'Ambrose Parry' is really Christopher Brookmyre and his wife Marisa Haeztman. This is not a secret; they sign off the Historical Note in their actual names. But the choice of a joint pseudonym in the manner of Nikki French is a wise one. Anyone familiar with Brookmyre's solo work over the years would not expect a book like this, whereas Ambrose Parry sums it up exactly.
The story is set in Edinburgh and is absolutely noir, starting with a murdered prostitute (and, as Parry points out, 'No decent story ought to begin with a dead prostitute.") but it is set in 1847, when specialist obstetricians in Scotland are experimenting with anesthesia, and medical student Will Raven is taken on as apprentice to Professor James Young Simpson, the leading surgeon of the day. Will Raven is also an assumed name and its bearer has unpleasant links with both the Edinburgh underworld and the murdered prostitute. Also in the Simpson household is housemaid Sarah Fisher, who has ambitions beyond her station and is a friend of the enxt young woman to die suspiciously.
And so we're off on a classic murder mystery with drugs and cross-dressing and backstreet abortions thrown in. It is all excellently well done, full of red herrings and subplots. The characters all stand out vividly - I especially enjoyed the underworld enforcers Gargantua and the Weasel. The historical background has been expertly researched and is served up simply and effectively. Surely this will be the first in a series? Surely someone will adapt it for TV?
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