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mamap's review against another edition
4.0
Oops. Gibson finds a body that he had stolen by the 'resurrection men' to study has been murdered.
Awkward.
Intriguing mystery set in the time of the war of 1812. Britain didn't find out that the United States had declared war for 6 weeks. Such was the time.
Awkward.
Intriguing mystery set in the time of the war of 1812. Britain didn't find out that the United States had declared war for 6 weeks. Such was the time.
ktaylor1164's review against another edition
4.0
Hurray! Kat is mostly gone, and Hero is stepping up to take her rightful place as the partner Sebastian needs--not only in a potential marriage, but also in investigating crimes. Solid story with continued good writing.
annhenry's review against another edition
4.0
The mystery of this one didnt engage me as much as previous books but i gave it a 4 for the very last chapter
constantreader471's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars rounded down to 4. This is an excellent historical fiction mystery series, set in 1812 London. I won a Goodreads giveaway of book 10 in the series 3 years ago and enjoyed it so much that I decided to read the rest of the series. I have been borrowing the books from the library.
Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is a wealthy heir who has developed a reputation for solving murders, sometimes at the request of a local magistrate, Sir Henry Lovejoy, and sometimes at the request of friends/relatives.
One of the people who assists him in his investigations is Paul Gibson, a surgeon friend of Devlin's from their time in the British army. Gibson pays grave robbers to dig up bodies so he can dissect them and learn more about the causes of death. But he comes to Devlin with a problem. He has a body of a young rising star at the Foreign Office in his mortuary, who was reported to have died of a heart attack. His examination of the body shows that Alexander Ross was murdered. He wants Devlin to find out who murdered him, even though it is not classified a murder by authorities.
Devlin agrees to help his friend and there are more deaths before the mystery is solved.
There is a side plot concerning Devlin's love life, which started in book 5 in the series.
I recommend that you start with book 1 and read them in order, as there are continuing plot elements throughout the series. I raced through this book in 2 days.
Two quotes:
Description of Ross "Alexander was a diplomat by profession. It can be a dangerous game, diplomacy. A dance of shadows in the darkness.".
Weather; "The day was sunny but not excessively hot, the sky arcing above the open fields a pale blue scattered with puffs of high white clouds."
Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is a wealthy heir who has developed a reputation for solving murders, sometimes at the request of a local magistrate, Sir Henry Lovejoy, and sometimes at the request of friends/relatives.
One of the people who assists him in his investigations is Paul Gibson, a surgeon friend of Devlin's from their time in the British army. Gibson pays grave robbers to dig up bodies so he can dissect them and learn more about the causes of death. But he comes to Devlin with a problem. He has a body of a young rising star at the Foreign Office in his mortuary, who was reported to have died of a heart attack. His examination of the body shows that Alexander Ross was murdered. He wants Devlin to find out who murdered him, even though it is not classified a murder by authorities.
Devlin agrees to help his friend and there are more deaths before the mystery is solved.
There is a side plot concerning Devlin's love life, which started in book 5 in the series.
I recommend that you start with book 1 and read them in order, as there are continuing plot elements throughout the series. I raced through this book in 2 days.
Two quotes:
Description of Ross "Alexander was a diplomat by profession. It can be a dangerous game, diplomacy. A dance of shadows in the darkness.".
Weather; "The day was sunny but not excessively hot, the sky arcing above the open fields a pale blue scattered with puffs of high white clouds."
crystenaq's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
jlo615's review against another edition
4.0
This mystery was compelling and had me guessing quite a bit. Definitely the most gruesome so far, but I also found myself chuckling at times. I am also more and more fascinated by Hero’s character.
tlt19's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
I have to admit that I got a bit confused on the political side of things but in the end I did get why the murders happened. I enjoy reading about Sebastian and Hero.
I have to admit that I got a bit confused on the political side of things but in the end I did get why the murders happened. I enjoy reading about Sebastian and Hero.
maferg01's review against another edition
5.0
A very in-depth mystery involving a huge cast of characters which leaves you guessing until the end even though the answer was right in front of you. Sebastian and Hero will be interesting together in future books and it will be interesting to see if C.S. Harris continues to involve Hero in Sebastian's detecting on a surface level or if she will become more involved after being married. I also have to say that the book ended in a most satisfying way.
snakeling's review against another edition
5.0
This book contains one of the funniest scenes I've read recently: I laughed so hard at the exhumation subplot that I started a coughing fit.
I also liked the glimpses of global politics we got throughout the mystery, the way countries form alliances and denounce them the minute they become inconvenient.
I also liked the glimpses of global politics we got throughout the mystery, the way countries form alliances and denounce them the minute they become inconvenient.
con_bonus's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5