I’m not too sure what I can say really. I’ve read all the books in this series so far, and that maybe says all I need to. I’m always overjoyed when a new one comes out, I can’t wait to dive back into the lives of all these characters.

As ever, the author immerses you back in as if you’ve never left, and there is always something very exciting (and gory) going on.

In short, a fabulous read! Bring on the next one!

My thanks to Canongate Books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read in this Edinburgh set series covering the adventures of Dr Will Raven is the early days of anaesthesia. In this tale we see the arrival of mesmerism and the question of whether it is all it is cracked up to be. The switching of roles and layers of identity muddy the waters as Dr Raven seeks to get to the bottom of a series of murders while at the same time struggling with his new fatherhood and pressures to start his own medical practice. Well constructed and paced this writing team have delivered another intriguing read.

I cannot tell you how happy I was when I saw this book pop up on NetGalley. Before I had even gotten my approval I was hitting the preorder button at Waterstones - I needed this book!

I have adored all of the Raven and Fisher books, I recommend them to anyone with a vague interest in the genre, time period, medicine, Edinburgh etc at the library and I would be very happy to continue reading them for as long as Ambrose Parry keeps writing them ;)

Voices of the Dead is another fantastic murder mystery, based (loosely) on a real life case from the time and woven with so many wonderful twists and turns.
This book in particular had some huge surprises in store for both readers and characters and I can't tell you any of it without spoilers, so I am simply going to say that you must read it.

100% would recommend, 5 stars!

When Will Raven is called to the Surgeons Hall by his friend Henry Littlejohn after a foot was found there, he soon finds himself embroiled in a case that sees him hunting for a killer with very little to go on. Sarah is still frustrated that she is not able to study medicine but finds a new way that she might make a difference when she discovers mesmerism. Will is also dealing with the demands of home with his wife heavily pregnant with his second child. Their relationship is a little strained as he has not bonded with his son in the way he expected and is using any excuse to be at home as little as possible.
Will has been trying to move away from his past however he finds that this is not as easy as he thought it would be and we get glimpses of the Will we met back in book one. His old adversaries Gregor and Flint are back in his life but not in a way that even he expected, and it is his interactions with Gregor that are the most surprising of all and show that the impressions we have of people do not always show the true character. Will is not so keen on Flint being around as he is becoming more prevalent in the lives of those he cares about.
Sarah’s frustration at the male dominated world that she lives in and wants to break into does at times blind her to Will’s genuine concern and scepticism around mesmerism but that does not stop her helping in the investigations. As Will observes Sarah never likes to be wrong and I do admire her spirit and her determination to pursue a career that she wants. There is still a lot of tension between Will and Sarah as although they have both moved in with their lives there are clearly still underlying feelings about what might have been.
As ever we are given an insight into the medical practices of the time and the beliefs that they held onto, and this fascinates me almost as much as the crime and the ensuing investigations that Will and Sarah are drawn into. Added to this the backdrop of Edinburgh and its many still recognisable areas this series just gets better and better. With the promises of changes ahead I can’t wait for the next book to see how the dynamics of this pairing evolve.

The continuing saga of then life and times of Dr Will Raven and Sarah Fisher in Victorian Edinburgh. When body parts are discovered that could bring disrepute to the medical; profession Will is charged to investigate. When more parts are found, those of an actor and his wife, a murder hunt is instigated. Meanwhile an American Doctor arrives promoting the use of Mesmerism and promoted with dramatic affect against the opposition of the medical establishment. Sarah is drawn in seeing it as an opportunity to learn a new therapy that could further her career. How all these different affairs together with emerging interest in spiritism a trial of which has a dramatic effect on Professor Simpson and his staff and family affect the efforts of Will and Sarah in investigating these matters gives rise to many false leads where nothing is ever what it seems. Matters comes to a head with a maelstrom of events at ends with Will bearing losing his life, a catalyst that causes him to take the plunge for a change in in his affairs.

Ambrose Parry scores another hit in his engaging writing set in Edinburgh in the middle of the nineteenth century. His ability to weave a convincing mystery, incorporating a sense of the changing times in society and medicine alongside the efforts of our two heroes, continues to demonstrate a consummate skill that guarantees the reader will just keep turning the pages.

