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sandin954's review
3.0
A quite good work of historical suspense. I especially liked how the author was able to weave real life characters into the narrative and make it very plausible and the sections on medical procedures which were well done. The main character was a bit wearing at times though but probably historically accurate. Listened to the audio version which was read by David Ackroyd who did a great job with the first person narration.
howattcarla's review
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is an excellent book if you are interested in reading a period piece that has its inspiration in real life with a fictional license. Takes you to the late 1800s - a different world almost.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
alyssatuininga's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.25
Philadelphia, 1889, & a group of young surgeons, including Ephraim Carroll, are observing autopsies carried out by Dr William Osler. When one of the coffins is opened to reveal the corpse of a beautiful young woman, Carroll notices that both Osler & a fellow surgeon, George Turk, have a momentarily odd reaction before the lid closed & Osler hurriedly moves on. For the first time since he has known him, Turk invites Carroll out to the theatre that evening & they end up at a pub called The Fatted Calf.
Turk introduces Carroll to two dancers from the show they have just seen, but Carroll's attention is taken by a strange event when Turk has an argument with a man Carroll has never seen before, but he is sure that he also momentarily spots Dr Osler. Turk waves off any enquiries but the evening ends abruptly. Carroll is rather the worse for wear the following morning but Turk does not appear at all. Nor the next day. Carroll decides to track him down & finds him at death's door & it soon becomes apparent that he has been murdered. Does this have anything to do with the argument or the odd reaction at the autopsy?
The plot itself is okay, it's apparent quite early on what the main thread is going to be about. The issue for me was the main character. Carroll thinks of himself as educated & cerebral whereas he actually does most of his thinking with another part of his body entirely. He's also a bit of a hypocrite & very shallow when it comes to women. After starting a tentative friendship with Mary Simpson, the only female student on the staff, as soon as he gets a sniff that a more attractive, richer young woman may be interested, he then completely ignores Simpson & rebuffs her attempts to continue their conversations (that he initiated), then is surprised when Simpson acts coolly towards him later on. As I said before, it's an okay read but it's not a book I would be in a hurry to reread at any point.
Turk introduces Carroll to two dancers from the show they have just seen, but Carroll's attention is taken by a strange event when Turk has an argument with a man Carroll has never seen before, but he is sure that he also momentarily spots Dr Osler. Turk waves off any enquiries but the evening ends abruptly. Carroll is rather the worse for wear the following morning but Turk does not appear at all. Nor the next day. Carroll decides to track him down & finds him at death's door & it soon becomes apparent that he has been murdered. Does this have anything to do with the argument or the odd reaction at the autopsy?
The plot itself is okay, it's apparent quite early on what the main thread is going to be about. The issue for me was the main character. Carroll thinks of himself as educated & cerebral whereas he actually does most of his thinking with another part of his body entirely. He's also a bit of a hypocrite & very shallow when it comes to women. After starting a tentative friendship with Mary Simpson, the only female student on the staff, as soon as he gets a sniff that a more attractive, richer young woman may be interested, he then completely ignores Simpson & rebuffs her attempts to continue their conversations (that he initiated), then is surprised when Simpson acts coolly towards him later on. As I said before, it's an okay read but it's not a book I would be in a hurry to reread at any point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion and Medical content
Moderate: Misogyny and Murder
kairangicox's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rulubear's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
aseel_reads's review
not very interesting and I always forget how annoying male authors write females
mystereity's review
2.0
You know when a book starts off slow but you stick with it because you think it's going to pick up and have a really great ending? This was not one of them. The ending was so convoluted and inane that I want to hunt down the author and slap some sense into him. This book is compared to The Alienist, a book I thoroughly loved and frankly, the comparison is an insult to Caleb Carr.
krisrid's review
3.0
I waited for the audio-book version of this for a full year, and while it wasn't the best book I've ever read, it was a good historical fiction story and I did enjoy it so I'd say it was worth the wait.
Dr. Ephraim Carroll, a young Philadelphia doctor, is studying under the renowned medical doctor and professor William Osler [in a neat Canadian connection, Osler is Canadian and has a major medical centre here in his name today]. Ephraim is hoping to build a career in medicine and is thrilled to be working under Dr. Osler, who is a trail-blazer and advocate of newer methods of medicine, including autopsy to learn more about the human body, among other controversial methods of medical activity.
One day in the "dead house" as the autopsy room is called, Dr. Osler, and another doctor in training react strangely to the body of a young woman. Ephraim is puzzled by the reaction, and as he makes inquiries, a number of disturbing facts come to his attention. Then, another death, that of the other doctor in training further complicates the situation and makes Ephraim determined to find out what is going on, despite the many people trying to convince him to leave the events alone, including his mentor, Dr. Osler.
The book is a complex and many layered murder mystery, combined with history about the early development of the medical establishment in America in the late 1800's into the new century. The characters are engaging, the plot is well done and the ending - without giving any spoilers - is not what one expects.
The book was a bit long, with perhaps more "colour" and descriptions of the time and details about every room and street, etc. but that is the only complaint and it is a small one. One thing I should mention though is that as this is a story about doctors, there is some fairly graphic description of surgery and autopsies, so if you are particularly squeamish about that sort of thing, this may not be the book for you, but I enjoyed this story.
Dr. Ephraim Carroll, a young Philadelphia doctor, is studying under the renowned medical doctor and professor William Osler [in a neat Canadian connection, Osler is Canadian and has a major medical centre here in his name today]. Ephraim is hoping to build a career in medicine and is thrilled to be working under Dr. Osler, who is a trail-blazer and advocate of newer methods of medicine, including autopsy to learn more about the human body, among other controversial methods of medical activity.
One day in the "dead house" as the autopsy room is called, Dr. Osler, and another doctor in training react strangely to the body of a young woman. Ephraim is puzzled by the reaction, and as he makes inquiries, a number of disturbing facts come to his attention. Then, another death, that of the other doctor in training further complicates the situation and makes Ephraim determined to find out what is going on, despite the many people trying to convince him to leave the events alone, including his mentor, Dr. Osler.
The book is a complex and many layered murder mystery, combined with history about the early development of the medical establishment in America in the late 1800's into the new century. The characters are engaging, the plot is well done and the ending - without giving any spoilers - is not what one expects.
The book was a bit long, with perhaps more "colour" and descriptions of the time and details about every room and street, etc. but that is the only complaint and it is a small one. One thing I should mention though is that as this is a story about doctors, there is some fairly graphic description of surgery and autopsies, so if you are particularly squeamish about that sort of thing, this may not be the book for you, but I enjoyed this story.