What Angels Fear (Sebastin St. Cyr #1)

  You may have noticed about a lack of adult book reviews posted lately. I've been through a really bad adult fiction reading slump lately. I'm trying several genres to help me snap out of it and so far it's been working. I thought I would give my first adult historical mystery a shot and picked up the first book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. I have a friend who really enjoys this series and suggested I give them a shot during my slump. I read and enjoyed the first one.


Description (from Goodreads): It's 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George Ill's England. A beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey, and the dueling pistol found at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man--Sebastian St. Cyr.

Review: The first book in the Sebastin St. Cyr series is off to a racing start with the gruesome near-decapitation and rape of a lovely actress. Sebastian St. Cyr, the youngest but only surviving son of an earl, stands accused of brutally raping and murdering a young actress. As he's led away by police, an accidental knifing of a police officer is also attributed to him. Sebastian runs, bent on finding the real murderer and clearing his own name. and an innocent man on the run. What turns out to be a simple murder mystery, quickly evolves into what seems to be a political game where the Whigs try to gain control of the government before the Tory prince becomes regent.
  I was pleasantly surprised by the fast-paced plot of this Victorian mystery. Harris does a great job in  pitting the sophisticated, overly mannered elite against the grimier lower echelons of 1811 London society. We see all social classes at work in the book as the plot and mystery unfold. I thought the mystery was very well interwoven. At first I was a bit disoriented by the sheer amount of characters that are introduced, but I quickly got over that when I realized that all of these seemingly unconnected people leads to a maze set with clues connecting everyone from the high-ranking politicians to actresses who have side jobs. What I found unusual is that a lot of the character development of Sebastian comes from the people who is associated with him.
  Since this is the first book in a series, there is much we don't know about Sebastian. We know that he was an intelligent officer in the army during the Napoleonic War and suffers from shell shocks or from post traumatic stress disorder. He does have a real life genetic mutation, which allows him to have uncanny seeing and hearing abilities. The author describes him as a Darcy and James Bond combo, so far I do find him charming and he does have the skills to be an effective sleuth. I am interested to get to know him better as I continue the series. What Angels Fear will appeal to readers who like historical fiction, political intrigue, romance, and of course mystery.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language, small sex scenes, and violence (which mostly happens off the page). Recommended for older teens and adults only.

If you like this book try: Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn, And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander, The Face of a Stranger by Anne Perry