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42nd out of 526 books
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When Gods Die (Sebastian St. Cyr #2)
by
C.S. Harris
Brighton, England, 1811. The beautiful wife of an aging Marquis is found dead in the arms of the Prince Regent. Draped around her neck lies an ancient necklace with mythic origins-and mysterious ties to Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin. Haunted by his past, Sebastian investigates both the Marchioness's death and his own possible connection to it-and discovers a complex p...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
November 7th 2006
by New American Library
(first published 2006)
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This is my first Sebastian St. Cyr book and now I absolutely have to read all of them. Our hero, the Viscount Devlin, was never meant to hold that title but his two older brothers died, then he lost his mother died in a boating accident (her body was never found.) He has a lovely actress mistress, Kat Boleyn, and a tiger (servant), Tom, pickpocket turned assistant to Sebastian. These are great characters just for a Regency romance but throw in a mystery and I am so hooked on these books.
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At the Royal Pavilion, Brighton, the beautiful, very young wife of an old Marquis is found dead in the arms of the Prince Regent, with a jeweled dagger from the Regent's collection of Stuart memorabilia, that once belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie, in her back. An ill-fitting green silk dress and an ancient bluestone and silver triskelion necklace said to have been worn by the Druid priestesses of Wales is her only adornment.
Shadowed by rumors of his last involvement with a murder c...more
Shadowed by rumors of his last involvement with a murder c...more
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Wow! The plotting, the characterization, the world building, the depth of layers, everything conspires to make this series one of the best I have ever read.
The hero, Sebastion St. Cyr, is coerced into investigating who murdered a young woman and is framing the Prince Regent in 1811 England. He agrees to help only when he discovers that the dead woman was wearing a necklace that once belonged to his mother, thought drowned in a boating accident many years before, while wearing that same ne...more
The hero, Sebastion St. Cyr, is coerced into investigating who murdered a young woman and is framing the Prince Regent in 1811 England. He agrees to help only when he discovers that the dead woman was wearing a necklace that once belonged to his mother, thought drowned in a boating accident many years before, while wearing that same ne...more
Because I enjoyed What Angels Fear so much, I put the entire Sebastian St. Cyr series on my to-read list. This is the second book in the series, although it would stand alone well enough.
In this story, the Queen Square magistrate, Sir Henry, has one again asked Sebastian to assist him an investigation. The unpopular Prince Regent is found in a compromising position with the very young wife of an elderly marquis -- and the young lady is dead. She is also wearing a necklace that has...more
In this story, the Queen Square magistrate, Sir Henry, has one again asked Sebastian to assist him an investigation. The unpopular Prince Regent is found in a compromising position with the very young wife of an elderly marquis -- and the young lady is dead. She is also wearing a necklace that has...more
This is the second installment in C.S. Harris's series of Regency-era mysteries featuring Sebastian St. Cyr, the Viscount Devlin. George, Prince of Wales (aka Prinny) has just assumed the Regency and already fears for his throne. The portly, pampered, extravagant prince is vastly unpopular with the people and his cause is not helped when the beautiful Marchioness of Anglessy is found dead in his arms, with a dagger that once belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie in her back, in the Royal Pavilion ...more
The second book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series…my new obsession *grin* Although Sebastian is no longer fighting to clear his name, his days investigating mysteries are thankfully not over. This time sees him investigating the death of a woman who is found in the Prince Regent’s rooms at Brighton. People have told me that this is their least favorite book in the series so far but I enjoyed it and didn’t find it lacking. The mystery was decent and nicely woven into some historical events of the t...more
A young noblewoman is found stabbed in the private rooms of the Prince Regent, casting suspicion on the vain, spendthrift monarch in a time of political unrest fed by the revolutions in France and America. Viscount Devlin is summoned to investigate in this second outing of the Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries.
Devlin is intrigued, not because of any political or royalist loyalties but why the woman was wearing a mysterious necklace last seen when Devlin's mother was lost at sea when he wa...more
Devlin is intrigued, not because of any political or royalist loyalties but why the woman was wearing a mysterious necklace last seen when Devlin's mother was lost at sea when he wa...more
A solid and interesting historical novel set in the 1700's. Although this book did not have the depth of detail like many historical fiction novels it was still a goodread. I found the book both interesting and hard to put down. The flow of the book made this book an easy read.
The only two problems that I had with this book is that there are 7 names or titles for each character. This makes it sometimes confusing at first. I realize that in old English Society everyone has titles, and...more
The only two problems that I had with this book is that there are 7 names or titles for each character. This makes it sometimes confusing at first. I realize that in old English Society everyone has titles, and...more
Brief Summary:
The Prince Regent is discovered clutching the lifeless body of a murdered marchioness. Further complicating matters, the necklace around the dead woman's neck was last worn by Sebastian St. Cyr's mother, who died more than 10 years earlier. Personal intrigue draws Sebastian into investigating the murder of the marchioness but investigation quickly turns to political intrigue and rebellion.
