When Gods Die: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery

You have to read these in order- although she does make concessions for those who don’t, the series rewards commitment. That being said, this is not the strongest book- she introduces a number of plot lines that will be worked out in later volumes- and the writing is not as tight and focused - probably because she was a Katrina refugee at the time-!

Great research, interesting characters, exciting to the very end.

In June 1811 Prince George of Wales was named Regent of Great Britain. While celebrating in Brighton shortly before his ascension, a young woman is found dead in his apartments. The Prince can't remember how she got there, much less how she came to have a daggar in her back. Did the Prince kill her? Why? To help clear His Highness' name, Detective Jarvis hires Viscount Devlin, Sebastian St Cyr, who was cleared of murder charges a few months prior (in the series' debut novel, "What Angels Fear"). Devlin doesn't care much about the case itself; however, the dead woman was found wearing a necklace that was around his mother's neck when she drowned sixteen years earlier. How did she get it? Is his mother alive? And what does the Prince have to do with all of this? As usual, the mystery is full of many turns and interesting points. I must admit that I enjoyed this one more than its prequel. This may have to do with the fact that I was already familiar with the characters and their individual stories. The main players who survived the first novel are back; Sebastian's on-again-off-again girlfriend Kat, his young street urchin Tom, and even his nasty sister Amanda. There are a few readers who have felt betrayed by the books for their lack of historical accuracy. Because I have a very limited knowledge of Regency England, this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book. I found "When Gods Die" to be intriguing, exciting, and enjoyable.

Perhaps because the reader is already familiar with many of the characters and with the social and political setting from the first book in this series, "What Angels Fear", the second Sebastian St Cyr mystery, "When Gods Die" moves along quickly and easily and is far more engaging. While I still don't warm up to him as I did to Julian Kestrel in the very similar Kate Ross series, he makes an interesting detective. The power politics and the dreadful Regent, the future George IV, "Prinny", don't bog the book down as much as one might expect. The writing and dialog is excellent, with descriptions that are vivid without going on too long. Even my partner, who despises books about 'nobs' obsessed with their attire and social whirl, enjoyed this book and quizzed me about how the Hanover dynasty ever became England's rulers. So while I think you do need to read the first novel to know who people are and what is going on, this one is far better and more fun.

Perhaps because I was already familiar with many of the characters and with the social and political setting from the first book in this series, "What Angels Fear", the second Sebastian St Cyr mystery, "When Gods Die" moved along quickly and easily and was even more engaging. While I still don't quite adore Sebastian as I do Julian Kestrel in the fairly similar Kate Ross series, he makes an interesting detective. The power politics and the dreadful Regent, the future George IV, "Prinny", don't bog the book down as one might fear. The writing and dialog are excellent, with descriptions that are vivid without going on and on. Even my partner, who despises books about 'nobs' obsessed with their attire and social whirl, enjoyed this book and quizzed me about how the Hanover dynasty ever became England's rulers. So while I think you do need to read the first novel to know who people are and what is going on, this one is far better and more fun.

CS Harris is actually the pseudonym of Dr. Candice Proctor, a university history professor who has written a nonfiction study of 18th century attitudes toward gender roles (Women, Equality, and the French Revolution). I suggest Tracy from Anaheim read this work and acquaint herself with the thoughts of people such as the Marquis de Condorcet and Mary Wollstonecraft before setting herself up as an expert on 18th political thought. There were also, incidentally, many 18th and early 19th century thinkers who were disturbed by both the on-going genocide of the Native Americans and black slavery. Sebastian St. Cyr is a fascinating, multi-dimensional character created by a brilliant storyteller familiar with all the nuances of the period. I am eagerly awaiting the future installments in this exciting, fast-paced new series.

In Brighton in June 1811, the Prince Regent hosts a fete at the Royal Pantheon when he finds the woman he planned to make his mistress dead with a dagger in her back. The Prince falls apart so it is up to LordJarvis to learn what happened. He asks Viscount Sebastian St. Cyr to find out who killed Marchioness Guinevere Anglessey. St. Cry declines until he sees the necklace the victim is wearing. The last time St. Cyr saw the necklace his mother wore it on the day she died at sea. The dagger belongs to Prinny, but Guinevere actually died from arsenic poisoning. Many English believe the Hanover dynasty is tainted with madness and assume the crazy Regent killed his latest whore; some go so far as to believe the country would better off with a Stuart restoration. Civil war seems imminent as St. Cyr considers how Guinevere fit in a highly charged political picture as she didn't dabble in affairs of state only in affairs with heads of state and had no connection to the Stuarts except the necklace. C. S. Harris cleverly uses words to paint vivid colorful pictures of a decadent era symbolized by its hedonist prince and a country divided like a checkerboard in many chaotic ways. The hero is intent on solving the mystery of the necklace perhaps more than the homicide though he knows uncovering the killer might give him clues as to how Guinevere got his mother's death jewelry. The cast brings out the ambience of the era inside a realistic entertaining whodunit. Harriet Klausner