This is the first in a series set just as the Regency period is about to commence: a bill is before Parliament to appoint George III's heir as Regent in view of the King's mental incapacity. Sebastian St Cyr finds himself a wanted man after a woman is violently murdered in a church at night and has to investigate the crime in an attempt to clear his own name. Along the way, he makes an alliance with Tom, a street urchin who has useful skills, and rekindles a romance with Kat, a now-successful actress who broke off their relationship six years before.

The political climate of the time is well evoked with the tussle for control of the government between the incumbent Tories and the more liberal Whigs (who later evolved into the Liberal Party and later on, after a few more changes, the Liberal Democrats). There is also the ongoing conflict with France which is viewed as the prime threat to stability of the United Kingdom, even after the excesses of the Revolution there have abated. The Tories are less troubled by the extremes of poverty and wealth in their own country, preferring to treat any protest against that with severity. Certain characters are spying for France and it seems the first victim may have been involved, leading to a wide range of suspects.

I didn't find the characters so well developed. The hero, with his strange abilities - enhanced hearing and night vision - and yellow eyes, is ex-military intelligence, an expert in disguises, a good shot and a superb fencer. (I acknowledge that the afterword gives a rationale based on a genetic condition for the eye colour and sensory enhancements.) The heroine is intelligent and beautiful. The bedroom scenes are somehow a bit too perfect, involving perfect people at least physically. There is some depth in that the heroine is hiding something major from the hero, which the reader is privy to, but I found it difficult to warm to either character. My favourite in the book was Tom, the failed pickpocket, who yearns to work with horses and does finally get his wish.

One thing I didn't like was the repeated graphic detail about the murdered woman's demise. Perhaps it would have been merited initially to convey the sheer sadistic nature of the killer, but it is constantly reiterated. The constant back and forth from place to place to interview people who might know something also becomes a bit repetitive especially as there are one or two red herrings which seem surplus to proceedings. One might even have been a loose end overlooked by the author, or else in the overcomplication I lost track of exactly why Sebastian's mother might have written a certain affidavit and why, if it was stolen from his father, it would not have been destroyed years ago given its scandalous content.

I would note for anyone in the UK interested in reading these books that although they don't appear to have been published here, it is possible to pick them up second-hand through the usual book buying sites. I obtained the first four that way, though probably won't bother with any more on the basis of my level of enjoyment so far.

On balance I am rating this at 3 stars. ( )

The first in the St. Cyr mystery series that takes place just as the Regency period of (future) George IV is being installed.

The book starts from the POV of a young woman who is brutally murdered; the final thought in the prologue is "she knew she'd made a terrible mistake." This thought proves a foundation to who could possibly be the murderer and lends credence to Sebastian St. Cyr as he tries to solve her slaying.

Main characters in the series are introduced: Jarvis, who knows his mind is better than anyone else's; Sebastian St. Cyr; his father, Hendon, holding the office of Exchequer; Kate, an actress who has shared her heart with Sebastian in the past and now; and the landscape of 1811 London with all its class structure and a burgeoning police investigative arm.

One of the more refreshing parts of this book is the main characters' reactions to Rachel. She is an actress whose rooms are paid for by a paramour, and she has a past and a brain that has helped her get away from her past. The characters on her side do not discount her for being an actress and a paid companion in order to earn money; it's the characters who sneer at her who are the dislikable ones in this tapestry.

The mystery is engaging, the characters are well-done, and the ending was quite shocking. Just the perfect thing for foggy London nights! ( )

This series has been popping up on my radar for years and years, and I always thought I need to try those, and then something shiny would distract me. When Jennifer's books posted about one of the more recent books in the series, it was the motivation I needed to check out the first one from my library.

At 400+ pages, I was wary of what I was getting into, but the pace is fast enough to make the pages fly by. They flew even faster when I started skimming some of the more descriptively verbose sections, the kind you're either in the mood for, or you aren't. I really liked Sebastian and was disappointed that his friend (Sir Christopher?) wasn't around more - I liked the dynamic between them best for its light-hearted banter. I'm reserving judgement about Kat and the rest of the cast as there was an element of ... not melodrama, but Very Serious, to the tone of this book that I'm hoping is a natural result of the plot, rather than the series' permanent tone.

The one thing I categorically did not like was the graphicness. Harris seemed to take particular delight in trying to sicken the reader with the perverseness of the crime, bring it up again, and again, and dwelling on details [spoiler]Trigger warning for rape and necrophilia.[/spoiler]. I have speculations about what drove her to write like this, but I'll keep them to myself, as they aren't very generous, but suffice it to say I didn't care for the heavy handedness.

I did like everything else though; the multi-threaded approach to the investigation, with multiple POVs handled gracefully, the intricateness of the plotting and the confidence of the characters. I am definitely interested in reading the next book in what is a very long series. If the heavy handed graphicness continues, well, they're library loans. God bless libraries! ( )

35% in and not feeling it

I hadn't read anything by this author before, but I really enjoyed all the historical details, and the story held my interest. It's a tad dark and gruesome for a historical mystery, but I didn't mind that. And the mystery felt complex enough that it wasn't obvious, but not so convoluted that I became lost or couldn't work anything out myself. I'm looking forward to continuing with this series. ( )