A Corruption of Blood - (Raven and Fisher Mystery) by Ambrose Parry (Paperback)

About the Book

"Dr Will Raven is a man seldom shocked by human remains, but even he is disturbed by the contents of a package washed up at the Port of Leith. Stranger still, a man Raven has long detested is pleading for his help to escape the hangman. Back at 52 Queen Street, Sarah Fisher has set her sights on learning to practise medicine. Almost everyone seems intent on dissuading her from this ambition, but when word reaches her that a woman has recently obtained a medical degree despite her gender, Sarah decides to seek her out. Raven's efforts to prove his erstwhile adversary's innocence are failing and he desperately needs Sarah's help. Putting their feelings for one another aside, their investigations will take them to both extremes of Edinburgh's social divide, where they discover that wealth and status cannot alter a fate written in the blood"--

Book Synopsis

A Raven and Fisher Mystery: Book 3

Edinburgh, 1850. This city will bleed you dry.

Sarah Fisher is keeping a safe distance from her old flame Dr Will Raven. Having long worked at the side of Dr James Simpson, she has set her sights on learning to practise medicine herself. A notion everyone seems intent on dissuading her from.

Across town, Raven finds himself drawn into Edinburgh's mire when a package containing human remains washes up on the shores of Leith, and an old adversary he has long detested contacts him, pleading for Raven's help to escape the hangman.

Sarah and Raven's lives seem indelibly woven together as they discover that wealth and status cannot alter a fate written in the blood.

Review Quotes

Praise for the series: Parry's Victorian Edinburgh comes vividly alive - and it's a world of pain--VAL McDERMID

[A] stellar third whodunit set in nineteenth-century Edinburgh . . . The integration of real history enhances a page-turning plot-- "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

A rip-roaring tale of murder amid the medical experiments of 19th-century Edinburgh. The book brings both city and period to colourful life and is a joy to read--IAN RANKIN "Guardian"

An astonishing debut. The dark and dangerous past is brought thrillingly to life. I can't wait to read more of Raven and Sarah--MARK BILLINGHAM

Another brilliant evocation of mid-nineteenth century Scotland, this series just gets better and better. The backstory of the characters, loves, careers and ambitions, is as riveting as the mystery . . . A mix of drama, romance and thriller-- "NB Magazine"

Brilliantly conceived, fiendishly plotted and immaculately realised, these thrillers pull off the most difficult double-whammy of all: beneath blood and butchery so real they almost stain the pages lie both heart and soul . . . Wherever Parry takes them, I'll follow--MICK HERRON

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"

Menacing, witty and ingeniously plotted, Ambrose Parry's debut draws you into the dark heart of nineteenth-century Edinburgh and won't let you go until the final page--S.J. PARRIS

The ambience of mid-nineteenth-century Edinburgh is well captured and makes for a gripping read. The authors are astute observers of human behaviour and outlook. The three novels in the trilogy are clearly well researched and shine a light on the cruelties, injustices and inequalities of the period described . . . Based on some actual events it's more than mere entertainment-- "Bookmunch"

Utterly compelling, this tale of Old Edinburgh is so full of characters and startling incident that I never wanted it to end--DENISE MINA

About the Author

Ambrose Parry is the penname for two very different authors - the internationally bestselling and multi-award-winning Chris Brookmyre and consultant anaesthetist of twenty years' experience, Dr Marisa Haetzman. Inspired by the gory details Haetzman uncovered during her History of Medicine degree, the couple teamed up to write a series of historical crime thrillers, featuring the darkest of Victorian Edinburgh's secrets. They are married and live in Scotland.

Both The Way of All Flesh and The Art of Dying were shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. A Corruption of Blood is the third Raven and Fisher Mystery.

@ambroseparry