heading off a scandal.

When further human remains are found, Raven is able to identify a prime suspect, and the hunt is on before he kills again. Unfortunately, the individual he seeks happens to be an accomplished actor, a man of a thousand faces and a renowned master of disguise.

With the lines between science and spectacle dangerously blurred, the stage is set for a grand and deadly illusion . . .

Publisher Review

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