You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: 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 raped and savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol discovered 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.
Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian calls upon his skill as an agent during the war to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. In the process, he accumulates a band of unlikely allies, including the enigmatic beauty Kat Boleyn, who broke Sebastian's heart years ago. In Sebastian's world of intrigue and espionage, nothing is as it seems, yet the truth may hold the key to the future of the British monarchy, as well as to Sebastian's own salvation....
My Review: BOOK ONE OF ADDICTIVE SERIES
You've been warned.
It's amazing how involving I *still* find the Regency, even after many and various outrages perpetrated on its remnant mummy corpse. People with ultramod unprejudiced 'tudes bearing titles like Lord Shavingrazorden and the Duchess of Murkwatter,entertaining. People traveling to far points without seeming to spend the required months. I mean seriously, how did all those East Indiamen get to Fort Thingummy in Malaya in a twinkling? Ye Olde Concorde?
*ahem*
This book does its share of anachronism-perpetuating. Devlin, our hero, is a straight (in all senses)-ahead 21st century romance hero. Doesn't make him unappealing; it makes me a little impatient, I guess.
What makes this book so appealing to me is the atmosphere, the evocation of the London that one writer characterized as "...diamonds gleaming in the manure pile." Rich was better than poor by right; titles better than all the masses by right; royalty? Fuhgeddaboudit.
The characters around Devlin are all very clearly delineated, and several recur (no spoiler in that, since it's a series mystery) with evolving storylines that tie them into a unit in some unexpexcted and, honestly, some surprising and upsetting ways. Of course the female characters are single-emotion placeholders. I say of course because a first mystery usually has this minor and female character flaw, giving them shorter shrift than is advisable early on.
Withal the book is very worthy of your shelf space; the series is high quality reading; and the price of entry paltry compared to the pleasures you'll get.
The Publisher Says: 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 raped and savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol discovered 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.
Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian calls upon his skill as an agent during the war to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. In the process, he accumulates a band of unlikely allies, including the enigmatic beauty Kat Boleyn, who broke Sebastian's heart years ago. In Sebastian's world of intrigue and espionage, nothing is as it seems, yet the truth may hold the key to the future of the British monarchy, as well as to Sebastian's own salvation....
My Review: BOOK ONE OF ADDICTIVE SERIES
You've been warned.
It's amazing how involving I *still* find the Regency, even after many and various outrages perpetrated on its remnant mummy corpse. People with ultramod unprejudiced 'tudes bearing titles like Lord Shavingrazorden and the Duchess of Murkwatter,entertaining. People traveling to far points without seeming to spend the required months. I mean seriously, how did all those East Indiamen get to Fort Thingummy in Malaya in a twinkling? Ye Olde Concorde?
*ahem*
This book does its share of anachronism-perpetuating. Devlin, our hero, is a straight (in all senses)-ahead 21st century romance hero. Doesn't make him unappealing; it makes me a little impatient, I guess.
What makes this book so appealing to me is the atmosphere, the evocation of the London that one writer characterized as "...diamonds gleaming in the manure pile." Rich was better than poor by right; titles better than all the masses by right; royalty? Fuhgeddaboudit.
The characters around Devlin are all very clearly delineated, and several recur (no spoiler in that, since it's a series mystery) with evolving storylines that tie them into a unit in some unexpexcted and, honestly, some surprising and upsetting ways. Of course the female characters are single-emotion placeholders. I say of course because a first mystery usually has this minor and female character flaw, giving them shorter shrift than is advisable early on.
Withal the book is very worthy of your shelf space; the series is high quality reading; and the price of entry paltry compared to the pleasures you'll get.
Good fun read, which gleefully embraced historical mystery tropes and then ran with them, something I am definitely on board for! I really liked the scene setting, and the side characters, and the hilarity of the number of murders Sebastian manages to get accused of in an incredibly short period of time! I'm looking forward to picking up the next one. I did spend the entire book waiting for Sebastian to turn out to be a vampire or some other supernatural creature, because the book kept mentioning his weird yellow eyes and his unnatural reflexes and senses but… that never went anywhere, he’s just human, so that was disappointing.
A quick entertaining read, while travelling. Definitely absorbing, with a good atmosphere - though I can't judge how accurate it is. I wouldn't mind reading more in this series!
Pretty damn good very enjoyable can't wait to read the next one
Maybe a bit too "romancy" for me? This is the first of the series, so lots of character building. Post-French Revolution London, as elements of the tired PTSD Dr. Watson, unnatural, animalistic reflexes (like Sherlock), and various other bits that remind me of detectives I enjoy.
So this was fun, and diverting.
Sebastian apparently can attribute his exceptional hearing/sight/reflexes to Bithil Syndrome (no, he doesn't know this, it's 17th centuary England!)... which the author swears is a real thing:
http://csharris.blogspot.com/2014/08/about-that-syndrome.html
Hey, benefit of the doubt.
Will continue with this series.
So this was fun, and diverting.
Sebastian apparently can attribute his exceptional hearing/sight/reflexes to Bithil Syndrome (no, he doesn't know this, it's 17th centuary England!)... which the author swears is a real thing:
http://csharris.blogspot.com/2014/08/about-that-syndrome.html
Hey, benefit of the doubt.
Will continue with this series.
Not bad at all. Overwritten in places, and why the hero needs to have freakish eyesight and hearing and Scut Farkus-like YELLOW EYES! HE HAD YELLOW EYES! is beyond me.
3.5
Overall good, but it was just missing something. I ended up skimming toward the end because it wasn’t holding my interest as much as it had at the start.
Overall good, but it was just missing something. I ended up skimming toward the end because it wasn’t holding my interest as much as it had at the start.
This is a mystery set during the Regency in England. Sebastian St Cyr has sold his Army commission and returned from the war and finds himself framed for a murder of an actress. Whit the evidence fairly damning he still has a few friends that believe he is innocent and they help him uncover the truth. As the skein of lies is unraveling the real killer wants to take care of Sebastian and put it all to rest. A great start to a series and the introductions to the supporting players in the series feels natural and not forced. I liked it so much I’m now on book 4 before I even got a chance to writer my review.
My second murder mystery of the year! A lot of similarities to the other one: the time frame, the lead investigator, the hint of romance... they had different strengths and weaknesses, though. I would read more books in both series if they're at hand.
I don't even like mystery, but my timeline always had much to say about this series.
And I liked this. So engaging. Nicely character -driven.
And I liked this. So engaging. Nicely character -driven.