This is a second in the series, which I did not realize when I asked for it. In order to be fair, I went to read the first one, and it is not a writing style for me. I would not have otherwise read this book since I did not like the first one, so I don’t think my review is much help for most. It is similar to the first in style, so if you liked one, you are likely to like two. If you did not like one, you likely won’t like two.

this was a nicely written and done second book in the series.

but it took me a while to find my footing in this story - it set a good while after the ending of the first and the exact changes that happens with each of the characters throughout the story aren’t very well explained, instead they are mostly sprinkled throughout the entire book.
not my favorite type of continuation in a series where each book feels like i need to be reintroduced to all the characters, their behaviors and reasons.

the mystery in this was interesting but felt a bit dragged out and in the end the solution of it came too easily to everyone especially considering that they all didn’t see it before.

i disliked the reintroduction of the person that Raven had owned money too but was supposed to have been cleared up at the end of book one but for no real reason brought back in this book.
everything in this story could have happened as it did just without those added scenes and to me it would have been more enjoyable to read that way.

nor did i see the need to include or drag out the stuff that happened in berlin. why was that even in this book?

the ending it self…. it seems that we get yet again a time jump and characters going to very different places.
which isn’t bad in itself i just hope it will be handled a little better in the next installment as it has been dealt with in this one.


all in all?
it was good.
i loved the historical moments and historical medical info was interesting and always and i liked the characters in the book.
i really enjoy the Simpsons household.

but i am also a little disappointed that this book could have also have been the first book in a series with how little it actually continued and build on the first book. only thing that kept going was the strange little thing of will they/ won’t they that’s happening between sarah and will.


still not a bad book.
but i do hope the next one will be a bit better.

I love this series. I doesn't get as much attention as it deserves, but has everything I look for in a good mystery series and the setting is perfect! If you like HBO's Perry Mason, you NEED to read this series! The covers are stunning!

I love historical fiction, I love murder mysteries and my favourite course during my degree looked at the history of medicine and its representation in literature, so I was really looking forward to reading this.

I had not read he first book, and whilst this is a stand alone, I think the relationship between Sarah and Will is better understood if you have read the first book in the series. However, the moment I finished this book I picked up The Way of All Flesh, because this book was excellent.

The book is well written, atmospheric and full of the twists and turns that make a good whodunnit difficult to put down. I loved the descriptions of Edinburgh during that period, the well constructed sense of place allowed me to experience the sights and sounds of the time.

The characters are really interesting, and I really like both Will and Sarah and I can't wait to read the first book to understand more about their relationship. All of the characters do come to life and there are some who are not particularly sympathetic or likeable, but that is what makes a book interesting and this is handled very well. All of the characters make you feel something.

The narrative comes from different perspectives, which can make some books difficult to read as this can lead to a lack of cohesion, but this is not the case with this book. The changing perspectives, alongside the interwoven thoughts of the killer, makes the book more enjoyable.

I really could not put this book down and I could not wait to pick up the first book. I would thoroughly recommend this book, it is a real page turner and thoroughly enjoyable.

I was so excited to get my hands on a copy of Moonflower Murders, I own almost every book Anthony Horowitz has written and I thoroughly enjoyed the Magpie Murders, which is the prequel to this book. However, Moonflower Murders is a stand alone book, you can enjoy it without having read Magpie Murders first, although you will no doubt want to read it after!

I was not disappointed, this book is a real page turner and I read it in just two sittings. I really could not put it down and I was slightly bereft when it ended. The plot is well considered, logical, but not obvious and the book within a book was a stroke of genius, two stories for the price of one!

Horowitz writes extremely well, his characters are well drawn, and they provoke a response, you either like them or you don't, none of them are bland or lifeless. I always find his books easy to visualise, his characterisations and descriptions bring the books to life, I suspect this comes from his work on film and television. I felt like a participant in this book as opposed to an observer, and this was what kept me reading.

Would I recommend this book, definitely, I loved it! I rarely re-read books, but I will re-read this in the future and have already returned to Magpie Murders.

