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76th out of 786 books
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1,640 voters
Cut to the Quick (Julian Kestrel Mysteries #1)
by
Kate Ross
To the ranks of great sleuths of ages past, add a new candidate - Julian Kestrel - a detective as historically authentic as Brother Cadfael and as dashing as Lord Peter Wimsey. Kestrel is the reigning dandy of London in the 1820s, famous for his elegant clothes and his unflappable sangfroid. One night he rescues a young aristocrat named Hugh Fontclair from a gambling house...more
Paperback, 337 pages
Published
April 1st 1994
by Penguin Crime
(first published 1993)
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These excellent Regency historical mysteries get even better as they go along. The sleuth, Julian Kestrel, is a dandy with a mysterious past, and there are many memorable supporting characters: Dipper, Kestrel's manservant and former pickpocket; Sally, Dipper's sister (whom I wanted to see more of after her initial appearance in A Broken Vessel); MacGregor, the crusty Scottish doctor; and young Philippa Fontclair (and I wonder if her name is meant as a homage to Dorothy Dunnett's Philippa Somerv...more
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The debut of Julian Kestrel and a very neatly done mystery. One of the great things about Kate Ross' writing is that while she creates a character with a number of extraordinary talents, she reveals the extent of them slowly of the course of the four books that she wrote so the reader is not overwhelmed by too much uniqueness. I always liked that Julian had enough personality quirks to be fascinating without being so overdone that his perfection was annoying. I also appreciated the little detail...more
Originally read in 2/2003 - Re-read and re-reviewed 2/2010
First Sentence: Mark Craddock paced slowly, deliberately, back and forth behind the desk in his study.
Regency dandy and detective Julian Kestrel rescues young Hugh Fontclair from embarrassment at a gambling hell and, in turn, is asked to serve as best man for Hugh’s forced marriage to Maud Craddock. Kestral, along with is man Dipper, travels to the Fontclair country home for a weekend with both families. The last thing he expected was to...more
First Sentence: Mark Craddock paced slowly, deliberately, back and forth behind the desk in his study.
Regency dandy and detective Julian Kestrel rescues young Hugh Fontclair from embarrassment at a gambling hell and, in turn, is asked to serve as best man for Hugh’s forced marriage to Maud Craddock. Kestral, along with is man Dipper, travels to the Fontclair country home for a weekend with both families. The last thing he expected was to...more
A nice murder mystery set in England in the 1820’s. The sleuth, Julian, is immensely likable, and I really wanted the book to be more about him. We learn that he’s a Regency dandy, and we’re given a few facts about him, but he jumps into detective mode before we get a good idea of what his life is like.
The book is strongly focused on the mystery, and it’s carefully, almost too deliberately crafted. Early on, for instance, some casual asides stand out rather obviously as clues. It’s enjoyable, ne...more
The book is strongly focused on the mystery, and it’s carefully, almost too deliberately crafted. Early on, for instance, some casual asides stand out rather obviously as clues. It’s enjoyable, ne...more
Julian Kestrel is wonderful. What can I say more?
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I had stumbled across Kate Ross’s most recent novel Whom the Gods Love. Her detective is Julian Kestrel, a rake who, with the help of Dipper, a reformed pickpocket, solves crimes that leave the Bow Street Runners (Scotland Yard’s predecessors) baffled. Naturally, I wanted to read the earlier Kestrel novels and I’m pleased to report that Ross’s first novel, Cut to the Quick lived up to my expectations. Julian has been invited to be best man at the wedding of Hugh Fontclair. He soon realizes som...more
May 30, 2013
Dropspun
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
mystery, historical mystery buffs
Shelves:
mystery-historical
I thought that "Cut to the Quick", by Kate Ross was an excellent historical mystery. It is set in London of the 1820's and is the debut book of a new series, with a sleuth called Julian Kestrel.