Why I picked it up:
After reading the first in the series, I co...more
The Prince Regent is discovered clutching the lifeless body of a murdered marchioness. Further complicating matters, the necklace around the dead woman's neck was last worn by Sebastian St. Cyr's mother, who died more than 10 years earlier. Personal intrigue draws Sebastian into investigating the murder of the marchioness but investigation quickly turns to political intrigue and rebellion.
Why I picked it up:
After reading the first in the series, I co...more
Sebastian St. Cyr has to be one of my favorite fictional characters, and I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this 2nd book of the series. I enjoyed it the first time around, but appreciated it even more this time. I am reading the series over again in preparation for the release of the next book in the series. I found the storyline in this book to be fast paced and intriguing. It held my interest from the very beginning. I love Sebastian, and there are many compelling secondary characters in the boo...more
Keri
rated it
The Prince Regent is completely surprised that the woman that he just propositioned is not sitting there in a provocative pose, she is sitting there with a knife in her back...dead. Of course since this is a delicate matter with the Prince, Sebastian St. Cyr is called in to solve the crime.
Sebastian eagerly takes on the case, because on the neck of the dead woman is a necklace that was on his mother's neck the day she was lost at sea 17 years ago. How can the two cases be linked toget...more
Sebastian eagerly takes on the case, because on the neck of the dead woman is a necklace that was on his mother's neck the day she was lost at sea 17 years ago. How can the two cases be linked toget...more
Sebastian St. Cyr is a wonderful character and Harris' writing is phenomenal. The novels are part regency romance, part detective novel, part Brontean/Eliotesque social novel. I have never not been surprised in reading one of these--things happen with the protagonist(s) that you would never suspect as a reader. In fact, Sebastian's personal history is just as engrossing as the novel itself. It is that, actually which keeps me wanting to read this series. It's almost like watching Spooks/MI-...more
C.S. Harris was going to speak at a conference and that spurred me to read her books. Now I can’t put down her Sebastian St. Cyr series, set in Regency England. They are page-turners with great characters and twists you’ll never predict and all the other fun of a suspenseful read. They are also crystal windows into a particular moment and place. It was delightful to listen to C.S. Harris talk about her research methods and her love of history...For the complete review
Second book in the Sebastian St Cyr novels....and I think book 2 is an improvement over book 1. Book 1 consisted of a lot of introductions to the characters and with book 2 I was able to enjoy the mystery without a lot of explanation regarding the primary characters and their roles. I really like Sebastian and Tom and their relationship. I want to like Kat but I find her frustrating at times, although that also lends to her believability as a character. I thought the mystery was well develop...more
Not as good as the first installment, I thought. Although, unlike the first book, Sebastian did have a lot more freedom, seeing as how he wasn't running from the law.
The fact that throughout the book Sebastian was being followed kept my interest. The thought that there was someone hiding behind a bush or in a dark alley ready to off him at any minute him was pretty exciting.
They were a lot of action, chases and close get-aways to keep my attention peeked throughout the bo...more
The fact that throughout the book Sebastian was being followed kept my interest. The thought that there was someone hiding behind a bush or in a dark alley ready to off him at any minute him was pretty exciting.
They were a lot of action, chases and close get-aways to keep my attention peeked throughout the bo...more
I liked this better than the previous book, because Sebastian could move around more freely. We learn a lot about his past, and it seems like he's really grown as a character.
My one big complaint is about that necklace that first catches Sebastian's interest. It's the main reason he got involved, and comes up again and again in the investigation. Yet even after we understand how it got where it was, there was still no explanation of why it was there. For some reason that detail still...more
My one big complaint is about that necklace that first catches Sebastian's interest. It's the main reason he got involved, and comes up again and again in the investigation. Yet even after we understand how it got where it was, there was still no explanation of why it was there. For some reason that detail still...more
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This is the second book in the series. St. Cyr is called to help find who murdered the young married aristocrat found dead in the prince regent's rooms. Of course, the prince himself is a suspect, so everyone, even St. Cyr, assumes the goal of the investigation is to clear the prince by pinning the murder on someone else. I like the historical aspect of this series. I also like the main character, his family mystery which continues to unwind, his actress girlfriend, his staid father, and the oth...more
Another nice historical mystery from Harris. The main character, Sebastian, is asked by the Prince Regent's advisors to find out who actually killed the woman found stabbed in the Prince's arms. Harris does a good job in developing characters from the previous St Cyr novel and continues to build on a deeper mystery in Sebastian's life (involving his parentage and his parents), threading the stories together on a different level. Again, I appreciate the honest look at what England was actually l...more
I very much enjoyed the first book in this series. With full awareness that some of the plotting left something to be desired, and that parts of it weren't the most original, I really enjoyed it – writing and characters that held the attention and did interesting things.
