The Death of Shame by Ambrose Parry

The Death of Shame

by Ambrose Parry

 The Death of Shame by Ambrose Parry

 was published on 4th June 2026 in Paperback by  Harper Collins .

My thanks to the authors and publisher

for sending me a copy to review and to 

Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part on the tour.

Synopsis

When you are a prisoner of your secrets, the death of shame is the only path to liberty Annabel Banks was promised work as a maid with a prestigious Edinburgh family. But on her first day, she’s nowhere to be found. Concerned relatives contact Sarah Fisher to help. Sarah might know her way around the city – its light sides and dark – but soon she’ll discover the plight of dozens of girls ensnared in its many brothels: lured, abused and left ruined in the eyes of the world. Meanwhile, a prominent society figure throws himself from the Scott Monument. Will Raven is asked to establish whether the death was suicide or if someone else was involved. Drawing upon real historical events, The Death of Shame takes the Raven and Fisher series into a treacherous labyrinth of shame and the pitfalls of a culture obsessed with moral purity.

My Thoughts

I have awaited this next instalment about Raven and Sarah  with such  eagerness I was afraid I was going to be disappointed. However, I had no need to worry as this is yet another gripping novel from Chris Brookmyre and Marisa Haetzman, who write jointly as Ambrose Parry.

For me their books are always incredibly well researched as to what it was like in Edinburgh in Victorian England and what is especially galling in The Death of Shame is how women, or should I say innocent young girls over the age of twelve, were treated by ruthless individuals who specialised in the trafficking of young girls into prostitution through the use of photography and pornography.

The narrative throughout the book is superb and as well as Raven and Sarah trying to unravel the hideous crimes and reasons behind the suicides or murders they are also trying to deal with what is going on in their own lives and how they can resolve the issues therein. 

As with all Ambrose Parry novels there are so many threads that weave their way throughout the book that you find yourself being drawn into the less salubrious areas of Victorian Edinburgh and your imagination provides the sounds, smells and characters that Raven and Sarah encounter as they pursue their goals, which lead them into dangerous situations at the hands of evil individuals.

I cannot believe that this is really the last book in this incredible series as I just want it to go on and on with more crimes solved by Raven and Sarah.

About Ambrose Parry

Chris Brookmyre is an internationally bestselling and multi-award-winning author and Dr Marisa Haetzman is a consultant anaesthetist of twenty years’ experience. The couple teamed up to write a series of historical crime thrillers, featuring the darkest of Victorian Edinburgh’s secrets. The Way of All Flesh was a Waterstones Thriller and Scottish Crime Book of the Month, was longlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Award and shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. The Art of Dying and A Corruption of Blood were shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. A Corruption of Blood was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger in 2022. In 2024, Voices of the Dead was shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger and their short story A Spendthrift and the Swallow was shortlisted for the CWA Short Dagger Award.