The Art of Dying by Ambrose Parry (Canongate, 2019)
The eagerly awaited follow up to their debut novel, The Way of All Flesh, of this writing pair (Christopher Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman). Set in 19th century Edinburgh, at a time of advance and experimentation in medicine, Will Raven, Dr James Young Simpson’s protégé, and Sarah Fisher, set out to clear Simpson’s name after the death of a patient in suspicious circumstances. The storytelling is first class, and the evocation of the two halves of Edinburgh city life are realistic and haunting. An ideal book for the dark days of winter!