Blurb:

Edinburgh, 1847. City of Medicine, Money, Murder.

In the city’s Old Town a number of young women have been found dead, all having suffered similarly gruesome ends. Across the city in the New Town, medical student Will Raven is about to start his apprenticeship with the brilliant and renowned Dr Simpson.

Simpson’s patients range from the richest to the poorest of this divided city. His house is like no other, full of visiting luminaries and daring experiments in the new medical frontier of anaesthesia. It is here that Raven meets housemaid Sarah Fisher, who recognises trouble when she sees it and takes an immediate dislike to him. She has all of Raven’s intelligence but none of his privileges, in particular his medical education.

With each having their own motive to look deeper into the city’s spate of suspicious deaths, Raven and Sarah find themselves propelled headlong into the darkest shadows of Edinburgh’s underworld, where they will have to overcome their differences if they are to make it out alive.

Review:

I always feel a little apprehensive reading historical fiction and I’m not really sure why. When it’s well written, as The Way Of All Flesh is, it’s gripping and exciting and gives some valuable insight into the past. These authors have a wonderful turn of phrase which made the novel a joy to listen to, and I love the subtle humour that is peppered throughout the story.

The research in The Way Of All Flesh is exemplary. It’s very detailed but at no point did I feel overwhelmed, and I was transported to Edinburgh in 1847. The historical information was fascinating and I enjoyed learning something new.

The Way Of All Flesh introduces the reader to Will Raven and Sarah Fisher. I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and I feel that they, and the supporting characters, are really well developed. There is definitely room for them to grow as the series continues and I look forward to seeing where these characters will go.

As the novel reaches its end, the tension increases massively and I was on tenterhooks wondering how the plot would be resolved.

I chose to listen to the Audible version of The Way Of All Flesh and I was really impressed by the narration by Bryan Dick and Louise Brealey. They made the novel gripping and I didn’t want to stop listening.

The Way Of All Flesh is available from Amazon.