A review by liseyp
The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Medical student Will Raven and housemaid Sarah Parish are both keen to rise above their  station. The debt and threats of violence for non-payment which hangs over Will and the societal barriers placed on Sarah by both her sex and class may however be insurmountable. But, Will and Sarah team up to uncover the truth behind a series of deaths.

 

Great characters, excellent plotting, and plenty of historical facts/context without it seeming like a lecture. I love Chris Brookmyre’s solo books, although I’ll admit to a certain amount of trepidation about how that would translate to historical crime fiction. 

 

But, the balance between his plot and character development experience and his co-author Marisa Haetzman’s subject matter knowledge combine to make this debut novel by Ambrose Parry (their joint pen name) truly excellent.