The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry

THE WAY OF ALL FLESH

by AMBROSE PARRY 

Ambrose Parry is the pseudonym for husband and wife writing team, Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. Brookmyre is a well established, multi-award winning crime fiction writer and Dr 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 novel was based. A powerful combination! I'm always interested in collaborations between authors - particularly after enjoying so many novels from the famous writing partnership Nicci French - and so was basically rather nosy to see how this book would read and how the couple would combine their expertise. With such a meeting of great minds, intelligence and experience, how could this book fail to captivate and fascinate any reader?

And captivate and fascinate it does. 

The Way of All Flesh is a wonderfully powerful and thrilling novel set in the gritty underworld of Edinburgh in 1847 where the bodies of young women are being discovered throughout the Old Town. Running alongside the mystery of these gruesome deaths is the story of Will Raven, a medical student about to start his apprenticeship with Dr Simpson. At the house of Dr Simpson, Raven meets housemaid Sarah Fisher. Sarah is a bright, intelligent woman with insight and skill beyond her role as housemaid, but restricted by her class, access to further opportunities and medical education are beyond her reach. However, Raven and Sarah each have a reason to find out more about the deaths of the young women in Edinburgh and in doing so, find themselves thrown together into the shadows of the dark underworld where they have to overcome their differences in order to save themselves. 

This novel as so many strengths but one of the most obvious is the powerful descriptions of Edinburgh and the wonderful evocation of life in the 1840s. The pages are crammed with imagery and details which capture the historical setting so well that the reader is very firmly rooted in the time and place. The descriptions are excellent - use of objects, sense, dialogue and observation enhances the imagery and I was completely immersed in the era, inhabiting the pages alongside the characters. It was refreshing to read a book set in the city of Edinburgh rather than London, and where even though I don't know this city very well, it was easy to visualise everything. The attention to detail in creating such an authentic and convincing setting is beyond impressive. 

The use of medical science is also very effective and compelling. It's obviously a very important part of the story and crucial to the plot, and has obviously been extensively researched by the authors but what's so engaging is the way this information is woven into the plot. It never feels educative and the reader is as excited by, and as caught up in, the discoveries and revelations as the characters. The role of the doctors, the procedures, discoveries, test, ideas and experiments are thrilling to read about and undoubtedly create tension, suspense and keep the reader on the edge of their seat. The balance between a criminal investigation, scientific information, mystery and action is perfectly judged and so well integrated into the narrative that the story is chilling, captivating and most importantly, very readable. However, I must say that some of the scenes depicting medical procedures are too well written - I physically felt myself squirming and yelping while reading from behind my fingers! I loved to hate reading these parts and I have to credit the authors with their skilful writing.

I also enjoyed the characters. I thought Raven and Sarah were both very well formed, complex characters who had depth and intrigue. Again, they were easy to relate to, easy to imagine and felt very rounded and carefully crafted. They both had their own stories, issues, motivations and journeys and these were evenly handled, coming together in a way which increased tension and suspense. They worked well as protagonists, both contrasting and complimenting each other which again enhanced the plot and the writing. 

This is an intensely atmospheric read, gruesome, gritty and dark with a storyline that is both thrilling and fascinating. It's fresh and original and combines a great storyline with a really interesting exploration of women, pregnancy, opportunities and breakthroughs in medical science. I've not really read anything like it before and I'm very much looking forward to anything further from Ambrose Parry. I would highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy both crime and historical fiction and for anyone who enjoys an intelligent, well crafted, atmospheric novel. 

The Way of All Flesh is published by Canongate in August 2018. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of the novel.