The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry
Edinburgh, 1849. Hordes of patients are dying all across the city, with doctors finding their remedies powerless. And a 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.
Author Bio:
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.
Review
Well doesn’t this book elevate the crime fiction genre?! The writing was on point, the story horrifying, the characters extremely well developed and what makes this book is that so much of it is based on real events and people. This is simply stunning and I couldn’t put it down as I was completely engrossed. This is the second book of the series but you can definitely read it as a stand alone novel. The references to the previous book are all explained to a level where you can engage in the story and not feel like you are missing out.
The Art of Dying open with Will Raven studying medicine in Berlin and being attacked in an alleyway whilst out with friends. Instinctively he defends himself and then leaves to return to Edinburgh to work as an assistant to Dr Simpson. On his return he finds that the world has moved on without him, Dr Simpson is hailing the use of chloroform, Sarah has married a doctor and become a nurse of sorts in Dr Simpson’s clinic. However, all is not well in the Edinburgh medicinal circles as Dr Simpson is being accused of killing a patient. Sarah is determined to disprove this claim and ask a reluctant Will to help with her enquiries. But is the patients death all that it seems? Is there a murderer present in Edinburgh?!
I really enjoyed returning to this world as I love the blend of crime and historical fiction, especially one that has so many real historical facts, events and people in it. It is clear that Dr Haetzman knows her subject! I find history fascinating and although I only did one module of the history of medicine I found it to be extremely thought provoking. I studied the history of gender mostly and therefore loved that the character of Sarah is embracing the ideology of Mary Wollstonecraft, learning that women can become more, are just as intelligent as men (if not more!) and that there were opportunities available out there in the wider world!
It is clear why ‘The Art of Dying’ was nominated for so many awards when it was first released. It’s characters show great empathy and are complex and nuanced. The real heart of this stunning story is the relationship between Sarah and Will, the magnetism that draws them together but also repels them. Has Will matured enough to realise that love doesn’t care about social boundaries? But Sarah is now married so Will has lost his love. I honestly can wait to see what their story brings in the next book in the series!! There better be another book……
Honestly, this is a great series and a gorgeous piece of writing. This definitely deserves its ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating! I hope you give it a try. If you do let me know what you think as I could talk about this book for days on end!