Having inhaled The Spendthrift and the Swallow short story recently, I was hotly anticipating the next book and was overjoyed when I got my mitts on this, the latest in the Raven, Fisher & Simpson series by the wonderful writing duo that is Ambrose Parry! Or husband and wife Chris Brookmyre and Dr Marisa Haetzman to give them the proper credit! (PS Mr Brookmyre, more Parlabane please?!)
Anyway - we are now in 1854 and science is really taking a front seat. The use of chloroform has been embraced by Royalty, Florence Nightingale is doing wonderful things in war zones, and there is a Police Surgeon who thinks himself more a detective...
In this book we follow Will as he is hot on the trail of figuring out who is scattering dismembered body parts throughout the city. Meanwhile Sarah is under the spell of mesmerism, eventually training under an American doctor who has recently appeared. This mesmerism threatens to undermine medicine as it offers alternative "cures"... And then there's a scandal sheet which seeks only to exaggerate and sensationalise all the gory details with a degree of such insider knowledge that the person behind it is highly sort by the authorities...
I love this series. The way that the authors have so well researched everything that they weave fact and fiction seamlessly throughout. Delivering a both interesting and intriguing story which, as always, gripped me from the off and held me captive right through to the end.
Outwith the main stories, Will is having a bit of a time personally with the impending birth of his second child, even more scary to him being as he has yet to bond with his first born! Sarah is still struggling to be heard as a woman in a man's world.
If you've read the previous books, and you have, haven't you? You really should you know! You will know what you are expecting and, believe me, this book delivers just that. So... stop dithering, read the book already. You can thank me later!
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Voices of the dead - Ambrose Parry
This is the 4th in the series and as with this whole series I loved it.

This tale filled with murder, medicine and mesmerism come together in a thoroughly unputdownable read,
Sarah and Raven continue to get involved in grotesque murders this time body parts are found in various parts of Edinburgh and characters reinventing themselves with one showing a different side to themselves when I have grown to dislike them over the course of the books. Raven and Eugenie are battling with the pending arrival of their 2nd child and Raven still battles with worries about his violent nature being passed down to his son.

A well written well researched book (its always interesting to read of the real story behind some of the characters in the book at the end) which keeps you guessing until the end. Loved it can't wait for the next instalment.

This is the second book I've read about Dr Raven and Sarah Fisher set in Edinburgh in the mid 19th century, during a time of social change and advances in medical knowledge and practices. tThe story is one of murder and mystery set against a new interest which is sweeping the city - mesmerism.
Sarah, hoping to continue and advance her education is drawn to this new phenomena which, it is claimed, will help in the practise of medicine. Meanwhile Raven has been requested to attend the discovery of a body part which quickly and inevitably leads to both the discovery of more body parts and more further bodies.
The two strands of this book run separately for most of the story, but come together towards the end, as Raven and Sarah realise that not all is as it first appears.
The introduction of mesmerism allows for some theatrical tricks to be used to great affect and I particularly enjoyed the blending of fiction and fact with its use in theatres and the medical world.
The setting has an authentic air (I don't know Edinburgh as a city) with sinister and shady areas of town where cut throats and villains hang out, and genteel squares where the wealthier reside. Raven's past gives him an entry into both worlds and Sarah's background as a maid suggests she understands the complex layers of society at this time.
A twisty and complex plot that tests the characters to their limit and will keep the reader's interest until the end.
With thanks to Netgalley and Canongate Books for an arc copy in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was highly atmospheric and a deftly plotted story The characters are richly drawn-the details of the book are fascinating-gives a very vivid picture of life at this time-I was transported every time I picked up this highly imaginative story to the time described-masterly story telling-highly imaginative and wonderfully evocative of Victorian times.
In a time of unprecedented scientific innovation, the public’s appetite for wonder has seen a resurgence of interest in mesmerism, spiritualism and other unexplained phenomena.
Dr Will Raven is wary of the shadowlands that lie between progress and quackery, but Sarah Fisher can’t afford to be so picky. Frustrated in her medical ambitions, she sees opportunity in a new therapeutic field not already closed off to women.
Raven has enough on his hands as it is. Body parts have been found at Surgeons Hall, and they’re not anatomy specimens. In a city still haunted by the crimes of Burke and Hare, he is tasked with heading off a scandal.
When further human remains are found, Raven is able to identify a prime suspect, and the hunt is on before he kills again. Unfortunately, the individual he seeks happens to be an accomplished actor, a man of a thousand faces and a renowned master of disguise.
With the lines between science and spectacle dangerously blurred, the stage is set for a grand and deadly illusion .
I really appreciate the opportunity I was given by netgalley.co.uk to read this advance copy of this book and I recommend it most strongly.

