The Unlikely Gun Wharf Rats - by Carla Kelly (Paperback)

About the Book

A gifted student in the Edinburgh University's College of Medicine, Gunwharf Rat Davey Ten finds himself shunned and silenced by the bigotry of other students.

Book Synopsis

The year is 1808. Davey Ten, a promising Gunwharf Rat, has finished a year of medical school at the renowned University of Edinburgh. It's been a tough year for Davey. Students and faculty alike have been informed of Davey's early workhouse years, his questionable parentage, and his lowly status. These bigots have condemned him by silence, which is killing his spirit. All Davey wants is to return to St. Brendan's.

Master Able Six finds a solution. Why not send along another Gunwharf Rat to keep him company? Able's grandmama, a Scot of wealth and influence, arranges for the two Rats to stay at her Edinburgh house, maintained by Esther Teague, a spinster.

Fellow Rat Avon March returns to Edinburgh with Davey. Adept at skulking, Avon will provide needed conversation, but also try to learn about the mysterious disappearance of a Royal Marine sergeant and Royal Navy warranted officer, from the hospital's famed Royal Infirmary.

Review Quotes

Davey Ten may be the best student in his class at the University of Edinburgh Medical School, but he knows that everyone there can't or won't get past the fact that he is an orphaned former workhouse boy and wharf rat with a dubious heritage. However, just as Davey is about to call it quits, his mentor, Master Able Six, proposes a solution that will lift Davey's spirits and provide him with company. Fellow wharf rat Avon March and beloved cook Mrs. Perry accompany Davey back to Edinburgh, where they lodge with Miss Esther Teague. But Master Able Six also has a task for Davey and Avon. He wants them to look into the disappearance of the bodies of two Royal Navy men from the Royal Infirmary Hospital. With considerable compassion and grace, Kelly (When We Meet Again, 2022) skillfully illuminates rarely explored corners of the Regency world, and her latest historical tale offers the added bonus of an intriguing mystery involving Edinburgh's Resurrectionists and a sweet romance between an older couple so very deserving of a happily-ever-after. John Charles Booklist