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pallavi_sharma87's review against another edition
3.0
I had a very high expectation on this one and it did disappoint me a bit.
Set with a backdrop of unrest in King George III's England, in 1811, Sebastian St. Cyr is arrested for the horrible murder of a beautiful young woman on the altar steps of an ancient church in Westminster Abbey. Even though the Police chief has his own doubts, all the clues' points towards Sebastian. To cap it all, Sebastian runs from Police. He knows he is innocent and to clear his name, he takes up his own investigation. He has his friends, his sleuthing skills and a rare genetic condition to show him the way towards the killer.
A lot of running! A lot of legwork. I bet; Sherlock Holmes would have looked down upon Sebastian for not using his grey cells. Sebastian was running back and forth between a set of people which I found a bit taxing! A good book, maybe I will pick up the next one to decide on to read the series or not.
Happy Reading!!
pvbobrien's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
krysm's review
2.0
Everything just felt off. The writing was repetitive (apparently London in the winter of 1811 only ever had bad fog.... which was mentioned at least a couple times a chapter), and the morals and how the characters acted were conveniently modern. Or really weird and sadistic.
I know history can be pretty gritty and ugly, but I feel like the author kept trying to hit us on the head with her perceptions of such things, and it got kind of annoying. I'm not really sure if I'm putting this well, but maybe it could've been done in a more subtle way.
So yeah. I don't know if I'm going to read anymore in the series. I think I've come to see that I don't need a plot to be super creative or unique, I'd much rather have it be relatively historically accurate, or at least have a believable feel to it. This book did not have that, and it distracted from the overall plot.
iskanderjonesiv's review
4.0
It's 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III's England. Then a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol found at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man-Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experience in the Napoleonic Wars.
**
From Publishers Weekly
Set in England in 1811, Harris's riveting debut delivers a powerful blend of political intrigue and suspense. When Sebastian Alistair St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is accused of the rape and murder of actress Rachel York, mistress to various members of Spencer Perceval's wobbly Tory cabinet, Sebastian goes "on the lam," in the words of young Tom, his adopted companion and faithful servant, and must spend frantic days in clever disguises chasing "across London and back." Uncanny powers of sight and hearing help him to identify several suspects, including Hugh Gordon, Rachel's fellow actor and ex-lover; shadowy French émigré Leo Pierrepoint; and even his own wayward nephew, Bayard Wilcox, who had been stalking the victim for weeks. Also implicated is portrait painter Giorgio Donatelli, for whom Rachel often posed nude, whose current patron, Lord Fairchild, is expected to be the next prime minister. Waiting in the wings to rule over this gathering chaos is dissolute Prince George (aka Prinny), soon to become regent for his incompetent father, George III. Backed by a blurb from Stephanie Barron, this fresh, fast-paced historical is sure to be a hit.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Off to a quick start with the gruesome near-decapitation and rape of a lovely actress, this fast-paced pre-Regency mystery effectively pits the sophisticated, overly mannered elite against the grimier lower echelons of 1811 London society. When his dueling pistol is found on the body, and the authorities seek to question him, Sebastian St. Cyr takes to the streets in disguise to clear his name. A bewildering cast of seemingly unconnected people leads to a labyrinthine set of clues connecting high-ranking politicians with a scheme to tilt the balance of power when the prince is made regent. At every turn, Sebastian blithely escapes capture, persistently "persuades" his suspects to talk, and woos a reluctant mistress who hides a deadly truth. The combined elements of historical fiction, romance, and mystery in this fog-enshrouded London puzzler will appeal to fans of Anne Perry and Will Thomas (To Kingdom Come, 2005). Expect to hear more from Harris' troubled but compelling antihero. Jennifer Baker
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
It's 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III's England. Then a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol found at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man-Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experience in the Napoleonic Wars.
**
From Publishers Weekly
Set in England in 1811, Harris's riveting debut delivers a powerful blend of political intrigue and suspense. When Sebastian Alistair St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is accused of the rape and murder of actress Rachel York, mistress to various members of Spencer Perceval's wobbly Tory cabinet, Sebastian goes "on the lam," in the words of young Tom, his adopted companion and faithful servant, and must spend frantic days in clever disguises chasing "across London and back." Uncanny powers of sight and hearing help him to identify several suspects, including Hugh Gordon, Rachel's fellow actor and ex-lover; shadowy French émigré Leo Pierrepoint; and even his own wayward nephew, Bayard Wilcox, who had been stalking the victim for weeks. Also implicated is portrait painter Giorgio Donatelli, for whom Rachel often posed nude, whose current patron, Lord Fairchild, is expected to be the next prime minister. Waiting in the wings to rule over this gathering chaos is dissolute Prince George (aka Prinny), soon to become regent for his incompetent father, George III. Backed by a blurb from Stephanie Barron, this fresh, fast-paced historical is sure to be a hit.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Off to a quick start with the gruesome near-decapitation and rape of a lovely actress, this fast-paced pre-Regency mystery effectively pits the sophisticated, overly mannered elite against the grimier lower echelons of 1811 London society. When his dueling pistol is found on the body, and the authorities seek to question him, Sebastian St. Cyr takes to the streets in disguise to clear his name. A bewildering cast of seemingly unconnected people leads to a labyrinthine set of clues connecting high-ranking politicians with a scheme to tilt the balance of power when the prince is made regent. At every turn, Sebastian blithely escapes capture, persistently "persuades" his suspects to talk, and woos a reluctant mistress who hides a deadly truth. The combined elements of historical fiction, romance, and mystery in this fog-enshrouded London puzzler will appeal to fans of Anne Perry and Will Thomas (To Kingdom Come, 2005). Expect to hear more from Harris' troubled but compelling antihero. Jennifer Baker
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
mamap's review
4.0
A modern bent on an 1811 murder mystery. And that's the only problem with it - makes it PG-13 if not PG-18 (!) for the romance.
A murder mystery with vivid characters, action, intrigue, and pasts that haunt them all.
Not sweet.
ktaylor1164's review
4.0
heidenkind's review
2.0
cassandra67b07's review
4.0