The latest instalment of the Raven and Fisher series does not disappoint. After the discovery of body parts, cut up and hidden at various places in the city, Raven must navigate the theatrical world of illusion and spiritualism to solve the mystery. As he does so, he is once again brought face to face with his old enemy, Flint. But in this world where nothing is what it appears, has even Flint himself taken on a new persona?
Once again bringing to vivid life Victorian Edinburgh, and expertly weaving historical fact with exhilarating fiction, Parry presents us with a swift-paced, gripping mystery that will keep readers enthralled to the very end.
The characters are lively and complicated, each one endearingly flawed and wonderfully human. Sarah Fisher is one of my very favourite female protagonists: strong, intelligent, confident and independent.
I loved this novel and can’t wait to read even more of Raven’s and Fisher’s exploits.

This is the 4th book in a series set in 19th century Edinburgh.

Will Raven is embroiled in a police investigation following the discovery of a severed foot in Surgeon's Hall followed by other body parts turning up in other locations. Dr Simpson attends a seance and then later invites the spiritualist to the house ... which stirs up a range of emotions within the family and Will and Sarah. Sarah finds herself drawn into the world of Mesmerism as people try to establish it in Edinburgh. Will is once again the thread that binds them all with both his present and past life meshing together.

This series of novels are a great read - really evocative of an exciting historical period in advances in medicine, with great characters and plots. They're the sort of crime novels where you learn as you will on Will and Sarah to work out what's going on.

Thanks to Netgalley and Cannongate for an early copy for review.

It's never going to be a good day when it starts with a dismembered foot. And so it proves for Will Raven as he gets pulled into another case alongside his friend, Henry Littlejohn, a police surgeon in 1850s Edinburgh. Other body parts start turning up and suspicion falls on a magician who seems to have vanished into thin air... Meanwhile, Sarah Fisher continues in her attempts to find a place in the medical world and seems to have found it in the emerging science of mesmerism. Sarah begins training under the tutelage of renowned mesmerist Dr Malham, but is this new medical cure all it's cracked up to be (and is he...)? Amongst all this, Will and Sarah meet a medium - could he be the real deal?

As always with the Raven and Fisher series it's the tensions between pairings that keep things interesting: the sexual chemistry between our lead protagonists (awkward as Raven is married with a second child on the way!); class/money; gender; the medical profession and 'complementary'/holistic medicine.

It felt like there was a lot being thrown into the plot for this latest instalment and at times I was a bit slow at picking up on the different storylines (oh yes, there's a medium in here as well, just for good measure!). I did like how the difficult relationship between the established medical profession and 'new' therapies (i.e., mesmerism) were explored, and showing that some things are still the same today.

The storyline involving the medium (Mr Kimble) was good and I thought sympathetically handled. It reminded me of the programme that Derren Brown made a few years ago to demonstrate how so-called psychics and mediums perform their tricks and take advantage of desperate people (Derren Brown Investigates, there's also another film on "faith healers"). Everything is an illusion - you've just got to make the audience see what they <think> is there, not what actually is...

Overall, another page-turner that had me hooked from the first chapter. This is the fourth in the series but you could probably get away with reading this as a standalone novel as previous cases are mentioned/alluded to throughout for the reader to keep up. A good read if you like historical fiction with a crime thriller twist!

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Mesmerising! Ambrose Parry’s ‘Voices of the Dead’ is another entertaining mix of well-researched fact, interesting characters, and murderous plot. Themes run through the narrative to give plenty of twists and suspects.

In 1850s Edinburgh, science, mesmerism, spiritualism and theatre have become confused. In the fourth Dr Will Raven book, he has plenty on his hands. Body parts have been found at Surgeons' Hall, and they're not anatomy specimens. In a city in shadow from the crimes of Burke and Hare, Raven is pressured to head off a scandal.
Meanwhile, Sarah Fisher is frustrated in her medical ambitions and taking her chances in a new therapeutic field that isn’t closed off to women.
When more unexplained remains are found in the city, Raven is able to identify a prime suspect, and the hunt is on before they kill again. Unfortunately, they’re seeking an actor, a man of disguise, a man reborn.
Thanks to @netgalley @ambroseparry and @canongatebooks for an arc to review in my own words. Available from 15 June.

