The story was written as a first person narrative, where characters are described directly. The conflict is a mixture of internal and external as characters battle themselves, other characters, and society. The major themes in place are love, death, prejudice, society versus individual and survival.

Sarah Gilchrist is a young lady who is studying medicine in Edinburgh after being exiled from London society for being labeled a ‘fallen woman’. She is accepted into a university that holds few spots for female medical students. Her main goal is to break away from society standards and prove that she can become a doctor. Gregory Merchiston is one of her professors who may believe in her dreams but is not afraid to push them to do their best. Sarah is awaiting the results of her fall exam as she and her fellow classmates discuss the difference between themselves and their male counterparts in the way of classes. Professor Merchiston is not pleased with their results as he pushes the female students harder than any other professor. Things for Sarah take a turn when her mother arrives from London for her engagement party. The party takes a turn when her future father-in-law suddenly dies and then a maid is found murdered in their home. The news has her mother in a frenzy as she discovers the amount of freedom that Sarah’s aunt and uncle have given her, she is still determined for her daughter to marry well and end her dreams to become a doctor. It’s up to Sarah and Professor Merchiston to prove her fiancée’s innocence as well as showing that she could become an amazing doctor.

The ideas are interesting and have uniqueness to them as the flow is organized and logical. The voice is individualized and appropriate for the time frame. The word choice and sentence structure help to enhance the story. Yes, I would recommend this book. It would be an excellent read for those who enjoy historical mysteries and have strong heroine. It would not be a good read for those who don’t enjoy graphic forensic scenes, weak male characters or no real male hero.

I read the first Sarah Gilchrist book last year? The year before? And I fell in love with it. Sarah Gilchrist is a medical student at the University of Edinburgh, and in this second installment of the series, Sarah is trying not to marry her fiance Miles. In the midst of the drama surrounding her upcoming wedding, Miles is arrested for a murder Sarah is sure he didn’t commit, and she becomes his ally in trying to clear his name while maintaining the delicate balance of her own reputation.

I love Sarah’s voice. She’s a strong-willed individual who finds it difficult to balance what she wants in her life while trying to balance what’s expected of hers by others. She knows she’ll never be able to live up to those expectations, and her professor Gregory Merchiston encourages Sarah to find her own way. Welsh weaves in traditional mystery tropes with historical fiction and feminism, and the writing and the story is fresh, engaging, and wonderful. I also loved the weaving in of what happened in the first book without it feeling like an info dump, because there were some details I had forgotten or was glad to be reminded about. The hint of romance near the end is swoon-worthy, because who doesn’t love a quietly-pining, broody someone?

If you’re interested in feminist historical fiction with strong characters with a setting that feels like you’re completely immersed, definitely check out this series.

Another engaging historical mystery about a woman training to be a doctor and solving mysteries along the way.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Gilchrist is quite a strong female protagonist! She continues on her journey to become a doctor but there is murder along the way. Can she investigate to find the real culprit.?
I am certainly enjoying this series and look forward to the next installment. I want to read more of how Sarah stands up for herself and other women of the era. Many thanks to Pegasus and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Word to the wise: this is the second book in a series, something I did not know when I read it. It works fine as a stand alone as the author explains references to the previous book well, avoiding info dumps

Sarah Gilchrist is one of the first women accepted into medical school at the University of Edinburgh in 1893. With a dark past and ruined virtue, Sarah is aware her future as a doctor can be taken away at any moment. Forced into an engagement with a dull but wealthy suitor, Sarah still promises herself that she will not allow anything to distract her from her career goals. When a series of murders ensnares her fiance’s family in scandal, Sarah turns detective with the help of her mercurial (read: broody, tortured, and sexy) professor as they race to find the killer, and hopefully rid herself of an unwanted husband.

This story was ASTOUNDINGLY feminist. Sarah Gilchrist knows what she wants, and she will not compromise. Nothing will stand in the way of her becoming a respected surgeon; not her disapproving family, the scorn of the male students, the endless hard work or the financial cost. Not even the things that could make her happy.

“I wanted the man in front of me, but I wanted a room like this of my very own more. If I wanted a future where I had patients and a plaque with my name on it, as well as a husband to go home too at the end of a long day on the hospital wards, I would have to build it myself.”

Part historical fiction, part murder mystery, part dark and delicious romance, ALL GIRL POWER, I highly recommend it.

Just like the Wages of Sin, this novel was a hard read for me. There are many disturbing scenes that made me uncomfortable. I do recommend this for those that love dark and gritty mysteries.

The Unquiet Heart is the second in the series and did not disappoint. A fabulous historical mystery that I read on one sitting. I loved the characters and setting.

This was a lovely and engrossing read. While I haven’t read the first book in the series (yet), it wasn’t difficult to pick up what had already happened, and this book was able to stand on its own.

Sarah Gilchrist, a charmingly headstrong and unconventional young lady who lived in an era when women were expected to aspire to nothing more than keeping a household, commanded my attention from page one. This books deals heavily with the oppression of women during the 19th century, and the author does a brilliant job of exploring this by setting Sarah, a woman with very contemporary views, amid a city and community that refuses to recognize women as people of worth. Sarah’s frustration at this, and her determination to change it, made her a compelling heroine.

