LibraryI have a somewhat unsophisticated love for novels set in 1800s England and modern gothic romances. I blame it on my high school obsessed reading of Victoria Holt, Susan Howatch, and Phyllis Whitney. Mary Stewart came later, but is just as engrossing. Then Georgette Heyer and Joan Smith. My love of mysteries is older still, dating back to Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden. When friends from the 52 books in 52 weeks group recommended CS Harris' Sebastian St Cyr novels, I found I couldn't get to the library quickly enough.I enjoyed this murder mystery set in just-becoming-Regency England, one of my favorite time periods. The intrigues were engaging and the writing hooked me from the beginning, so I read quickly. The detecting without modern CSI-like technology but applying scientific strategies of the period made following St. Cyr's work un-put-downable. His reliance on the information from his witnesses, the political intrigues, family relationships, and red herrings added up to an engrossing read.Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin is going about his business, when he gets implicated in a murder. Rather than allowing the local courts to look into the matter, he escapes incarceration and investigates himself using the Intelligence skills he learned in the war against Napoleon.He meets a limited number of characters along the way which should make the reader be able to solve the mystery earlier than I did, albeit the clues are unfolded slowly. The introduction of unsavory characters as comrades is well done and the reader begins to feel sympathy toward them and their plight ... and an interest in what will become of them. In fact, this book sets up many threads that are not neatly tied up and that I'm excited to follow through upon in book 2. I particularly like liked this section where Tom (a pickpocket boy who has attached himself as a helper to Sebastian) talks about why he made that choice:"Why?" Sebastian asked suddenly, his gaze on the boy's sharp-featured, freckled face. "Why in God's name have you decided to throw in your lot with a man in my situation? I can't believe it's for a shilling a day, when you could earn many times that by simply lodging information against me at Bow Street.""I would never do that!""Why not? Many would. Perhaps most."The boy looked troubled. "There's lots o' bad things 'appen in this world. Lots o' bad things what 'appen, and lots o' folks what do bad things. But there's good, too. Me mum, before they put her on that ship for Botany Bay, she told me never to forget that. She said that things like 'onor, and justice, and love are the most important things in the world and that it's up to each and every one of us to always try to be the best person we can possibly be." Tom looked up, his nearly lashless eyes wide and earnest. "I don't think there's many what really believes in that. But you do.""I don't believe in any of that," Sebastian said, his voice harsh, his soul filled with terror by the admiration he saw shining in the young boy's eyes."Yes, you do. Only you thinks you shouldn't. That's all.""You're wrong," said Sebastian, but the boy simply smiled and walked on. (page 123, emphasis mine.) There were parts that disappointed me. The characters occasionally become a little modern, break the time period. At some points the writing became a bit flat - to be expected in a first novel. At others it was relatively gory (lots of blood everywhere). At still others there was a salaciousness that I prefer to avoid in my reading (yes, it the s*x was appropriate to the characters and the murder victim was also raped, but more descriptive than I find necessary - this book is definitely rated R). If you're looking for "clean, traditional" Regency romance, this is not the book for you. All that being said, I can skim and am looking forward to reading book 2.
Faced with more than thirty-hours of travel time from Wisconsin to Papua New Guinea, I pondered what reading material to carry with me, first considering and rejecting a book of William Gass’s literary essays as requiring too much concentration and thought. Next I thought I might choose David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, a novel I read in 2004 when I concluded that it was a technical tour-de-force lacking substantive content. Recent reviews of the book by a number of readers whom I respect have made me consider that I may have misjudged it, underestimating its ideas. But I decided to save that in my checked baggage for later reading on the trip. Finally, I picked this present novel as something potentially interesting but light enough to be compatible with interrupted reading during the flights. Alas, it was a disappointment.Let me first say what I didn’t like. Harris’s writing itself is banal and not noteworthy, her syntax unimaginative and her metaphors sometimes trite or forced. Most of her characters are two-dimensional and stereotyped, although a few do develop over the course of the narrative; thus, rather than rounded characters developing together, we have multiple layers of flat characters superimposed atop one another. Her ear for dialogue is rudimentary and undifferentiated among characters, except perhaps for young Tom, whose Cockney accent she captures well (although for a London street urchin of 1811 he is unconvincingly wise and sophisticated). The plot is broad, unsubtle, and mostly predictable, a recurrent cycle of fights, chases, romance, and sexual violence, in short a combination of second rate James Bond and bodice-ripper.There are a few features that, if not entirely redeeming, do temper my generally negative judgments. Harris does convincingly conjure the ambiance of early 19th century London, its fog and dirt and squalor, its extremes of wealth and class. And a few details of the plot are a little unexpected, refreshing oases in an otherwise humdrum landscape. Her portrayal of a society intent on the acquisition of power, prestige, and wealth while at the same time ignoring and willingly disposing of parts of its population that are disadvantaged rings uncomfortably true of our own society in early 21st century United States. Regency England politics was not much different from our political machinations today. In that sense Harris has presented a valuable mirror to our own life and times. And, yes, there were some acute psychological observations during the narrative, for which I give Harris credit. But these grains of wheat are rare enough to raise the question whether it was worth wading through the chaff.So did I make a good choice of traveling reading material? No, probably not. One sometimes hears the argument that there are times when reading for entertainment can complement or substitute for the reading of well-written literature. That is an argument I don’t buy, there being many works of literature that are both well-written and entertaining. There is no need to sacrifice one for the other. This novel is the first in a series featuring the protagonist Sebastian St. Cyr. (I conclude that the “Sebastian” may be a gesture of homage to the main figure in Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited. I regret to say that Harris is no Waugh.) I am little inclined to read subsequent novels in Harris’s series.
