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A Corruption of Blood Paperback – October 19, 2021

4.5 out of 5 stars 1,450 ratings

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Dr Will Raven is a man seldom shocked by human remains, but even he is disturbed by the contents of a package washed up at the Port of Leith. Stranger still, a man Raven has long detested is pleading for his help to escape the hangman.

Back in the townhouse of Dr James Simpson, Sarah Fisher has set her sights on learning to practise medicine. Almost everyone seems intent on dissuading her from the ambition, but when word reaches her that a woman has recently obtained a medical degree despite her gender, Sarah decides to seek her out.

Raven's efforts to prove his former adversary's innocence are failing and he desperately needs Sarah's help. 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.
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Canongate Books
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 19, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 404 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1786899868
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1786899866
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.17 x 1.3 x 6.02 inches
  • Book 3 of 5 ‏ : ‎ Raven and Fisher Mysteries
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 1,450 ratings

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Ambrose Parry
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4.5 out of 5 stars
1,450 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2021
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    This is the third in a series of books that have been well worth reading. I do hope the author continues writing more. The characters have become familiar and almost like members of a family. Would recommend reading this and it’s two earlier works.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2021
    Format: Kindle
    My thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Books for the privilege of reading the ARC in return for an honest review. This is the third atmospheric novel that transports the reader to the mid-1800s of Edinburgh. A Corruption of Blood continues the brilliant, well-researched series that immerses the reader in the legal and medical aspects of the era and the deep divisions in the social fabric. The characters. both fictional and historical, seem very authentic to their time and place. It explores the challenges of the impoverished and privileged within a well-constructed, twisty mystery.

    This novel continues the story of the recurring characters of Dr. Will Raven and Sarah Fisher. They work from the home of the eminent Dr. James Simpson. He is a real-life doctor renowned for pioneering chloroform. Sarah has travelled in Europe to meet Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, one of the first qualified women doctors. Sarah has been well aware of the impediments she faces in her ambition to become a medical doctor in the male-dominated profession. She returns to Edinburgh, downhearted and discouraged. Her goal seems to be impossibly blocked and unattainable.

    Raven has just attended the difficult delivery of twins and is present at the discovery of a dead infant, murdered and discarded in the river. During Sarah's absence, Raven has formed a romantic relationship with Eugenie, daughter of a leading physician, Dr. Cameron Todd. They are contemplating marriage. Eugenie pleads with Raven to investigate the death of the powerful and corrupt Sir Ainsley Douglas and prove that her old friend, Gideon, the son and heir of Douglas, is innocent of the murder. He has been charged and will probably hang for the crime. Raven detests the dissolute, arrogant, and idle Gideon from past associations but feels compelled to follow Eugenie's wishes.

    Sarah is jealous of Raven's new romantic interest, which adds to her disillusionment of becoming a practicing doctor. A request from a maid sets her on the path of discovering a 'baby farm'. Unmarried girls and impoverished parents believed they were ensuring a bright future for their babies by paying a woman to find good homes for them. Some of the babies were, in turn, sold to unknown homes, but many died from neglect or were killed.

    Because of his dislike for Gideon, Raven believes he must be guilty of his father's death in his greed and haste for his inheritance. The legal term 'Corruption of Blood' is explained. Forfeiting the estate and wealth coming to him, the heir would become his sister's young son. Raven needs Sarah to help in his investigation. He finds Gideon's father was much despised. Were there other suspects for the murder? Slowly, the links between their cases are found to have some connection. They uncover a tangled web of deceit, murder and corruption.

    The conclusion was disappointing for me, but I believe was true to its place and times. Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction based on research and fact, memorable characters, medical history, and a well-plotted complex mystery.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2021
    Format: Kindle
    A Corruption of Blood is the third book in Ambrose Parry's Raven, Fisher, and Simpson historical mystery series. If you haven't read the first book, well, I didn't either. Sigh. This mystery stands alone, but I feel like I've missed so much background and the histories and relationships of the main characters. Still, it did not impede my enjoyment of this book at all. It starts off slow, but stick with it....the payoff is worth it! An interesting point: Ambrose Parry is the nom de plume of spouse writing team Chris Brookmyre and Dr. Marisa Haetzman.

