We think that The Way of All Flesh is a very atmospheric example of a historical crime novel - you really feel Victorian Edinburgh coming alive. You may not be aware but the author, Ambrose Parry, is a pseudonym. It is actually co-written by a married couple: Chris Brookmyre, who is Scottish crime fiction royalty and Dr Marisa Haetzman, an anaesthetist. So the medical bits of this medical themed crime fiction don’t mess about.
It makes for pretty grim reading. Not that would be a surprise to many. Brookmyre is a ‘Tartan Noir’ author, and there is something in the water around there that makes them excellent at writing particularly dark fiction. The book is an excellent story and the start of a very compelling series.
As a word of warning, the book does use period appropriate language. For me that adds to the atmosphere of the book, but some folk will lose patience with the archaic words that sometimes get thrown out. It’s still worth a go though, even if you are a bit put off by that.
