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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
I have had C.S. Harris's 'Sebastian St. Cyr' historical mystery series on my GRs to-read list off and on for several years. I have read five of the writer's earlier romances under the name Candice Proctor and enjoyed her style of writing. Still, I was hesitant to start this series about forbidden love and second chances during Regency times.
And now I could kick myself.
WHAT ANGELS FEAR was an interesting introduction to the seamy side of London in the early 1800s. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, had returned home from the war after selling out ten months earlier. He appeared to have a death wish and was biding his time when a young prostitute was murdered. Too soon, he became aware that an unknown person had chose him as the fall guy.
Except the villain did not realize that he picked the wrong man.
Like so many first-books in a series, a good amount of the story was spent setting up introductions to various characters. Some people that I am sure will return in the following mystery-thrillers. And while I slowly read each chapter capturing names and their importance, I found myself tempted to peek at the end of the story. But I didn't.
Mrs. Harris's PhD in European history, her time spent at archeology sites around the world and having travelled abroad, gave her an edge when writing WHAT ANGELS FEAR. I felt I was actually with St. Cyr when he was jumping over roofs while escaping the constable and his men. Or at his side while making his way at the Rag Fair to acquire clothes to disguise himself. Or listening to his young protégée in the cold, frosty air.
The author dropped little info-nuggets about the political battle between the Tories and Whigs before Prinny was placed on the throne. Maneuvers, subterfuge and ploys were found everywhere. But the murders that took place were gruesome and graphic; something I could have read with less detail.
The 'Who Murdered Whom And Why' question provided plenty slivers of friction. Sebastian's socially-impaired family, an unforgotten love and some governmental conspiracies dripped from the pages. Watch for the clues!
~"When one lived a life that was, essentially, a lie, appearances were everything.~
And now I could kick myself.
WHAT ANGELS FEAR was an interesting introduction to the seamy side of London in the early 1800s. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, had returned home from the war after selling out ten months earlier. He appeared to have a death wish and was biding his time when a young prostitute was murdered. Too soon, he became aware that an unknown person had chose him as the fall guy.
Except the villain did not realize that he picked the wrong man.
Like so many first-books in a series, a good amount of the story was spent setting up introductions to various characters. Some people that I am sure will return in the following mystery-thrillers. And while I slowly read each chapter capturing names and their importance, I found myself tempted to peek at the end of the story. But I didn't.
Mrs. Harris's PhD in European history, her time spent at archeology sites around the world and having travelled abroad, gave her an edge when writing WHAT ANGELS FEAR. I felt I was actually with St. Cyr when he was jumping over roofs while escaping the constable and his men. Or at his side while making his way at the Rag Fair to acquire clothes to disguise himself. Or listening to his young protégée in the cold, frosty air.
The author dropped little info-nuggets about the political battle between the Tories and Whigs before Prinny was placed on the throne. Maneuvers, subterfuge and ploys were found everywhere. But the murders that took place were gruesome and graphic; something I could have read with less detail.
The 'Who Murdered Whom And Why' question provided plenty slivers of friction. Sebastian's socially-impaired family, an unforgotten love and some governmental conspiracies dripped from the pages. Watch for the clues!
~"When one lived a life that was, essentially, a lie, appearances were everything.~
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
I soldiered on through this one, skimming about a third of it. From the repeated, loving rehashing of the details of a brutal murder/rape to the fictitious "Author's Note" at the end, I've rarely read a book that brought me so little joy. If only it had been billed as a horror novel I would have known to steer clear... but is it even a good one of those? I'll leave that to fans of the genre to decide.
What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris is a historical mystery sent in London in 1811. The main character Sebastian St. Cyr is accused of a brutal murder of a young actress. Our hero, knowing he is innocent flees arrest and attempts to solve the mystery himself.