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Blackthorn for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Art of Dying takes us back to Edinburgh in the 1850s, an era first visited in The Way of All Flesh. The characters of Sarah Fisher, Will Raven and Dr John Simpson are all back in this fastpaced historical mystery based in the medical establishment of Edinburgh in 1850. I really enjoyed Ambrose Parrys ( I know the author is a husband and wife team) first book and The Art of Dying doesn't disappoint either. Will returns to Edinburgh having travelled in Europe to expand his medical education. He is returning to take up a position with his former mentor John Simpson. On his return he learns that Sarah Fisher is no longer a housemaid but has married a doctor. She still works for Dr. Simpson but as an assistant now. Dr. Simpsons reputation is being questioned by some of his peers after the death of a fellow doctor's wife. Each character has their own back story Will is fighting the belief that his father's violence lives on in him and his ambition to discover a new disease blinds him to what's really happening and Sarah is dealing with a sick husband and trying to gain respect for women in medicine (no easy task in the 1850s). Dr. Simpson wants to progress the use of chloroform and doesn't want to deal with the slurs on his reputation. Criminals, dishonest clerks, feminists and people of all classes are to be found here. Will and Sarah investigate why Dr. Simpson is being castigated by some of his peers and discover a murderer is at work. The main thread of the novel and the character's own stories are skilfully woven into the fabric of the novel and it moves along at a cracking pace. The historical research is impeccable and the struggles of women at the time to be regarded as other than their male relatives vessels is great to read. I really enjoyed this pacy read which has loads to recommend it. Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC #TheArtofDying
.

Rating - 3.5 stars
The opening paragraphs of the book convinced me that I must have made a mistake. The book begins with two doctors, who are on their European tour of hospitals, walking down a dark alley with their present two girlfriends, when they are set upon by a gang of thieves. The result, one miscreant dead and one doctor injured. I was not in the mood for a medical thriller right now. That too set in the 1850's. I was sure it would get too gory and unpalatable for me at the present time. 

However, my tenacity was rewarded when the main protagonist returns to Edinburgh to take up a position as a junior doctor in a household where he was previously an apprentice and the book turns into a good old murder plot. One that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

The author captures the mood and the state of medical affairs a couple of hundred years ago and makes his reader thank the gods for Lister and others who introduced the basic rituals of cleanliness prior to operating in patients. What a time that must have been. Much like the ones that we are living in now.  Apart from the struggle of just surviving everyday, it must have been excruciating to think that, should something as mundane as a cut befall you, it might very well prove fatal. 

The mystery revolves around a trope that is explained early on and one is left simply to egg on the sleuths in their endevours. I did not mind that because the story flowed pretty smoothly in that regard as well.

And I adored the love story as well. Will and Sarah were former lovers, who are now acquaintances as Sarah is married to someone else. The most satisfying bit was the way the author ended the book. It made me feel that his heroine is truly an ambitious and thoughtful young lady. Will has a long way to go before he grows into a man worthy of notice by Sarah. This was the second in a series, but one does not have to read the first to understand this one.

Recommended.

Very good book but didn't realize this is the second book in the series so now I will certainly read the first one.

All friends have come back for another adventure. My old friends that is.
But. This book was probably the first ever, where a character I really liked in the first installment, I really did not like in the second.
What a... Anyhow, Raven and Sarah's paths cross again. Reluctantly, Raven agrees to help Sarah to clear up Prof SImpson reputation. And the story unravels. Something that seemed so simple expanded into... might be a new disease and Raven could already see it being his way to medical stardom. Or it might be something even more sinister. Something way out of this world.
Historical, medical facts are interwoven with fiction. Ambrose Parry have done a great job yet again.

Sarah and Raven's story... Will it have a happy end? Will it have an end? Will Sarah find her own way in this world? Or will Raven bring her down to level... level of what. whom?
The Art of Dying is a story of solving a mystery, sorting out personal relationships, uncovering thief in one's house, one love dying, another... Well, you would have to read this book yourself.

This book is set in Edinburgh in the 1800’s.
Well written story with lots of twists and turns.Very interesting insights into medical practices of that time and what women were allowed to do and what was improper.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC

Brilliant! You will be lulled into a solid and crafted rhythm and suddenl thrust into twists, action, and intrigue. Amazing characters. Kudos!