The setting was well described and I learned a few new facts about 1820's England -- I didn't know that they had no formal police officers (at least in the village where this is taking place), Some poor soul got badgered until they agreed to accept the position, and that was it! Didn't sound like there wa...more
The setting was well described and I learned a few new facts about 1820's England -- I didn't know that they had no formal police officers (at least in the village where this is taking place), Some poor soul got badgered until they agreed to accept the position, and that was it! Didn't sound like there wa...more
Do you know what it is to love someone unworthy? When you can't respect the person you love, you can't respect yourself.
This is a good start to a Regency mystery series featuring Julian Kestrel. It is well-written, the plot is reasonable and moves in a believable pace and direction. Without modern detective tools, the people involved in solving the mystery use mainly deduction, reason, and observation to solve the case.
The characters were mostly well-written, none were so outlandish as to be unb...more
This is a good start to a Regency mystery series featuring Julian Kestrel. It is well-written, the plot is reasonable and moves in a believable pace and direction. Without modern detective tools, the people involved in solving the mystery use mainly deduction, reason, and observation to solve the case.
The characters were mostly well-written, none were so outlandish as to be unb...more
After saving Hugh Fontclair from embarrassing himself in a gaming hell, suave and stylish Julian Kestrel receives an invitation to act as best man at Hugh’s upcoming nuptials. This, despite the fact, that the two had never met before that night. Intrigued (and eager to give his finances a rest), Kestrel and Dipper, a former pickpocket turned valet, head off to Bellegarde, the Fontclair’s country estate. Before long it becomes quite clear that the family is in turmoil. Mark Craddock, once a Fontc...more
A few months after Julian Kestral, a fashionable lounger, helps Hugh Fontclair out of a scrape, he's invited to be best man at Hugh's wedding. Kestral is surprised--he's only met Hugh that once--but intrigued. He travels to the Fontclair estate, hoping for a restful vacation in the country, only to find that the family members are all at each others' throats. Then someone is found murdered. First because he's curious, then because he's worried for his manservant, Kestral insists on investigating...more
I give up. After procrastinating for almost a week, I'm still no nearer articulating my reaction to this book. Instead, I keep recalling Northwest Smith's reaction to transcendental beauty in C. L. Moore's "Black Thirst" — a mind-disorienting sense of vertigo.
Cut to the Quick is a Regency murder mystery in the tradition of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction adhering, consciously or unconsciously, to Knox's Rules or Van Dine's Commandments. No twists, no plot holes, no omniscient narrator sleigh...more
Cut to the Quick is a Regency murder mystery in the tradition of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction adhering, consciously or unconsciously, to Knox's Rules or Van Dine's Commandments. No twists, no plot holes, no omniscient narrator sleigh...more
Possibly three and a half stars. The strength of this book was the mystery, which was compelling and well-plotted, with enough red herrings to keep me guessing. The main character, Julian Kestrel, is essentially Lord Peter but one hundred years earlier and without a title. He's fairly good company without being particularly original or surprising. The supporting characters are well drawn and colorful. I had some problems with a lack of historical detail, actually. I couldn't tell except from the...more
An excellent mystery set in the Regency period. Although I figured out who the killer was early on, there were enough red herrings thrown in that I was doubting myself. I enjoyed reading about Julian Kestrel and his ex-pick pocket valet, Dipper and look forward to revisiting them in the next three books.
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I’m gullible when it comes to mysteries. Every red herring will throw me off the scent. Cut to the Quick by Kate Ross brings a new set of mysteries and a new amateur sleuth from the Regency period into my life to continue confusing me for a few books. The sleuth in question is Julian Kestrel, the reigning dandy of London in the 1820s, famous for his elegant clothes and his imperturbable composure.
