David Ashton (1) (1941–)

Robert Louis Stevenson, author of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has returned to Edinburgh to bury his father. An old woman is brutally murdered and the White Devils and Scarlet Runners, rival gangs of medical students are causing mayhem. Inspector James McLevy, the Thieftaker, and his faithful constable Martin Mulholland once again, investigate. Using his intimate knowledge of Edinburgh and his psychological insights into the minds of the main characters, McLevy works his way to the killer as always.

David Ashton's books are a delight. The characters are well depicted and easy to imagine so they come alive. The plots are intriguing, and even if you identify the culprit early on the story never disappoints. This book was no exception.… (mere)

Enough dialect that it could probably do with a glossary of terms, I guessed from context that Thrapple meant throat but it could have been made clearer.
It's the story that starts with a prostitute dying and continues through the mean streets of Leith parish in Edinburgh where Inspector McLevy plies his beat as the first detective

A minor spoiler: I was a little put off by the Serpent and his abilities but then I remembered Richard Mansfield rel="nofollow" target="_top">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Mansfield

based on history it sometimes plays fast and loose with facts but was an interesting read.… (mere)