A very enjoyable read.

I do love historical fiction, and the very best is based on meticulous research and understanding of the time in which the story is set. In this case, the factual details beautifully support a well crafted tale of murder and mystery.

We meet a cast of people faced with choices on how they live their lives and witness how these choices are influenced by their income - direst poverty need not lead to crime, but the temptations must be overwhelming. Those who live in comfort and have status in society have their own choices to make - and there is little excuse for choosing the path of villainy. There is one character however who has all the choice in the world - and none at all. His actions are those of a psychopath - a description our medical men of that time would barely recognise. This coming together of crimes, some driven by necessity and others from purely selfish motives, makes for a fascinating story. It's hard in our times to appreciate the sheer power of social status and the rigid moral codes of Victorian society, where 'fallen women' were never victims, but always the transgressor - and once fallen, there was no way back.

In a society where name and reputation mattered immensely, whatever your social class, our two leads make the perfect heroes. A young man hiding from his name and his past, seeking to lift himself into society through education and a reputable profession, yet drawn to the darker elements of a city he knows both sides of well, and a young woman who despite her intelligence and ability is wholly dependent on the good will of others, in her role as a low ranked servant.

During this period of history Edinburgh was at the forefront of the new age of Enlightenment - discoveries in science and medicine that would change the world - and yet a darkness hovers at the edges; a man driven by purely selfish needs and a society that prefers to look away rather than confront duplicity and immorality in those they have set at the top. Enlightenment, it seems, is only for those who keep one eye shut.

Through its wily and waggish narration “The Way of all Flesh” is a damned fine historical crime with the added kick of a distinctive duo. As the atmospheric reek of misery wafts through the streets of 19th century Edinburgh to sting their eyes, the collaboration of these pioneering personalities becomes nothing short of impressive.

But ask any servant where Will Raven should be placed in the official hierarchy of his medical apprenticeship’s household and most would consider him lower than the Doctor’s unruly parrot. Arriving on his first day a little worse for wear, the servants see him as an undernourished, dishevelled waif and are not coy when airing their disapproval.

Housemaid, Sarah Fisher, channels her own refined brand of hostility towards him. Her status and gender prevent her pursuing a career practicing medicine and Raven’s appearance only adds to her resentment, as this wretched young man is given opportunities while she remains invisible. Plus she’s generally suspicious of his character. To protest she cuts down his portions at meal times and volleys retorts quicker than her ‘rival’, despite his self-assured street smarts.

The trials of Raven and Fisher see the progression of medicine and regression in morality. The perspective of the abysmal options available to some, and the reprehensible conduct of others, is sharper than any surgeon’s knife.

I hope I will be treated to more of their curative exploits very soon.

Absolutely brilliant. Hooked from page 1 and read it straight through. Excellent plot with many twists and turns, and great characters (especially Sarah & Raven). Highly evocative of the period, and the attitudes towards women and the "lower classes" so prevalent then. Very highly recommended

This story is set in 19th Century Edinburgh in the infancy of anaesthesia. A young apprentice doctor and a knowledgeable housemaid who doesn’t know her place make unlikely allies on the surface, but this is going to be a formidable partnership.

It’s a slow burner in the sense that the first part of the book sets up characters and their relationships with one another. As this is the first of a proposed series, and the writing is enticing and the setting very atmospheric, this wasn’t a problem for me. I found this interesting both medically and historically and a jolly fine mystery too. A very good book indeed and I’ve already recommended it to several people.

In Edinburgh in 1847, medical student Will Raven is given the post of apprentice to Dr Simpson, a highly respected physician and an expert in anaesthesia. Raven is also given a room in the Simpson home and there he encounters Sarah, a maidservant who has a fascination for medical matters and secretly reads books on the subject, borrowed from Dr Simpson's library. A strong willed young woman, Sarah has hopes of one day working in the medical profession - an outrageous idea for a woman at that time in history.

Just before he joins the Simpson household, Evie - a prostitute who's become a friend of Raven - is found dead, her face and body hideously contorted and similar deaths in the poorest parts of Edinburgh have him believing these women may have been murdered.

