The Way of All Flesh by Ambrose Parry

Colder weather means dark, atmospheric mysteries and thrillers and this was the perfect read to get me ready for fall. The Way of All Flesh is the debut novel of husband and wife pair Ambrose Perry. The story follows Will Raven, a medical student apprenticing with a brilliant doctor in 1847 Edinburgh. As Raven begins his apprenticeship, young women begin appearing across town dead in similar circumstances and Raven must team up with the intelligent and headstrong housemaid Sarah Fisher to discover the cause.

I love historical mysteries & thrillers and this one reminded me of a combination of Lydia Kang’s novels and the non-fiction book I read recently called The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream. The book is heavy with details of historical medicine and while I loved it, I think those going into the story just looking for a historical crime thriller might find it a bit much.

This is first book in a series so the first half of the story felt mostly like world building. We’re introduced to the characters and get to know their backgrounds and present lives while the mystery of the women’s deaths doesn’t really take the stage until the latter half of the book. I enjoyed the characters and loved the slight hint of an enemies to lovers romance between Sarah and Will though and am already looking forward to reading book 2.