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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
A truly great read. This was the first book of a marvelous series.
I am SO glad this is the first book in a series!
Brief Summary
In this book we meet Sebastian St. Cyr, youngest son and heir of the Duke of Hendon. Sebastian is the ultimate tortured hero with serious PTSD issues after fighting Napoleon in the war. When St. Cyr is wrongly accused of brutally murdering actress Rachel York, St. Cyr must escape into the underworld of Regency London to try and clear his name. Much to his dismay, St. Cyr is not alone and find he has support and help from a rough and ragged urchin named Tom, a one-legged war vet doctor, and his former flame Kat Boleyn. The mystery is dark, the web tangled and the romance HOT. All in all, a perfect read and a brilliant introduction to someone who might be a new favorite hero. (Though John Rebus is still the ultimate anti-hero in my heart.)
Why I Picked It Up
Book recommendation from the Smart Bitches. I very rarely get steered wrong by these women and The Bitchery in general.
Who Would Like It
Laura Paryl, who loves a good mystery but isn't sold on romance (yet). Any Regency Romance fan looking for an alternative read.
A young actress is found brutally murdered at the altar in a church and all evidence seems to point to Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin. It soon becomes clear to him that there are multiple forces at play, some powerful and political, and he goes on the run to investigate the crime to clear his name.
This is a well written historical mystery with a strong sense of place and Regency setting. The characterizations are outstanding as all of them have multiple layers and dimensions. We also watch Sebastian transform throughout the story as he lives the realities of the chasm between commoners and the aristocracy. There's so much subterfuge and intrigue, which makes it very difficult to shorten the list of suspects.
I very much enjoyed the introduction to what promises to be an interesting series. While the mystery surrounding the identity and motive of the murderer is solved, there's still much more that isn't resolved. My only criticism is the abundance of description of time, setting and place. I'm one of those readers who savors just about every word so I got bogged down, slowing the pace typical for a mystery. I finally, reluctantly, had to skim more than I would have liked in order to move forward but I guess that's a good problem.
This is a well written historical mystery with a strong sense of place and Regency setting. The characterizations are outstanding as all of them have multiple layers and dimensions. We also watch Sebastian transform throughout the story as he lives the realities of the chasm between commoners and the aristocracy. There's so much subterfuge and intrigue, which makes it very difficult to shorten the list of suspects.
I very much enjoyed the introduction to what promises to be an interesting series. While the mystery surrounding the identity and motive of the murderer is solved, there's still much more that isn't resolved. My only criticism is the abundance of description of time, setting and place. I'm one of those readers who savors just about every word so I got bogged down, slowing the pace typical for a mystery. I finally, reluctantly, had to skim more than I would have liked in order to move forward but I guess that's a good problem.
I've been wanting to read this for ages, and was able to get it from the library over here in the US. It's interesting, but I didn't love it. So I'm glad that I got it from the library. I was hoping for something in the vein of Tracy Grant's novels, but it's a bit darker than those.
4.75 Stars
An interesting story with a murderer mystery, where the main character had been wrongly accused and is on the run. The mystery was intriguing and the historical aspects gave an interesting feel to the story. I was also surprised to enjoy the political intrigue. Looking forward to seeing where the next book may develop the stories and characters. Happy reading!
An interesting story with a murderer mystery, where the main character had been wrongly accused and is on the run. The mystery was intriguing and the historical aspects gave an interesting feel to the story. I was also surprised to enjoy the political intrigue. Looking forward to seeing where the next book may develop the stories and characters. Happy reading!
Immediate fan of this author, and very excited to read the other books starring C.S. Harris' ex-military-intelligence protagonist, viscount Sebastian St. Cyr. Competent plotting with multiple layers and twists, victims who feel human, and a fascinating hero with a dark background and romantic and family drama make this a confident, gripping novel, and 18th-century London springs vividly to life. A delicious and excellent period crime novel.
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2013/03/2013-book-90.html
First in a fantastic series. I found it on the Librarians Recommend Table and it was such a find. A young lord is framed in a murder of a young woman. He escapes from custody in order to uncover the murder. Harris creates a likable set of characters and an intriguing plot. The author is a published author of European History and the details of the book are well researched. Though there are a number of anachronisms, it really moves along at a nice pace. The book really has it all and for those of you who enjoy Laurie King, Julia Quinn, etc. would enjoy this story. Mark and I have been racing through them.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
There were many enjoyable things about this book. It came to me highly recommended. But my overall impression was just that it wasn't really remarkable. I enjoyed the mystery, which was sufficiently twisty enough. the crime was sensational enough. The characters I had a hard time connecting to. The perpetrator's psychopathy wasn't sufficiently explained for my taste. It was more like, "that's just the way he is." Sebastian and Kat are likable enough, I suppose.
In the end I was just kind of blah about it. I will continue with the series, and I hope it gets better!
In the end I was just kind of blah about it. I will continue with the series, and I hope it gets better!