    Edinburgh, Scotland, 1850. Dr. Will Raven isn't shocked by much, having seen many human remains plus having had a violent past, but he is very unsettled by the little package that washes up at the Port of Leith. What it contains is just devastating. If this wasn't enough to deal with, a man who attended medical school with Raven requests his help to save him from the gallows. Raven detests him, but he agrees to help. Former housemaid and medical assistant to Raven and Dr. James Simpson (a brilliant doctor who pioneered work with chloroform) Sarah Fisher wishes to be a doctor. She meets a woman who became a doctor despite her gender for inspiration, but things don't go well, and she returns home. Raven is in desperate need of help in proving the man he detests innocent, and he is grateful for Sarah's help, despite the two struggling with their feelings for one another. Things become extremely difficult and deadly; can this complicated mystery possibly be solved?

    This was a fascinating story of medicine in 1850, the rich and the poor, women's inequality and difficult relationships. As I stated earlier, stick with the slow start; it's well worth it. Also, I recommend reading on an e-reader, as there were many words I had to look up; maybe you're all smarter than me, but I admit I was stumped a lot. All three of our leads are fascinating. It appears that James Simpson was a real person! Simpson is the character around whom all others revolve. Raven apparently had a difficult and violent childhood, but with perseverance and the mentoring of Dr. Simpson he became a doctor. Sarah rose from being a housemaid to an assistant to the doctors, but she had a dream of becoming a doctor herself. The harsh realities of women attempting to better themselves and have a real career in that time period was a slap in the face to her. Raven and Sarah have relationships issues from the past, which become much more difficult for both when Raven became engaged to the daughter of a doctor. There were two fascinating interconnected mysteries here. I had absolutely no idea how the authors would be able to tie them together, but they did it brilliantly. The social issues of the time that were addressed in this book are disturbing. Baby farming and the death of infants will break your heart. Prostitutes who had no other choice but to service men and were blamed for venereal disease and leading men astray were treated with contempt, but absolutely no blame were put on the men; you will be angry as hell about this situation. I found this entire story to be fascinating, and I'm glad that I bought the first two books in audiobooks format...I can't wait to dive into them! I'm also impatiently looking forward to the next volume.

    I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2024
    Format: Kindle
    Read this book in one day. Read the first two last week. This is a series not to be missed. Spellbinding. Fast paced, complex and fascinating characters, and many plot twists. Not to be missed series.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • JenMedBookLover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Dark, macabre - absolutely fabulous
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Well ... I suppose I will start with a word of warning. This is not a very easy subject to read about. Nothing is glorified and there is nothing taken to gratuitous lengths within the story, but it does feature a very taboo subject, and of the death of children will cause you distress then you may want to exercise caution because the opening to the book is quite stark, and later discoveries do nothing to make the heart fill with warmth. That aside, this was yet another brilliantly researched, authentic feeling story which blends humour, history and mystery to entertain, and enrapture this. read from the very first page to the last.

    Over the course of the three books I have really come to like the character of Will Raven. I'll be blunt - he came across as a bit of knob to begin with, but he has quickly redeemed himself and is now a character driven by principles and doing the right thing, especially by Sarah, even if his head and his heart tell are torn. As for Sarah, she is a woman that many can recognise, held back by society but determined to make her own way in spite of it. This time around though she is plagued by some self doubts which are untypical of her, but believable of her circumstances. There is an amazing chemistry between the two characters and no matter what conflicts may occur and whatever circumstance, and the authors, throws in their way, they make a formidable pair. Somehow you just know that as soon as they are involved, the criminals do not stand a chance.