This book was provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, there it is :

Last year, I read "The way of all flesh", book #1 of this series borrowed at my library, and really loved it, so when I saw book #2 on Netgalley, I had to get it ! And I devoured it in one day.
I wasn't disappointed at all : complex, varied characters, nobody is black and white, the construction of a monster was gripping and I really didn't see how Will was going to get away from all his troubles !

It's funny the parallel between Will, who is trying to build his career and who is very careful about what others might think of him (a doctor's reputation is everything) and Sarah who wants to make her way into life by upsetting traditions. It's also funny how their past shape people in a different way - see the difference between Will and Mary despite the both of them growing up with an alcoholic father.

What also attracts me is that Sarah doesn't act like she's expected to, waiting/languishing for Will : she takes action and follows her dreams and I like that !

Another great installment in The Way of all Flesh series. I love this time period and the setting of Edinburgh in the 1800. The book is well researched as to time period and medical issues. I can’t wait for number three to come out. Too me these are not stand alone books. It’s best to read in order.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.

When people starts to blame Dr James Simpson because a patient died in mysterious circumstances, Will Raven and Sarah Fisher decided to investigate and clear their doctor's name. They starts to search for the real cause of the deaths that plagued Edimburg, while battling against their own problems.

I have to admit I didn't know The art of dying was the second book of a saga, but I promise I will read the first one right away, because the world Ambrose Parry writes about is absolutely interesting and its characters are really complex and curious. I loved the story, because it left me breathless. I was invested and curious and, while I had my suspicions and theories the truths blew me away. Set in a fascinating world and mystery, the story is really captivating. I liked Sarah, a lot, finding her absolutely complicated (in a good way, of course), and loving the way she fights against the social and moral rules of the society to be what she wants to be, expanding her medical knowledge. Will Raven is fantastic, too and I liked their relationship a lot, they are a very good team.

This is the continuing series in 1850 Edinburgh with the first use of Chloroform by Dr Simpson. His new assistant Will Raven and his relationship with Sarah Fisher who is determined to enter medicine. This is still a time of less freedom for women and medicine is still a man’s world. The start of operations are still frowned upon but the like of Will are eager to explore. Will and Sarah come upon a pattern of deaths which seem to point to murder by an ingenious method.
You will be fascinated to see the first steps in medicine that we know today.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get around to this book because something about the cover made me hesitate, but once I started, I regretted having not read this sooner. If you've read The Butchering Art, this is a perfect fiction companion. Will Raven returns to Scotland after time abroad to become assistant to a doctor. His former flame, Sarah, has gone from a maid to the head of her own household as a married woman. When bodies start turning up, nobody bats an eye...until they find a common thread between them. The characters are brilliantly rendered, the banter is wonderful, and the medicine seemed well researched.

The Art of Dying is the second book in the early Victorian era mystery series by Ambrose Parry (married writer duo Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman). Released 7th Jan 2020 by Canongate Books, it's 416 pages and available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. The ebook format includes an interactive table of contents with chapter headings. I've become very fond of interactive ebooks lately.

This is an engaging and well written Victorian medical mystery set (mostly) in Edinburgh in 1850. One thing which struct me early on was how meticulously researched both the medical and cultural aspects of the period and place were. The narrative is seamless and well written. Protagonist Sarah Fisher again joins forces with Will Raven (now a qualified doctor) to investigate discrepancies in one of her mentor's previous cases and in his household. She's intelligent and strong and fairly fearless in a world absolutely dominated by men who still hold almost all the power.

I did enjoy Sarah's character, intelligence, and conviction. I was less enamored of Dr. Will Raven's character and found myself rolling my eyes at his arrogance and unappealing classist snobbery. He is a patronizing twit. There was also a touch too much romance and mournful regret (especially on Raven's part) for me. Readers who want a shot of romance in their murder mysteries will no doubt disagree with me.

The book is undeniably well plotted and the narrative arc is a well engineered thing of beauty. I did enjoy it and it worked well enough as a standalone. The author provides the necessary back-story without relentless info dumping which is nice.

Four stars. Entertaining and well written.

