Voices of the Dead (A Raven and Fisher Mystery Book 4)

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And, along the way they uncover a shocking secret that sets the city alight with outrage and a demand for justice. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States, and currently travelling throughout Europe.

In the New Town, Will Raven (a medical student) is close to starting his apprenticeship with Dr Simpson (the brilliant and renowned).In fact, the debate over whether character traits are inherited is a theme of the book, with some believing that indolence and immorality are destined from birth and others arguing that poverty is the cause of many of society’s ills. Dr Will Raven, en route home after attending the tricky birth of twins, witnesses a very disturbing discovery at the Port of Leith.

I really enjoy the atmosphere, the way it is written, the plots that accompany the common thread of the story, the common thread of the story and of course, the protagonists. Putting their feelings for one another aside, their investigations 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. He also appears in Country of the Blind, Boiling a Frog, Be My Enemy, The Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks, Dead Girl Walking, Black Widow, Want You Gone ' as a major character, and is referenced in Not the End of the World and Fallen Angel. Character development and the buildup to the mystery was a large part of the book even though the murder was committed in the first few chapters. And the plot is a compelling tale of life, loss, secrets, friendship, courtship, abuse, revenge, manipulation, deception, greed, violence, early medicine, and murder.

I really enjoy historical fiction that is based on real characters and events, and this mystery series fits that bill. They’re not the only one on the case as there’s an appearance by James McLevy, the famous Edinburgh detective (also brought to life in fictional form in David Ashton’s historical mystery series). Jenny Dalziel is an Edinburgh CID officer, part of Hector McGregor's team as a DC in Quite Ugly One Morning, who becomes a close friend of Parlabane and appears or is referenced in most of his books. The love-triangle between Will, Sarah and Eugenie continues to feature large, as they all struggle with their feelings. McLeod also features in the short story Siege Mentality, and The Last Siege of Bothwell Castle, and has minor roles in Dead Girl Walking and Black Widow, and a minor reference in Fallen Angel.

Will Raven (Simpson’s protege) and Sarah Fisher (former housemaid) are determined to clear the name of their patron. Dr Will Raven is somewhat frustrated with family life - his wife is heavily pregnant with their second child and he is finding it difficult to relate to, and cope with, his noisy young son. His wife wants him to set up his own practice, his speciality being gynaecology, rather than be junior to Dr Simpson as at present. They didn’t intend on writing a crime at all, but one that looked at Will’s life as an apprentice as well as the professional temptations that are put in his way.The whodunnit part was good , did guess at some parts but there were enough surprises and twists to make the ending exciting. The first name for Innez, as well as the inspiration for the costumes worn by his gang of bank robbers, are taken from Zal Cleminson, guitarist for The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, who always wore Pierrot makeup on stage.

He is portrayed as having a similar career path to Billy Connolly, with a background in stand-up before appearing in an American sitcom which is poorly received. A Corruption of Blood is the third book in this wonderful historical medical mystery series set in Victorian Edinburgh. She longs to pursue a career in medicine, a profession in which few other women have succeeded, not least because of opposition from men who believe medicine an unsuitable job for a woman. The twists and turns in each case are numerous, revealing the hypocrisies in Edinburgh society, where men and women both sin, but only women are held accountable. All of this is there in the background, but provides an accurate depiction of the kind of circumstances in which crime and death can arise.Raven and Simpson, being of a rational scientific mind, are both keen to seek to debunk these charlatans and fraudulent sciences. Larry Freeman, who has a cameo in Quite Ugly One Morning as a friend of Parlabane's, also features in Not the End of the World. Ambrose Parry’s The Way of All Flesh is set in an 1840s Edinburgh where new science and old beliefs rub shoulders. In the meantime, Sarah is travelling in Europe to meet Dr Elizabeth Blackwell, one of the first qualified women doctors, to seek her advice on joining the profession – an eventual meeting that leaves Sarah deflated and disillusioned. This is the first of the Raven/Fisher mystery novels that I have read, but it certainly won't be the last!