And When Gods Die followed suit. I hoped, actually, that the plotting might be a bit stronger, but that isn't really the case, sad to say: it's a bit all over the place. When the Prince Regent is discovered clut...more
And When Gods Die followed suit. I hoped, actually, that the plotting might be a bit stronger, but that isn't really the case, sad to say: it's a bit all over the place. When the Prince Regent is discovered clut...more
C.S. Harris was recommended to me by a book friend here and at PBS, she said that I would love this author and she was right, I did love the book. I had not read the first book in the series and was at first conserned that I might be lost, but that was not the case the author wrote enough about the characters that I was able to fall into the story and it was an effortless read. I was left guessing about "who done it" to the very last and am looking forward to following Sabastian St.C...more
I don't read a lot of historical novels, especially those set in the regency period, but this mystery sounded interesting and I'm glad I gave it a try. It has a well thought out plot and a complex mystery involving enough twists and turns to make you dizzy. Then there's the long term scandalous romance between our titled hero Sebastian St. Cyr and his lover actress Kate, and his emotional attachment to his young servant, 'tiger' Tom, both totally inappropriate for the time in which the book is ...more
RATING: 4,75
The book was really great.
In my opinion the author did really great job at creating the view of XIX century England. Sometimes when I read a book the background seems forced, like it doesn't go well with the plot and I was kind of afraid that here would be like that but fortunately I wasn't right. There are no clashes in the story, like nothing comes out of the blue and it doesn't fit but author tries to put it there anyway. Here every new character, place or a...more
The book was really great.
In my opinion the author did really great job at creating the view of XIX century England. Sometimes when I read a book the background seems forced, like it doesn't go well with the plot and I was kind of afraid that here would be like that but fortunately I wasn't right. There are no clashes in the story, like nothing comes out of the blue and it doesn't fit but author tries to put it there anyway. Here every new character, place or a...more
The second Sebastian St. Cyr mystery is a decent episode in the series, following up on Book 1 by giving us a nice juicy politically motivated murder--and a side helping of expounding upon the background of Sebastian, revealing all sorts of intriguing secrets about his mother. It seems that the lady did not in fact die when Sebastian was eleven, as he'd been told, and that furthermore, a certain necklace that's cropped up in the case he's trying to solve ties back to her. Meanwhile, we learn mor...more
Set in 1811 London, full of political intrigue, Sebastian (aka Viscount Devlin) is asked by the close adviser of the Prince Regent to investigate the murder of a woman found in the Regent's company dead--while he fell asleep and doesn't recall anything that happens. Not wishing to become involved in the Regent's female problems nor in anything political in the current climate, he's set to decline when Jarvis dangles a necklace in front of him--an ancient necklace that was last seen around Sebast...more
WHEN GODS DIE (Historical Mystery-England-1811) – VG
Harris, C.S – 2nd in series
New American Library, 2006- US Hardcover – ISBN: 0451219686
First Sentence: He knew she’d come to him.
*** Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton when he, and other party goers, enter a room to find Prince George with a dead woman in his arms. The woman is Guinevere Anglessey, the very young wife of a wealthy, elderly Marquis. She has a dagger in her back, bu...more
Harris, C.S – 2nd in series
New American Library, 2006- US Hardcover – ISBN: 0451219686
First Sentence: He knew she’d come to him.
*** Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton when he, and other party goers, enter a room to find Prince George with a dead woman in his arms. The woman is Guinevere Anglessey, the very young wife of a wealthy, elderly Marquis. She has a dagger in her back, bu...more
The story of St.Cyr and Kate continues when the Regent Prince is found with a beautiful woman in his chambers. There is a little problem. The beautiful woman is dead. The Regent's bejeweled knife is stuck in her throat and the Regent is found sleeping (and drooling) in his chair. Harris includes enough description of London (sights and smells), pre-Victorian fashion, and the political unrest of the time to keep the reader's interest. On to book three for me...oh Kate.
An excellent book. This is the second in the Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series. Each of the first two books featured most prominently a different strength. In book 1, "What Angels Fear," the setting and atmosphere of the work were just oustanding. In this book I really began to fall in love with the characters. Well differentiated, with fascinating backstories. And in addition to the specific mystery of the book, there's an overarching mystery and story that really make...more
I really wish you could give 1/2 stars. This was a really good book, but I did have trouble with keeping up with the characters. There was a lot of royalty with titles, plus first and last names. Sometimes she would call them by their titles, other times by their given names. I'm really bad with history, especially European, so I didn't know what any of the titles meant. It made it a little difficult to follow. I really enjoyed the story and the mystery. I'll definitely read more of this ...more
Patti
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Historical & Regency mystery fans
Recommended to Patti by:
DorothyL
I enjoyed this book, partially because it lived up to what I'd read about it (a good historical mystery), and partially because it takes place during one of my favorite time periods, the Regency in England (approximately 1811-1820, though I may be off slightly). Sebastian St. Cyr had gone through quite a time previous to this novel, not enough of which is revealed, for me. But it leads to him being called into sensitive situations in society, such as when the Prince Regent finds a dead woman i...more
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Candice Proctor, aka C.S. Harris and C.S. Graham, is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than a dozen novels including the Sebastian St. Cyr Regency mystery series written under the name C.S. Harris, the new C.S. Graham thriller series co-written with Steven Harris, and seven historical romances. She is also the author of a nonfiction historical study of the French Revolution. Her books ...more
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