The only authorial problem I had with the novel was the very beginning. The book opens with a Mr....more
The only authorial problem I had with the novel was the very beginning. The book opens with a Mr....more
Hurray for Felony & Mayhem for reprinting this book, originally published in 1993. This is a great combination of Regency and Mystery. So true to the style of the "Regency Romance" that I love and also very much an "Murder She Wrote" in that the main "detective" is really just a visitor, invited to a wedding when he finds a dead girl in his bed. Julian Kestrel is a wonderful Regency-era dandy in "full rig" but a smart and caring man (as they so often are) who really wants to see justice done...more
"You're cynical. I thought you would be. Can you sneer?"
"With terrifying effect."
Hugh Fontclair finds himself drunk and seriously out of his depth at a gaming hell where he is taken by his feckless cousin to celebrate his engagement. He is rescued by a gentleman of the dandy set named Julian Kestrel and is sent home safe and sound. Thankful, Hugh invites Julian to his family home, a gorgeous mansion & estate that dates back to Elizabethan times, for a house party to celebrate his nuptials.
Ju...more
"With terrifying effect."
Hugh Fontclair finds himself drunk and seriously out of his depth at a gaming hell where he is taken by his feckless cousin to celebrate his engagement. He is rescued by a gentleman of the dandy set named Julian Kestrel and is sent home safe and sound. Thankful, Hugh invites Julian to his family home, a gorgeous mansion & estate that dates back to Elizabethan times, for a house party to celebrate his nuptials.
Ju...more
Good story, but I found the writing/dialogue to be ponderous. Am going to check out another one, because Ross came highly recommended, and it's possible that this is a first novel sort of problem that will shake out.
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First in a series starring rake-turned-detective Julian Kestrel. Julian is a fabulously entertaining character, which is just as well, since the actual mystery here is a bit subpar. There's an awful lot of interminable chatting about this suspect or that clue, which gets mighty old mighty quick, but the charm of Julian, his servant and former thief Dipper, and the all-too-little-used young heiress Philippa Fontclair make the sometimes dull plot worth plodding through.
The characters were enough t...more
The characters were enough t...more
Ross presents the reader with a polished little gem of a puzzle, Regency in its manners but thoroughly Miss Marple at heart. Compelling in its characters and pace, though perhaps a little curious in being so disinterested in the series hero it's supposed to be introducing. Who is this Kestrel, anyway? Only The Shadow knows, since Ross never really bothers to tell us. The main quibble I have here is a technical one: Ross keeps letting her POV slip, tripping from character to character within a c...more
This book is simply adorable. I enjoyed lingering over the dialogue, the long meaningful glances between characters, and their subtle wit. Just a delicious read, and a delicious main character in Julian Kestrel. The only thing I would have wished for was a more judicious hand with the editing - large sections of the book really dragged on more than necessary. Otherwise it would have easily been been a four-star book. I enjoyed the dialogue throughout but it was a bit overdone, and I found myself...more
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was perhaps not in the same sphere as Anne Perry's Thomas Pitt and perhaps a little below the Sebastian St. Cyr novels but I still enjoyed it. The book was a little choppy and the author still seemed to be finding her voice however there were some passages that truly shined. Including all of the ones with Phillipa in them. I think in the next couple books Julian will start to separate himself from the pack. His character seemed a little bland. Perhaps he will be...more
Oct 08, 2011
Kate Forsyth
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-mystery
Another historical murder mystery (I really do love them!), this one was actually very good. The amateur detective in this case is Julian Kestrel, a dandy who seems more concerned with the cut of his coat than with anything else. He is, however, a dandy with more a quick wit and a warm heart, though he does the best to keep both of these hidden. Staying at a country estate, he is confounded to find a dead girl in his bed. What follows is a really intriguing mystery with lots of twists and turns,...more
1820's London, Julian Kestrel is a dandy who, in this first novel of the series, finds himself involved in an murder investigation of an unknown young woman, who happens to be found in his own bed. If he cannot find the true killer, he or his manservant stand to be accused. Kestrel is a charming character and a mystery himself. He is a dandy on the surface, but there is much more to him than meets the eye. Of these four listed series, these Kestrel mysteries are the closest to being fair play. I...more
(3.5 stars). This is the first book in the Julian Kestrel series, set in the Regency period. At first, Julian seems like a fellow interested in being fashionable, but after he rescues a young man from a gaming hall, we begin to see that he is more than initially meets the eye. Hugh, to Julian's surprise asks him to be the best man at his wedding and invites him to the family country estate. What Julian finds is that the bride and groom's families are not at ease with each other and have a past,...more
London 1820 dandy Kestrel, invited to Fontclair country house Bellegarde, where fired groom made good Mark Craddock has blackmailed family heir Hugh to marry his shy daughter Maud, finds unknown beautiful knifed corpse in his bed. His pickpocket turned manservant Dipper is jailed, Kestrel bounces ideas off gruff local physician MacGregor, rather much like Holmes and Watson - maybe set up for sequels. Favorite time and place, incorporates social mores and customs (manners, duels) without heavy re...more
Implausible but entertaining Regency mystery of the traditional English sort: house parties, family secrets, engagements, silly servants, bumbling local authorities, ridiculous webs of lies, lots of descriptions of clothing, many cups of tea.