As Dr Simpson treats patients from the richest to the poorest in Scotland's capital city and he and his colleagues carry out daring experiments. The book's language and descriptive settings seem to bring mid-19th Century Edinburgh to life. However, it has to be said that readers may find the details of Simpson and Raven's medical procedures rather unsettling - particularly those which involve difficult births - although I felt these only add to the story's ring of authenticity.

Meanwhile, Raven and Sarah carry out an investigation into the young girls' deaths and the couple, initially disliking each other, gradually share a mutual respect and the beginnings of a romantic involvement.

The action moves quickly along with the occasional pause for some of the characters to give vent to their views on various medical matters, particularly the use of anaesthetics, some of which are denounced by Scotland's more unenlightened religious leaders.

Ambrose Parry is a pseudonym for a collaboration between award-winning author Chris Brookmyre and his wife Marisa Haetzmana, herself a consultant anaesthetist. It was Marisa's research for her Master's degree in the History of Medicine which uncovered the material upon which this novel is based.

This is a remarkable story mixing medical drama with romance and murder mystery. I hope it's the first in a series about Raven and Sarah.

My thanks go to the publisher Canongate Books and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I nearly didn't get past the first chapter of this book but, luckily, I persisted and by the first few sentences of the fourth chapter I was well and truly hooked on "The Way of all Flesh".

For a start, it is set in Edinburgh, my home town, and I really enjoyed reading this fictitional account of the medical Enlightenment in the 19th century set in a very credible reincarnation of the old city - the Old Town, the New Town and the (then) village suburbs which are now very much part of Edinburgh itself.

The plot is intriguing, based as it is on actual events and characters, and benefits from a brilliant narrative style, enhanced by excellent knowledge of the medical subject matter. It wasn't until I finished the book that I realised that it is the work of two people, one a very well- established author, and his wife, a student of medical history. And I'm delighted that it is the first in a series.

I have no hesitation in recommending this book, although for me it would have been a more compelling read initially if Chapter 4 had come before Chapters 1, 2 and 3. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for this honest review.

This is meant to be the first in a series of crime novels and I cannot wait for the next one! Set in nineteenth century Edinburgh,its context is convincing and cleverly reinvents the atmosphere of the time. The surround of Simpson discovering chloroform makes it educationally interesting and that factual history merges well with the invented crime story concerning the murder of young women around the city. They lie well together. This has been well researched but is also well written. Come on the next one!

The Way of all Flesh by Ambrose Parry is a first novel (and first of a series), co-written by Chris Brookmyre and consultant anaesthetist Dr Marisa Haetzman. It’s set in Edinburgh in the mid-nineteenth century, where Old Town and New Town are poles apart. There’s a lot of medical detail, which you need a strong stomach for but the main focus of the story is an investigation into what Raven, a young trainee doctor, is sure are murders of young women who deserve to be more than just ‘another deid hoor’. His collaborator is a remarkable character, Sarah, a housemaid of unusual intelligence and resourcefulness, who resents the limitations she faces through being a woman. An atmosdpheric story which brings Auld Reekie to life.

This is one of the few books I just couldn’t get into. My apologies, I just gave up. Doesn’t seem fair to give it a rating because I didn’t read it

Oh what a fascinating book, I loved every word.

Set in the mid 19th Century when Doctors (male) were a bunch of pompous, egotistical know-it-alls who tended to see and treat women as third class citizens, this novel follows a doctor's apprentice through times thick and thin in the field of midwifery. I get so angry when reading fact or fiction written about the stupidity of all the men who hold such beliefs, whether they be professionals or more ordinary folk - yes, I'm male!

Without letting any cats out of the bag, here's an example of their stupidity. At one extreme doctors set themselves way, way above mere mortals and yet, as doctors of midwifery, they agreed to delivery babies solely by touch as they were not allowed to look at what was going on, the area being covered with a blanket.

My guess is this book will turn into at least a trilogy and I shall wait impatiently for the second volume. Overall, this book is a great read; even if you don't get as angry at the characters as I did.

The Way of All Flesh is a great historical drama. I really enjoyed reading it and am glad to read that it will be part of a series so I can continue to enjoy Will and Sarah's stories.
Its a hard book to review without giving away spoilers but I loved the suspense and although I guessed the guilty party I thoroughly enjoyed the way the story panned out.

