C. S. Harris (1)

The third volume in the series and for me everything went up a notch. The mystery which Sebastian investigates is a grisly one: young men are being found mutilated with objects placed in their mouths, objects which he realises quite early on relate to a poem. This story has non stop twists and turns as more elements of the mystery come to light. And there is also a big revelation, stemming from the efforts of Sebastian's lover, Kat, to avoid him ever finding out that she used to spy for France. It's a big shock moment and the aftermath between two other characters hint that there is yet another layer to the secret which, if I'm correct, is an even more shocking revelation in store for the future.

Hero, the daughter of Sebastian's powerful enemy, Jarvis, features more in this and I much prefer her character to Kat so that was a bonus. Sebastian also acquires a valet who is not only non-squeamish about his master's murder investigations, but will be a good source of information on the criminal underworld. There wasn't quite enough of Tom, who has been my favourite in the series, but I still found it such a good read, with obvious signs that the series has finally hit its stride, that I rate this a full five stars.… (meer)

After the great boost the series achieved in volume 3, this book continues in the same vein. It opens with Hero Jarvis, daughter of Sebastian's powerful enemy, interviewing a young woman in the Magdalen House run by the Society of Friends (Quakers) to help prostitutes leave the trade. Hero is intrigued by the woman whose accent shows her to be of the same social background as Hero herself, rather than the poor women from city or country that she normally encounters in her research. Her goal is to write a paper to try to convince Parliament that women mainly go into prostitution through dire need, not because they are inherently lacking in morals as the conventional view would have it.

Disaster strikes as the building is invaded by murderous men who begin to kill everyone there. Showing her usual presence of mind, Hero manages to get herself and the young woman, who goes by the name of Rose, onto the roof and then jumps down onto one of the villains, knocking him out. She and Rose run and nearly escape, but as they near Hero's carriage, a shot rings out and Rose dies in Hero's arms. Hero decides to investigate the mass murder after the house is torched to conceal the atrocity and the authorities hush it up as a house fire despite the obvious wounds on the bodies. As her father forbids her to approach the Bow Street magistrate who would be in charge of investigation, she involves Sebastian instead.

There was plenty of action in this story, in which a complicated conspiracy was gradually revealed. Both Sebastian and Hero had to fight for their lives on more than one occasion, and Hero was a great foil for him with her superb competence, which includes being a good shot. Despite Sebastian's efforts to shield her, as a gentlewoman, from the nastier and more disturbing aspects of the case, she uncovers a lot of the facts for herself and handles her discoveries with equanimity. The one thing I wasn't so convinced by was the manner in which the author finally 'gets them together' - even facing certain death, it seemed a bit of a stretch. But otherwise, the setup for the series is all properly in place now, especially since, by the end of the book, his magistrate friend is also looking to be far better placed to help Sebastian in future. Not quite a full rating due to my reservations, but a solid 4 star read.… (meer)

In the second volume of the series, Viscount Devlin aka Sebastian St. Cyr, is called in by a government minister to investigate and hopefully exonerate the Prince Regent from involvement in the murder of a young aristocratic woman after he was found with her dead body. Devlin is drawn into the investigation because the necklace worn by the dead woman once belonged to his supposedly late mother who disappeared at sea when he was just a young boy. And thus opens a story where Sebastian is to face disillusionment and heartbreak.

Despite this he manages to become involved in several bouts of fisticuffs and more serious assaults. Luckily, he has seen active service in the army and is a match for all kinds of deadly assailants. I was rather concerned about young Tom, though, the boy who helped him in book 1 and who is now in his service as a tiger - a Regency role whereby young boys rode on the backs of their masters' carriages as lightweight grooms - and all round spy and investigator. Tom is my favourite character in this series and he did fall into serious danger at one point in the story.

The fate of the young woman was tragic and quite affecting, but I did find the story dragged a bit about two thirds of the way through and I left it aside for a few weeks before continuing. But it does pick up quite well towards the end. So overall I would rate this as 3 stars.… (meer)

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.… (meer)