The Art of Dying - (Raven and Fisher Mystery) by Ambrose Parry (Paperback)

About the Book

A Raven and Fisher Mystery: Book 2

The next in the series of gripping historical crime novels from bestselling author Chris Brookmyre and consultant anaesthetist Dr Marisa Haetzman, set in nineteenth-century Edinburgh

Book Synopsis

'Parry's Victorian Edinburgh comes vividly alive - and it's a world of pain' Val McDermid
'A rip-roaring tale of murder' Ian Rankin

SHORTLISTED FOR THE McILVANNEY PRIZE 2020

Edinburgh, 1849. Hordes of patients are dying all across the city, with doctors finding their remedies powerless. And a whispering campaign seeks to paint Dr James Simpson, pioneer of medical chloroform, as a murderer.

Determined to clear Simpson's name, his protégé Will Raven and former housemaid Sarah Fisher must plunge into Edinburgh's deadliest streets and find out who or what is behind the deaths. Soon they discover that the cause of the deaths has evaded detection purely because it is so unthinkable.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR THE WAY OF ALL FLESH: Parry's Victorian Edinburgh comes vividly alive - and it's a world of pain--VAL McDERMID

A gripping Victorian thriller-- "Sunday Express"

A menacing tale of murder amid the medical experiments of mid-19th century Edinburgh-- "iNews"

Full of twists and turns - a great read-- "Evening Times"

Gleeful, romping . . . The fog and stench of Edinburgh's Old Town definitely jump off the page . . . The central relationship between loveable rogue Raven and proto-feminist Fisher is the beating heart of The Art of Dying. Both characters are drawn with real empathy and nuance, and their complicated feelings for each other drive the book as much as the smart storylines. A great piece of storytelling-- "Big Issue"

Intriguing-- "i"

Offers more of the alluring combination of crime fiction and historical fact seen in last year's The Way of All Flesh . . . The reader may need a tiny dose of chloroform to relax after all of these thrills. . . For any reader in need of a swift-acting tonic, I prescribe picking up this thriller as soon as possible-- "Scotland on Sunday"

Some gore (historical gore doesn't count) but mostly nice historical detail (reminding you that doctors never do know everything) with a little overlay of romantic tension and a side of old-fashioned feminism. Compelling-- "Financial Times"

The central characters and their relationship are the book's strengths . . . worth a read - the characters and setting are wonderful-- "The Times"

Dark and visceral, gritty and charming, with a twisting plot and compelling characters - not least, Victorian Edinburgh at her deadliest. The immersive world of Ambrose Parry just gets better and better--JESS KIDD

About the Author

Ambrose Parry is a pseudonym for a collaboration between Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman. The couple are married and live in Scotland. Chris Brookmyre is the international bestselling and multi-award-winning author of over twenty novels. Dr Marisa 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 series, which began with The Way of All Flesh, is based. The Way of All Flesh was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year and longlisted for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award.

The Art of Dying is the second book in the series.
@ambroseparry