This novel is the first to be written as a joint venture between novelist Chris Brookmyre and MA student in the History of Medicine, Marisa Haetzman. The setting is 1847 Edinburgh, a town of two very different halves, where the respectable and affluent New Town lies alongside the poverty and corruption of the Old Town. Our protagonist, Will Raven, is running from some rather seedy events and debts in the poorer areas of Edinburgh by taking up a medical apprenticeship with the famous obstetrician, Dr Simpson. It is at the house of his new employer that Will meets Sarah, a housemaid with a passion for learning about botanical cures, and they investigate a series of suspicious deaths among the prostitutes and servants of Edinburgh.

The notes at the end of the novel make it clear that this is intended as the start of a series following Will and Sarah, for which I am very grateful. I loved this book for so many reasons, not least the atmospheric descriptions of the setting, the believable characters, the insight into medical advancements, the pace and plot, the twists in the story...I could go on!

What really struck me was how the two main characters, Will and Sarah, were presented so realistically. I loved the fact that both had their flaws and quirks as this made them feel very human and real. The feminist in me loves a story where women aim to break through society's limited expectations of them, so Sarah is a gem of a character, as she is tough and aspirational and seeking medical knowledge in a time when women were not expected or permitted to engage with such things. I also liked the fact that the story incorporated historical figures and events, with the real Dr Simpson being credited with the first use of chloroform to assist childbirth (an event described in the novel). The medical detail in the novel is impressively researched and fascinating, if a little gruesome at times.

I'd whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially with a medical theme - in this regard, I found the novel slightly reminiscent of the excellent Jem Flockhart series by E. S. Thomson. This is beautifully researched and written and definitely worth a read.

This has to be one of the most gothic visits to Edinburgh town
I ever did make in my life. Ooh that sounds like the start of a rhyme doesn’t it? The cover opened and what a cover it is by the way! and immediately I was sucked into a world of vice, dark deeds and a ‘Fetid labyrinth’ that was Edinburgh in 1847.

Novels like this are thrilling if done right and boy was this done right. Evoking sights, sounds and smells of a time gone by, with a little bit of history thrown in such as the “Irish invasion from Glasgow”

I loved this from the first page. A fully immersive novel with a great plot and mysterious threads throughout. It’s extremely vivid read and I hear it’s the first of many. Bring them on! Missing Raven and co already.

I will post on The BookTrail nearer the time.

When a couple of young women are found dead in similar suspicious circumstances, medical student Will Raven - apprenticed to Dr Simpson and Simpson's housemaid Sarah investigate which leads them into some grave trouble.
This is a fast-paced gritty historical fiction set in 1840's Edinburgh, when Edinburgh led the world in the field of medicine.
This is a story of the birth of anaesthesia, of power and corruption.
I loved this and I'm glad there will be more. 5*

I selected “the way of all flesh” based on the description without realising it was the pseudonym of one of my favourite authors working with his wife, Marisa Haetzman - a consultant anaesthetist. This medical crime thriller set in early Victorian edinburgh is a great new direction for Chris Brookmyre (one that is decidedly less sweary!), combining medical history with the usual pace and violent threat, plus a strong through-line addressing the restrictive position of women in society at this time (and the future possibilities).
Drawing on the established history and (presumably!) embellishing this with the central mystery, the book convincingly develops the Edinburgh of the 1840s and the clash of class and medical ethics without losing the convoluted plotting and unexpected twists. I’m looking forward to more from “Ambrose Parry”.

I have ODed a bit on fantasy lately so this was exactly what I needed. Fast paced historical medical crime set in 19th C Edinburgh – I was in love before I even met the protagonists. Raven, a young doctor in training, and Sarah, a housemaid who should be a doctor, formed an unlikely, reluctant team to discover who is killing women across the city. Both have their own agendas and character journeys in this well structured and compelling novel. I absolutely gulped this down. A brilliant book, replete with pleasing historical detail.

I have been riveted by this debut novel. Set in Edinburgh the scene is set very quickly. The characters believable and identifiable. Although a murder mystery I found the historical backdrop to the storyline interesting and informative. Especially the medical/surgical information. Gruesome at times but not gratuitous. The story moves at a pace and would highly recommend this to readers that enjoy books with more depth than some I have read recently. I shall look forward to reading the author's next novel. Will there be a series. Would love to read more about Will and Sarah