    There are two different threads to this story that lead our protagonists in. different directions initially, but ultimately resulting in their proving that two heads are far better than one. First up we have the murder of a very prominent Edinburgh resident. A former University mentee, and adversary, of Will Raven stands accused of his murder. A mutual friend persuades Raven to look into the murder against his better judgment, certain that the wrong person is set to be convicted. What we face here is a story full of tension, corruption and hidden truths which are as believable as they are shocking, but very much if the time. It is a twisted story of a fractured family, instantly recognisable, but give a unique Ambrose Parry twist that had me smiling in approval.

    Sarah's quest is one which will very much tug at the heartstrings and resonates with news stories from the not so distant past. It ties in with other elements of the story in a tragic and emotional way, one which will sadden even the hardest of readers. It has been handled with care but also with authenticity, and whilst it is easy to suppose we know where that particular thread may lead, always be prepared to expect the unexpected. Perhaps it shouldn't have been - with hindsight, the clues are all there - but it certainly makes for quite the eyebrow raising moment.

    This wouldn't be an Ambrose Parry novel without a link back to the medical side of Raven and Sarah's life and once again we are brought into the world of Dr Simpson, a blend of the factual and the imagined, which really adds another dimension to the stories. It is a thriller based in the world of medicine, rather than a medical thriller, but I have to admit that those scenes fascinate me every but as much as the wonderful array of characters and the rich settings that Ambrose Parry portray so beautifully. There are plenty of the old favourite characters littered throughout the story, as well as some new who most definitely throw a spanner in the works as far as our Detecting duo are concerned. Potentially big changes afoot but it has left me all the more intrigued to see what may come next.

    Definitely recommended.
  • €nigma
    5.0 out of 5 stars Diesmal mehr Krimi-Elemente als Medizingeschichte
    Reviewed in Germany on August 31, 2021
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    Inhalt
    Sarah Fisher ist auf den Kontinent gereist, um Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell (1821 – 1910) zu treffen, da auch sie an einem Studium der Medizin interessiert ist. Das Treffen ist jedoch für Sarah eher ernüchternd und bei ihrer Heimkehr nach Edinburgh wartet ein weiterer Schock auf sie.
    Will Raven ist nach wie vor bei Dr. James Young Simpson (1811 – 1870) beschäftigt. Als Sir Ainsley Douglas, ein Bürger der „besseren“ Gesellschaft und Vater eines ehemaligen Kommilitonen, unter verdächtigen Umständen stirbt, bittet Gideon, der Sohn des Verstorbenen, der als Tatverdächtiger verhaftet wurde, Will um Hilfe. Dieser mochte den arroganten Gideon noch nie, nimmt den Auftrag jedoch dennoch an. Ein weiterer Fall, an dem er Interesse nimmt, ist der Fund eines ermordeten Babys, die kleine Leiche wurde im Hafen von Leith angespült.
    Auch Sarah geht ihren eigenen Ermittlungen nach. Sie möchte einem befreundeten Hausmädchen helfen, das sein uneheliches Kind einer Frau zur Pflege überlassen hat – die Frau ist plötzlich wie vom Erdboden verschluckt. Bei ihren Recherchen kommt Sarah ungeheuerlichen Machenschaften auf die Spur…

