With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Canongate for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review. Simpson's patients range from the richest to the poorest of this divided city. His house is like no other, full of visiting luminaries and daring experiments in the new medical frontier of anaesthesia. It is here that Raven meets housemaid Sarah Fisher, who recognises trouble when she sees it and takes an immediate dislike to him. She has all of his intelligence but none of his privileges, in particular his medical education. Simpson likes to think of medicine as more than pure science,’ [Raven] countered. ‘There must also be empathy, concern, a human connection.’ ‘I suggest that both elements are required,’ offered Henry. ‘Scientific principles married to creativity. Science and art.’ If it is an art, it is at times a dark one, Raven thought, though he chose to keep this observation to himself.”

What follows is a fine tale of murder and deceit, with a list of suspects to drool over. We meet old friends and enemies, and new characters would could turn out to be one, the other, or both. There are several revelations which long-time fans will love. The love-triangle between Will, Sarah and Eugenie continues to feature large, as they all struggle with their feelings. The plot was well presented, with plenty of characters who might or might not be what they seem, providing opportunities for speculation about just what was going on and who was responsible. My two fellow buddy-readers disliked the male arrogance that permeated the story, particularly with regard to Raven, the main male character. He seemed to evolve as the book went along, and although I am probably overly sensitive to that sort of thing in a contemporary setting, I was able to overlook here as it undoubtedly reflected reality. I just love this series of historical novels by Ambrose Parry. The characters grow and develop with each one. In "Voices of the Dead" Dr Will Raven is a family man with another baby on the way. Meanwhile his friend Sarah is still struggling to find her way as so many doors are closed to women in Victorian Scotland. 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.

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With the possible exceptions of Pandaemonium and Bedlam, Brookmyre's books are all set in the same "universe" and contain a number of recurring characters, especially the appearance or mention of major characters (such as Parlabane) in incidental roles in other stories. Some of the recurring characters are listed below:

and young medical student Will Raven is beginning his apprenticeship with the illustrious obstetrician, James Young Simpson, who is pioneering the use of ether as an anaesthetic to help with difficult deliveries. A true historical character, Simpson treated rich and poor - not necessarily alike, but all with respect and compassion. Sarah Fisher, his housemaid, who is super bright and fascinated by medical matters, helps out in the clinic and chafes under the limitations of her gender and social status, but longs to learn more. Initially suspicious of Will, who arrives at the house scarred and battered after an altercation with a moneylender's henchmen, she discovers a shared interest in the recent suspicious deaths of poor young women, and together they undercover Edinburgh's dark secrets. Bampot Central was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Macallan Short Story Dagger in 1997.I found the opening wonderfully atmospheric creating a feel for an Edinburgh around 1850 where death is commonplace and doctors are an established if somewhat experimental part of society. Raven, an aspiring medic, finds a dead body, female, who is someone he has "known" in the past. Afraid he may be accused of her murder he flees the scene but worries about how she may have died. This leads to the book's leitmotif of "another deid hoor". The Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards 2020" (PDF). The Crime Writers' Association . Retrieved 24 October 2020. The story begins with the suspicious death of Will’s prostitute friend Evie, but her death ( as we are about to find out) is only just the beginning! It's Edinburgh, 1854, and several years have passed since the events of "A Corruption of Blood". Raven and Eugenie are married, with a son, and another child on the way. He is still working with James Simpson, but is under increasing pressure to set up his own practice. Sarah Fisher has continued her medical studies, while also assisting Simpson and his colleagues.