Really enjoyed this, the fourth book in the Raven, Fisher and Simpson series. I’m now going back to the beginning because I need to know! I live a historical setting for a detective novel and this delivered everything I wanted. I was invested in all the characters and it was particularly good to have Sarah - a woman doing things.

I loved this book. I don't know what else to say about it other than that. I hope more people will read it if they love history, medicine and thrillers. And I really hope that the open ending means that a new book is in the works.

This is a fun fiction murder mystery story, but more than just this as the relationships between the characters brings real entertainment. Based on true facts of a time when medicine and medicinal research was very different than now. When bodies were snatched for research, when charlatans were abundant with the next wonder cure and when women trying to enter the field were seen and treated as the weaker sex if even given that courtesy. I picked up this book because of its setting in Edinburgh and my familiarity to the places mentioned in the story also added to my enjoyment. I had not read any of the previous books, and found that any backstory I needed was there. Thank you to Canongate Publishers and NetGalley for the ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

This is my favourite in Ambrose Parry's superb historical medical crime series set in Edinburgh, a blend of fact and fiction, featuring by the now well established Dr Will Raven, assistant to the famous obstetrician Dr Simpson, responsible for what is now becoming the accepted use of chloroform in medicine, and the ambitious Sarah Fisher, desperate to train as a doctor in a profession that refuses to let in women. It is 1853, Will is a different place now, he is a father, and wife, Eugenie, is expecting their second child, but all is not well, his past is interfering with him building a relationship with his young son, James, who is playing up and crying something rotten. This makes him seek any excuse to be away from home and distractions come in many forms. He is called by his friend, Dr Henry Littlejohn, to The Surgeon's Hall, where a foot has been discovered in a drawer.

This has Will investigating a case, with James McLevy, where dismembered body parts are found throughout the city, but who are the victims? A new scandal rag called The Hoolet is exaggerating the gory details for its growing circulation of readers. A spiritualist denounced as a charlatan at the Adelphi Theatre, ends up at Simpson's home, causing upset within the family, and has Will lashing out. Sarah's relationship with Will remains strong despite him being a married man, but conflict rises to the surface. Sarah feels there might be an opportunity for her to train as a mesmerist in this newly emerging field, she shows considerable promise as she trains under the American Dr Harland Malham. However, Will and the medical profession are sceptical. Will is under pressure to establish his own medical practice, an old foe re-enters his life and he finds himself tempted to break a promise.

A major highlight is how the authors excel in their major character developments in this addition, the surprising re-evaluations in past relationships that arise, the understanding that there might be more to a person than might be initially perceived, and that everyone has inherent flaws that might blind them. This is a cracking read, of illusions, charlatans, secrets, blackmail, magicians and showmen, packed with medical details from this period of history, culminating in a thrilling finale, ending on a intriguing and promising note for the future. This is one of my favourite historical crime series, informative, with a brilliant sense of location and time, and the kind of complex characters that have you looking forward with great anticipation to the next in the series. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I have a confession to make. I have not read the first three books in this series and, much to my delight found that it did not matter. Yes, there were references to previous events, yet done so well and written in such a way so as not to distract from the story being told.

Dr. Will Raven is caught up in a murder or is it murders, trying to establish just who has been killed. At the same time a Mesmerist has arrived in Edinburgh. This attracts the interest of Sarah Fisher who, frustrated in the way men close ranks to keep women from the medical profession, looks to see if this is an avenue which may be open to her.

The chapters are short and the story speeds along at a nice pace. I enjoyed the way it the book was written and will now seek out the first three books in this series, which is a tribute in and of itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

This is the fourth in the series featuring Will Raven and Sarah Fisher in nineteenth century Edinburgh and it is just as good as the previous three. Each book takes a medical development of the time and fashions a crime relevant to it. Although all the books stand alone, there is something to be gained in reading the series in order. That way you get the full impact of the character development of both Will and Sarah. Will is a doctor and Sarah is desperate to be one but is denied the opportunity because of her sex. it's hard to read about the attitudes towards women at that time. How much worse to have lived through it!

The topic of this book is mesmerism which was fashionable at the time along with spiritualism. With mesmerism, Sarah sees an opportunity to develop her skills in spite of the scepticism that the medical establishment hold for mesmerism. She discovers she has a natural gift for it but is it really as efficacious as it seems?

A fantastic read. I can't wait to see what Will and Sarah do next. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Highly recommended.