Do You like book What Angels Fear (2006)?
I love historical mysteries, but even in my limited experience with them, I have become choosy. I don't mind trying series mysteries, but am also past the honeymoon with them too. Too many times, I don't feel I'm getting my money's worth from buying all the books throughout the series -- in other words maybe I feel I have read 3-volume's worth of actual story for every six volumes purchased.But let me focus back to first of the latest series I am trying, What Angels Fear, a Sebastian St. Cyr mystery. Our early nineteenth century viscount-turned-detective Sebastian lives up to his romantic name in this story. Handsome and mysterious with his uncanny eyes and almost supernatural abilities, he is appealing and has enough disquiet in his life to assure us that mysteries of his own past will unfold along with whatever crimes may roll across his path. Sebastian is a former military intelligence man, who we soon learn has some good qualities including a certain amount of chivalry and respect for women and a feeling of responsibility to help the unending misfortunes of the common and poorer classes of England. His true and abiding love for an actress and courtesan indicates that he isn't tied up in the upper crust of society without hope for escape.There is a lot of cat and mouse within the plot of What Angels Fear, but it is still a pretty tight story. Set in 1811, the plot includes French espionage and details of the coming Regency, so the series promises a lot of interest for fans of historical fiction of the politics and royals of this era. I saw some comparisons of this book with Kate Ross' Kestrel series in other reviews. Harris' writing is slightly similar but I don't think I would really categorize Julian Kestrel with Sebastian St. Cyr. There's just a different feel to the characters.Basically, I am interested in moving on to the next St. Cyr book and I do recommend you give this C.S. Harris mystery a try.
—SarahC
Couldn't finish this book. It started off well, a solid crime, a touch of history. But then Harris wrote a scene that struck me as bad farce and I couldn't get back into the story. Eventually I gave up.At about pg 40, (view spoiler)[1 detective and 2 constables go to arrest a lord for the murder. There's no actual evidence, but the guy in charge doesn't like the lord. So the 2 constables and the lord are standing on some stairs in front of the lord's house next to the street. The detective is distracted, but still standing nearby. Constable #1 doesn't like the gentry so he just hauls off and hits the lord, who slaps him back. So Constable #1 pulls a knife and decides to stab the lord. Constable #2 isn't sure that's a good idea and starts to say so before slipping on the steps and falling down onto the knife. Constable #2 then quickly bleeds to death while the lord yells for a doctor. Constable #1 says, "oops" and then accuses the lord of killing Constable #2. So the lord jumps up onto a carriage and makes a break for it followed by Constable #1 driving another carriage. Ridiculous. (hide spoiler)]
—Cris
Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is charged with murder when a young actress if found mutilated in an old church and a gun marked with his name is found on the body. Smelling a setup, Sebastian runs from the authorities and decides to find the killer himself. In the process he hooks up with another actress named Kat Boleyn, a woman he once loved who ended up breaking his heart. The story was really good and it was difficult to deduce the killer, but with good reason -- the author didn't share all the information that the protagonist knew. That was a minor quibble, but the problem I really had were the characters themselves. The main character of Sebastian is the rakehell gentleman who is secretly sensitive, wounded and misunderstood. Then there is Kat, the prostitute with the heart of gold, and the very clever and intelligent street urchin. Sound familiar? The characters are cookie-cutter with nothing original to contribute. Although I enjoyed reading the book, the lack of originality will keep me from continuing the series.
—Dorie
