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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Abortion
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
my first real historical crime fiction book and it did not disappoint! from the beautiful evocative writing to the seamless inclusion of medical and historical facts while still plotting an utterly enjoyable and atmospheric story, this was a master-craft on what a good fiction book should look like. i had the best time and can’t wait to continue this series!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ploughed through to the end, because I dislike leaving books unfinished. Doing so definitely felt like hard work, and I don't plan to continue with the series.
I wasn't captured by Will, at all, although Sarah was an interesting character.
I wasn't captured by Will, at all, although Sarah was an interesting character.
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This one’s a murder mystery set in 1840s Edinburgh; an era of relentless medical experimentation and some extremely questionable ethics, especially if you were poor and therefore basically considered disposable.
We follow Raven, a medical student apprenticing under the famous obstetrician Dr Simpson, and Sarah, his boss’s housemaid, who is clever, observant, and frankly much better at this whole detecting business than Raven. When young women start dying mysteriously, including Raven’s friend Evie, the unlikely pair team up, and their investigation drags them deep into Edinburgh’s criminal underbelly.
What I loved most? The setting. You can practically feel the cobblestones under your feet and smell the rank alleyways. Edinburgh here is dark, gritty, and split down the middle: wealth and opulence at one end, crushing poverty at the other. Meanwhile, medicine is teetering on the edge of modern discovery. Anaesthetics are just starting to emerge, there’s experimentation everywhere, and plenty of room for disaster. Or for doctors to do whatever they want.
The murder mystery runs alongside the story of medical research, and I really enjoyed how the two threads constantly intertwined. But be warned: some of the surgical descriptions are truly horrifying. The early scene with a certain obstetric procedure? Genuinely made me boke and close the book for the night. Not for the faint of stomach.
Dark, atmospheric, and gruesome in all the right ways, with just enough light from Raven and Sarah’s partnership to keep you turning the pages.
We follow Raven, a medical student apprenticing under the famous obstetrician Dr Simpson, and Sarah, his boss’s housemaid, who is clever, observant, and frankly much better at this whole detecting business than Raven. When young women start dying mysteriously, including Raven’s friend Evie, the unlikely pair team up, and their investigation drags them deep into Edinburgh’s criminal underbelly.
What I loved most? The setting. You can practically feel the cobblestones under your feet and smell the rank alleyways. Edinburgh here is dark, gritty, and split down the middle: wealth and opulence at one end, crushing poverty at the other. Meanwhile, medicine is teetering on the edge of modern discovery. Anaesthetics are just starting to emerge, there’s experimentation everywhere, and plenty of room for disaster. Or for doctors to do whatever they want.
The murder mystery runs alongside the story of medical research, and I really enjoyed how the two threads constantly intertwined. But be warned: some of the surgical descriptions are truly horrifying. The early scene with a certain obstetric procedure? Genuinely made me boke and close the book for the night. Not for the faint of stomach.
Dark, atmospheric, and gruesome in all the right ways, with just enough light from Raven and Sarah’s partnership to keep you turning the pages.
Enjoyed this lots! It's a joint effort from husband and wife team Chris Brookmyre and Dr Marisa Haetzman. Loved the two narrators. Will definitely listen to the next two in the series (more, if they write them and the series carries on being as good).