I also loved the romance, which was dark and daring and delicious. To be honest, I was far more interested in that (and in the social commentary) than in the murder mystery. While there IS a murder mystery, this is primarily a character-driven book, and I got a lot more out of Sarah’s various relationships with the people around her than I did from the twists and turns of her investigation.

Nevertheless, the book is worth a read for the characters alone, and I would highly recommend it. After finishing, I went back and bought the first book in the series, just because I’d love to spend more time with the characters.

I greatly look forward to the next installment in this series!

Strong Female ~ Compelling ~ Romantic

tl; dr: Dead domestic worker is the beginning of the unraveling of medical student's engagement.

This quick historical mystery has a strong female protagonist, Sarah Gilchrist, living in late 19th century Edinburgh. I can't say how truthful the story is in terms of women's rights and cultural norms. The story takes place well over a decade before suffrage. But, it feels authentic (Scotland was more liberal in certain regards than London). The setting is wonderfully done, and Sarah is a person you want to follow for a whole book. There is a murder, and the solution is believable. But, really this is a character-driven novel with a mystery. It's Sarah that the reader cares about (her love life included.) Great book for doctors, medical history lovers, readers of autopsy stories, historical novel readers, mystery lovers, Scotland-lovers--so basically something for everyone. Enjoyable and fast.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun second entry in the Sarah Gilchrist series. While I wish we had seen more of the underbelly of Glasgow in this book, and less of Sarah's marital woes, it was still entertaining and darkly romantic.

I didn't know this book was second in a series, but that didn't hinder my understanding. One very interesting thing to me is the treatment of women. Always underestimated by men in control while maintaining a certain society standard of behavior, decorum, etc. It's impossible to be a woman is it not? This story is a good example of this, and seeing the inferior woman make the men look like what they are, insecure morons. I liked the story on this alone, but it's a good read otherwise as well. A strong plot with an engaging heroine, and just read it.

Wow, blown away! I loved this book and would give it 10 stars if I could, and I can’t wait to read the first one—The Wages of Sin. The strong voice of Sarah Gilchrist kept me glued to the page. By the time I got through the backstory of the first novel, I was hooked.

Having survived rape, commitment to a madhouse, betrayal by a trusted mentor, Sarah is determined to move on with her plan to continue her studies at the University of Edinburgh to become a doctor of forensics. The women in this program are chaperoned at all times, held to different standards, and pretty much treated with contempt for daring to enter the male-dominated world of academics. Ugh, suffocating!

The only other bright-ish light in her world appears to be Gregory Murchison, one of her professors. Brilliant and broken, he’s the only person in her life who sees her for herself, not some hysterical, subversive, unnatural woman fascinated by anatomy and poison.

Her mother’s schemes have trapped Sarah in an arranged marriage with Miles Greene. When the Greene’s maid, and then Miles’s father, die, Miles is accused and arrested. Lovely, complicated conflicts. Sarah likes Miles, though she doesn’t want to marry him, so the arrest is a bit of a relief. But she can’t stand by and let him be accused of, and hanged for, a murder he didn’t commit.

Okay, I did guess who-dunnit, but how it all played out is what interested me. Great new series, can't wait for more :)

Based on 15%: as the story begins it is more focused on the people than developing a storyline. At many points, the story is overloaded with dialogue. It is not an engaging read for me to continue with this book.

Thanks to Pegasus Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for a review.

I began this novel and quickly put it on hold to find and read a copy of The Wages of Sin, the first book in this series. I needed that background to help me jump into the second volume. The slow reveal of Sarah’s issues and challenges was initially irritating to me, but as each level was exposed I could understand her often overwhelming anxiety. A good therapist would have been mighty useful, if they’d existed at the time. Her actual “treatment” was horrific.

Sarah is lucky in her new Edinburgh friends and her own pluck in continuing her medical studies despite the nasty resistance by (most of) the male faculty and the male students. I found myself cheering the women’s attempts to rise above the restrictions they faced.

I give this book 4 stars for the medical and forensic details plus the budding relationship. The murder mystery had some good twists and turns, and shows more confidence from Ms. Welsh and her heroine. This novel’s mix of historical romance and mystery with some Victorian feminism for flavor is successful, and bodes well for the series to come. I look forward to spending more time with Sarah and her circle.

I really enjoyed this book! I didn't read the first book but it wasn't too difficult to understand the general idea of what happened in that one by reading this one, it just makes me want to read the first in the series as soon as I can! I enjoyed the characters and the mystery and the relationships of all kinds were well developed. There was something about the writing style that I can't quite explain that took me a bit to get into it, but it truly didn't take away from my enjoyment of reading this. I'll definitely be reading Kaite Welsh's next book (and the first!)

I dropped all my TBRs and what I was currently reading when I got the email that I was approved for this ARC and it was 100% entirely worth it. I loved The Wages of Sin and I loved The Unquiet Heart and I want moooore.
I'll read anything Kaite Welsh writes.