The Art Of Dying by Ambrose Parry – Book Review

PUBLISHERS BLURB 

A gripping historical novel of medicine & murder from bestselling author 

Chris Brookmyre and consultant anaesthetist Dr Marisa Haetzman, 

set in nineteenth-century Edinburgh

Edinburgh, 1849. Hordes of patients are dying all across the city, with doctors finding their remedies powerless. And a campaign seeks to paint Dr James Simpson, pioneer of medical chloroform, as a murderer.

Determined to clear Simpson’s name, his protégé Will Raven and former housemaid Sarah Fisher must plunge into Edinburgh’s deadliest streets and find out who or what is behind the deaths. Soon they discover that the cause of the deaths has evaded detection purely because it is so unthinkable.

MY REVIEW 

The Art of Dying is the sequel to The Way Of All Flesh, it can be read as a stand-alone too, but I feel you miss out on the background to Will and Sarah.

Again set in Victorian Edinburgh, Will has returned from Europe, after gaining medical experience, and he is now a qualified medic. He becomes an assistant to Dr Simpson and Sarah, now married to another doctor, still has dreams of becoming a doctor herself, something unheard of at that time.

When people begin dying of an unknown illness, Sarah is the first to believe something darker is causing these deaths. She convinces Will and together they delve deeper and begin to hunt for a killer.

The Art Of Dying is historical crime fiction at its very best, superbly written and full of wonderfully atmospheric descriptions you really get a sense of time and place. It has a dark, twisty plot and well rounded, likeable characters that all add up to a thoroughly compelling read. Just brilliant.

Thank you to Random Things Tours for the opportunity to be part of this blog tour, for the promotional material and an ARC of The Art Of Dying.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Ambrose Parry is a pseudonym for a collaboration between Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. The couple are married and live in Scotland. Chris Brookmyre is the international bestselling and multi-award-winning author of over twenty novels. Dr Marisa Haetzman is a consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience, whose research for her Master’s degree in the History of Medicine uncovered the material upon which this series, which began with The Way of All Flesh, is based. The Way of All Flesh was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year and longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

The Art of Dying is the second book in the series.

@ambroseparry

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