Dr Will Raven has returned to Edinburgh and Dr James Simpson's household, only to find Sarah married and Dr Simpson under suspicion concerning the death of a patient. But what they uncover is even more unlikely.
An entertaining and well-written Victorian mystery with its mixture of detecting and the hint of romance. Add to this mix a cast of interesting characters and overall it makes for an enjoyable read.

In "The Art of Dying," by Ambrose Parry (a pseudonym for the husband and wife team of Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman), Dr. Will Raven returns to Edinburgh after spending a year abroad, with stops in London, Paris, Vienna, Leipzig, and Berlin. During his travels, Raven learned a great deal from renowned medical practitioners and teachers, enjoyed the company of a beautiful older woman, and had a violent altercation with an armed assailant in a dark alley (Will admits that he has a "perverse appetite for mayhem"). Now a fully licensed physician, Will has been hired to assist his mentor, Dr. James Simpson, a fine diagnostician who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology. The generally well-regarded Simpson pioneered the use of chloroform as an anesthetic. Unfortunately, there are prominent individuals who have been spreading ugly rumors about him in an effort to tarnish his reputation.

This sequel to "The Way of All Flesh" is as evocative, intense, and compelling as its predecessor. Parry demonstrates that there was a huge chasm in Edinburgh between the haves and have-nots. Furthermore, although physicians had made strides in their understanding of anatomy and disease, many patients still died because of infections, botched operations, and "relentless purging, blistering, and bloodletting."

The authors seamlessly combine a variety of engrossing plot elements: a sadistic nurse reveals details of her sordid past and heinous crimes; Raven is desperate to free himself from the clutches of a moneylender whose thugs keep stalking him; much to Will's surprise, the feisty and brilliant Sarah, a former housemaid and close friend, has moved on with her life. Parry also explores such themes as the importance of social status, and the desire of some women to flout convention by seeking to fulfill themselves professionally and personally. This tale has a Dickensian cast of characters and evocative settings that transport us to a bygone era. "The Art of Dying" is an intense and compelling work of historical fiction, as well as a morality tale. Parry implies that, although no one is born evil, under certain circumstances almost everyone is capable of deplorable deeds. "Every true demon was once a child, one that knew fear and suffering."

As a sequel, this book was pretty solid. I don't think I liked it as much as the first because of how Will and Sarah's relationship changed. I enjoyed the way the two worked together in the Way of All Flesh and I don't think they got as much of an opportunity in this book. As in the first book, the setting of 19th century Edinburgh was delightful. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

4.5 stars
A dark and dramatic historical thriller set in the Edinburgh medical community in the 1850's, Ambrose Parry's The Art of Dying is the second in a series but can easily be read as a stand alone. That being said I highly recommend reading the earlier book, The Way of All Flesh, which was one of my favourite books of 2018.
The Victorian era which is the setting for this book was a time of great change and advancement for medicine and surgery, something which is alluded to here in the discussion of new surgical techniques, the controversy surrounding chloroform and various other matters which are worked into the story but it was also a time of destitution for many, forced to live in squalor,with high mortality rates and the author does not shy away from showing the city's darker underbelly.
Some time has passed since the ending of the previous book, and so it is not surprising that the circumstances of both our protagonists have changed. Will Raven is now a newly qualified doctor, recently returned from the
Continent and now working with his mentor Dr James Simpson, while former servant Sarah Fisher is now married ,to a doctor no less, somthing that shakes Will to his core, as he denied his feelings for her, believing her to be beneath his station. Sarah is still helping at the practice and more keen than ever to expand her medical education. When Dr Simpson is accused of malpractice which resulted in a woman's death, Will and Sarah combine forces in order to clear his name, and along the way uncover a whole series of murders, and a killer that will shock the nation.
This is well written historical fiction at its finest, rich in detail and drama with vividly drawn and impeccably developed characters. It is also an excellent thriller, with more than enough moments of drama, tension and intrigue to keep a reader hooked. The pacing and prose verge on perfection, and the ending is satisfying while also suggesting an interesting new direction for the series. Once again Ambrose Parry has created one of my favourite books of the year.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own