    Beurteilung
    Der abschließende Band der Trilogie legt gegenüber den beiden vorherigen Bänden eine etwas geringere Gewichtung auf die Medizinhistorie und zeichnet sich dafür durch mehr Krimi-Elemente aus; nach einem eher beschaulichen Einstieg steigt die Spannungskurve deutlich an. Die Handlung ist komplex konstruiert und wendungsreich. Wie in den ersten beiden Bänden werden auch hier die entgegengesetzten Pole der Gesellschaft Edinburghs um die Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts beleuchtet – im Hinblick auf den gesellschaftlichen Status einerseits und im Hinblick auf das Geschlecht andererseits: Wohlhabende Bildungsbürger haben, bzw. nehmen sich mehr Rechte und Privilegien heraus als die Dienstboten- und Arbeiterklasse und Frauen sind Männern gegenüber nicht nur gesellschaftlich, sondern auch gesetzlich benachteiligt. Die Folgen dieser grundsätzlichen Missstände machen sich in diesem Roman konkret im Umfeld der Protagonisten bemerkbar.
    Der gut recherchierte historische Krimi spart die Schilderung der Schattenseiten der Viktorianischen Gesellschaft nicht aus, sehr sensible Leser könnten von einem der Handlungsstränge verstört werden.
    Die Charaktere der Hauptfiguren sind detailliert ausgestaltet und für den Leser nicht einfach einzuordnen, ihn erwarten Überraschungen. Da es sich in Bezug auf Will Raven und Sarah Fisher im Verlauf der Trilogie um eine Fortsetzung ihrer persönlichen Lebensgeschichten handelt, ist es empfehlenswert, bei der Lektüre die korrekte Reihenfolge einzuhalten.

    Fazit
    Ein weiterer fesselnder Ausflug ins Edinburgh des 19. Jahrhunderts, diesmal etwas „krimilastiger“ als medizinhistorisch ausgerichtet.
    Report
  • millhall
    4.0 out of 5 stars Doctors have complex relationships even outwith their practice.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 10, 2023
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Given that I am on holiday I confess to being "hooked" on this series. Easy holiday reading with some clever twists. In this volume I found the desire to produce an unexpected ending led to contortions that were just a little too far fetched. I also found the relationship between Raven and his nurse assistant to become nearly absurd. Justifying their sexual encounter and then suggesting it would strengthen his marriage bond with another woman was hard to swallow. Despite these misgivings I enjoyed the book and have already started the 4th volume.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent - possibly the best Fisher and Raven so far
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2025
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Possibly the Best yet in the series. Love thesw books. Great characters. Clever storyline full of twists. Looking forward to the next!
  • Janie U
    5.0 out of 5 stars Clever combination of characters, location and plot
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2023
    I'd read the first 2 books in this series and really enjoyed them. The Victorian setting makes the story wonderfully grimy and Edinburgh is as much a character as both Raven and Fisher.
    The book is 406 pages split into 61 chapters.
    These are quotes on the cover and in the first few pages that are from some very impressive people, mostly authors that I admire a lot.
    Its fair to say that I had high expectations of this novel.
    It had been a while since I had read book two and I'd forgotten how it ended so the first couple of chapters in this book were a very useful reminder - it also serves as a scene setting for anyone who is new to this series. The novel does work on its own but gives a much richer experience if the other two books are read first.
    The language used for the main narrative is appropriate to the Victorian setting and helps create atmosphere.
    I know the centre of Edinburgh fairly well and it's great to see how it is used so naturally, enhancing the story without any hint of the author trying to show how clever they are.
    Whilst feeling true to Victorian Scotland, the plot is easy to relate to the present day - as an example "why is it that women are forced to alter their behaviour when it is men whose conduct is at fault".
    Will & Sarah's stories are interconnected at every opportunity although each has to forge their own lives independently of each other. The reader sees into both heads and tries to encourage them together but the book is written, the ending already created and all the reader can do is observe.
    Will Raven, in particular, is a fascinating character - full of interest yet with many flaws to provide balance and make him plausible.
    The plot is strong but doesn't drive the book on it's own, it is used skilfully to promote the importance of the characters and the city.
    By chance I have a map of Edinburgh from 1851 so it has been interesting to follow the places where Will and Sarah visit in 1850. It also became very clear that most of the city seen by tourists today was already in place in the mid nineteenth century and very little has altered.
    I didn't work out the complete mystery but did get part of the way there. Clues are offered throughout the book to help the reader and the two protagonists are continually mulling over what they have discovered.