The Wages of Sin: A compelling tale of medicine and murder in Victorian Edinburgh - Softcover

Kaite Welsh

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1472239822 ISBN 13: 9781472239822

Publisher: Tinder Press, 2018

Synopsis

An irresistible mystery set in 1890s Edinburgh, Kaite Welsh's THE WAGES OF SIN features a female medical student-turned-detective, and will thrill fans of Sarah Waters and Antonia Hodgson.Sarah Gilchrist has fled from London to Edinburgh in disgrace and is determined to become a doctor, despite the misgivings of her family and society. As part of the University of Edinburgh's first intake of female medical students, Sarah comes up against resistance from lecturers, her male contemporaries, and - perhaps worst of all - her fellow women, who will do anything to avoid being associated with a fallen woman...When one of Sarah's patients turns up in the university dissecting room as a battered corpse, Sarah finds herself drawn into Edinburgh's dangerous underworld of bribery, brothels and body snatchers - and a confrontation with her own past.

About this title

About the Author

Kaite Welsh is an Edinburgh-based journalist and critic and the literature officer at Creative Scotland. She writes a weekly column for the Daily Telegraph and makes frequent appearances on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour. She was included on the Independent on Sunday's 2015 Rainbow List, which recognizes the 101 most influential LGBTI people in the United Kingdom. In 2014 Kaite was short-listed for both the Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award and the Moniack Mhor Bridge Award.

Review

''What better setting for a Gothic murder mystery than 19th-century Edinburgh? Kaite Welsh relishes these surroundings in her pungent first book, The Wages of Sin.'' --Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

''Welsh's deeply feminist novel is an engaging, fast-paced tale full of twists and turns. The novel puts on full display the various struggles of women entering academia, as well as women's class struggles. Readers who enjoy historical fiction that incorporates mystery and female empowerment will love this.'' --Booklist

''A top-class crime thriller, a riveting social documentary, and a fascinating historical novel. Brilliant writing. A total gem.'' --Criminal Element

''Sarah is a spunky but historically accurate heroine, bucking the most restrictive traditions in order to comment on them. The first book in what will, one hopes, be a long-running series, featuring a new kind of historical leading lady, Welsh's debut is an inspiring feminist tale perfect for the modern age.'' --Library Journal (starred; Debut of the Month)

''Welsh makes clever use of the conventions of the genre while throwing in a twist informed by modern sensibilities. Damp, sooty, moralistic, and sinning Edinburgh is convincingly evoked. A gritty detective story as unflinching as its heroine, rich in well-researched period detail.'' --Kirkus Reviews

''Gripping. An exhilarating and atmospheric mystery set mostly in the gas-lit streets of Edinburgh. Welsh balances her protagonist's progressive inclinations with a self-awareness that enables her to play the roles that the era demands. The result is a layered, provocative and riveting mystery about Victorian dynamics and womanhood.'' --Shelf Awareness

''An excellent debut novel that is both entertaining and educational.'' --Mystery Scene

''A moving, nuanced first novel. Superior characterizations and convincing period detail.'' --Publishers Weekly

''The Wages of Sin has three critical things going for it. First, it's a strong series debut. Second, Welsh is based in the city in which her story transpires, rendering her supporting research spot on. Third, and most important, she is a good writer who has figured out how to plot a fine mystery. Any fan of Victorian-era mysteries who picks up this one will eagerly await the next in Welsh's series.'' --The Star-Ledger

''I absolutely loved The Wages of Sin, especially the funny, feisty Sarah Gilchrist, a Victorian feminist for modern times. Transported between the horrors of medical dissection rooms, the back streets of Edinburgh, opium dens and brothels, I was captivated, right to the the very end.'' --Catherine Hall, author of Days of Grace

''This debut mystery has an engrossing setting and an engaging heroine. It's good fun and the characters are vivid.'' --BookFilter

''It's rare to find a truly fresh new voice in fiction. Welsh's writing is intense, passionate, and dramatic. She turns phrases until they're exquisitely wrought, and fashions from the raw material of language something beautiful and unique.'' --Emma Rees, author of The Vagina: A Literary and Cultural History

''A gripping story [and] a great central character. Full of riotous, beautifully drawn period detail.'' --Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat

Edition details

• Publisher: Tinder Press
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1472239822
• ISBN 13: 9781472239822
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336