It's obvious that Ross is steeped in both the mystery and Regency romance traditions. Her lovers misunderstand one another, her local gentry are haughty, and her detective is smarter than anyone else around. Julian Kestrel is almost too much of a good thing...more
It's obvious that Ross is steeped in both the mystery and Regency romance traditions. Her lovers misunderstand one another, her local gentry are haughty, and her detective is smarter than anyone else around. Julian Kestrel is almost too much of a good thing...more
A late regency era mystery featuring a pink of the ton amateur sleuth named Julian Kestrel. Julian is somewhat unwittingly dragged into the secretive and scandalous inner turmoil of the outwardly respectable Fontclair family when he finds a murdered girl in his bed while staying at their country house. As he investigates trying to clear his and his valet’s names of the crime he discovers he has a talent and a somewhat reluctant fascination with investigating crime. This is the first in a series...more
Cut to the Quick is book #1 in the Julian Kestrel mysteries, set in 1824 London. I have been dying to read this series, after I first learnt about it from Deanna Raybourn's blog. I was afraid that I had built up these books too high in my mind, but I can say that that wasn't the case with Cut to the Quick.
Kestrel is an almost Beau Brummell type figure, but with more brains. One day he receives an invitation to be best man at a wedding, the wedding of Hugh Fontclair and Maud Craddock. Problem is,...more
Kestrel is an almost Beau Brummell type figure, but with more brains. One day he receives an invitation to be best man at a wedding, the wedding of Hugh Fontclair and Maud Craddock. Problem is,...more
A really interesting story with a convoluted plot that does, I think make sense once all the details are know. Kind of a tragic ending, though. I like Julian Kestrel a lot as the investigator/hero, and the cast that includes a curmudgeonly doctor, people whose sense of honor leads them astray, and people whose sense of honor actually keeps them on the right path. Nonetheless, I think the characters aren't quite as well-developed as those in the 3rd volume of the series, which I happened to read...more
I'm partial to murder mysteries, and as such this was a fun read. I also appreciate it when I don't have a good guess as to who committed the crime until late in the book. The characters are well rounded and believable. It takes place in England in the 1820s and the language was my favorite part. I had to look up a few words just to satisfy my curiosity. (ex. Coxcomb, parvenus, fustian, physicking, quod, gowk, dimmock, aegis.) It makes me wish the english language hadn't become quite as bastardi...more
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Kate Ross, born Katherine Jean Ross, was an American mystery author who wrote four books set in Regency-era England about dandy Julian Kestrel. The novels in the series are Cut to the Quick (1994), which won the 1994 Gargoyle award for Best Historical Mystery, A Broken Vessel (1995), Whom the Gods Love (1996), and The Devil in Music (1997), which won the 1997 Agatha Award for Best Novel. The Lulla...more
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