The mystery was enough to keep me engaged. I was pretty sure I knew who the killer was fairly early but I wasn’t sure how all the pieces would fall together and if Sebastian would be able to clear his name. All of the characters were well rounded and thought out. This is the first book in the series and we are not privy to all of the characters secrets yet. Besides the main mystery there are little tidbits here and there hinting at future plot lines. None of these hints felt forced and were tantalizing enough that I want to continue the series.
If Sebastian were a lady everyone who reads this book would have call him a Mary Sue, but he’s not a lady. Men can be obscenely perfect but the ladies can’t, if you think I’m wrong, apply the standards of a Mary Sue to Batman. Sebastian has super awesome hearing and eyesight, so awesome he can almost see in the dark. His hearing is so good that he can hear whispers in another room. I kept waiting to find out he was part demon or something but nope just a human with some super awesome senses.
Sebastian is wounded emotionally from a bad breakup that caused him to sign up to fight France. When he returns he is more damaged than before. Sebastian is the tired hero that keeps insisting that he’s “no hero” and everyone just nodding their heads and smirking. To keep Sebastian in line he’s given a little helper in the form of a street child named Tom. He surprises Sebastian more than once with his resourcefulness and perceptiveness. Tom is adorable and street smart, he definitely adds to the story.
Next time I’m in the mood for a historical mystery I’m going to have zero qualms about picking up the next book in this series.
Trigger Warnings:
Rape
Necrophilia
Animal abuse mention
Gore
Does it pass the Bechdel test?
No.
The mystery was enough to keep me engaged. I was pretty sure I knew who the killer was fairly early but I wasn’t sure how all the pieces would fall together and if Sebastian would be able to clear his name. All of the characters were well rounded and thought out. This is the first book in the series and we are not privy to all of the characters secrets yet. Besides the main mystery there are little tidbits here and there hinting at future plot lines. None of these hints felt forced and were tantalizing enough that I want to continue the series.
If Sebastian were a lady everyone who reads this book would have call him a Mary Sue, but he’s not a lady. Men can be obscenely perfect but the ladies can’t, if you think I’m wrong, apply the standards of a Mary Sue to Batman. Sebastian has super awesome hearing and eyesight, so awesome he can almost see in the dark. His hearing is so good that he can hear whispers in another room. I kept waiting to find out he was part demon or something but nope just a human with some super awesome senses.
Sebastian is wounded emotionally from a bad breakup that caused him to sign up to fight France. When he returns he is more damaged than before. Sebastian is the tired hero that keeps insisting that he’s “no hero” and everyone just nodding their heads and smirking. To keep Sebastian in line he’s given a little helper in the form of a street child named Tom. He surprises Sebastian more than once with his resourcefulness and perceptiveness. Tom is adorable and street smart, he definitely adds to the story.
Next time I’m in the mood for a historical mystery I’m going to have zero qualms about picking up the next book in this series.
Trigger Warnings:
Rape
Necrophilia
Animal abuse mention
Gore
Does it pass the Bechdel test?
No.
How is it that I've never read anything by this author before. I loved it!
A little more gory than I normally like, but an intriguing premise. I'm growing to like these historical type mysteries more and more as many modern mysteries become "CSI-ish" and get so focused in on forensic details that they lose the old-fashioned character-driven flavor that mysteries used to have. The historical ones recapture that psychological feeling a little bit. Since there were no forensic tests in the era the detectives actually have to detect.
Review posted here: https://courtneyreadsromancesite.wordpress.com/2019/09/17/review-of-what-angels-fear-sebastian-st-cyr-1-by-c-s-harris/
This was quite good, the plot nice and twisty, with one suspect after another seemingly the killer and then revealed to have an alibi. There was some nice misdirection hiding the actual killer. (caveat: I don't usually read mysteries, so I can't comment on how this compares to others.) However, I would have enjoyed it quite a bit more if the author didn't feel the need to rehash the brutal killings and subsequent rape of the women every 10 pages or so. It was exhausting and too grisly for me. I'll try the second book, as I've already gotten it from the library, but I'm not sure I'll continue the series if it proves to be equally gruesome.