Question A

[Jonetta]

Justice for Rachel's murder wasn't necessarily the motive for finding her killer. What were some of the driving passions during the investigation?

[Charlene]

Other than Sebastian's obvious desire to clear his name, I'm thinking that I came to like his father more as things developed (and he had at least two intermingled passions).

Leo, Kat, Rachel and a couple of others had some clear motives and others that remain murky; e.g., who was working with/for the French, or was a double agent? For Kat, is Sebastian a present or past passion?

Paul's passion was to educate future physicians.

Tom's passions were wonderful to behold; I hope we see him grow up.

Amanda and her husband and son -- don't need to spell those out.

I'll watch for other answers to this question. A complex cast of characters, n'est-ce pas?

[Lauren]

After reading the book, I had to ask myself whether Sebastian would have cared about finding the killer if he himself had not been implicated. I wonder how many other women would have died had he not involved himself.

[lorii (Loriidae)]

I agree Lauren - at one stage he notes that he hadn't really noticed the poor before. Having to clear his name caused him to come down from his ivory tower and look at the real world, other than a vague disquiet around his nephew he would have remained untouched.

[Jonetta]

I remember the moment vividly where Sebastian has that internal revelation that the poor, or anyone outside of the aristocracy, were almost invisible and no one cared. No one would have sought true justice for Rachel if he hadn't been implicated.

Jarvis was driven to charge Sebastian because it gave him leverage over Alistaire and he thought charging someone from the aristocracy would differentiate England from the perceptions that caused the French Revolution. I thought him a bit myopic here, though.

Leo and Kat seemed to be driven by similar motives as they didn't want Sebastian digging too deeply and exposing their subterfuge. While she was helping him, Kat was also trying to redirect him if he got too close and to have inside information as to his activities.

Lovejoy, however, seemed to really want to solve the case. There was a lot to admire about this man.

[Tracey]

I think that is what I love about the Historical Mystery genre, the fact that justice isn't always sought in the most conventional way. I love seeing the characters work with very little information (no DNA, fingerprinting etc.) plus a lot of corruption and politics.

Sebastian did seem like a spoilt aristocrat until he was thrown into this situation.

Kat did puzzle me how she kept trying to divert him. I know there have been some spoilers which I have been avoiding but I am not sure about her at the moment.

[Sunny]

I love stories of social justice and in this historical context was very interesting, especially because I was an American history grad student and to think about it in the context of these events happening in Europe while so much turmoil was happening in the US. FASCINATING!

[Kris (My Novelesque Life)]

I agree with you all that Sebastian only looked into this case because it involved him and clearing his name. Like Jonetta said, Lovejoy seemed to be the only one who was looking for the killer for justice.

[Charlene]

Good point, Kris. I haven't read ahead, so I'm guessing the detective bug must bite Sebastian for the sake of clearing the innocent, and/or for the quest for justice. I cannot imagine he will have enough friends and relatives who get in trouble to sustain a series :).
Of course, I may be wrong about this....glad we don't have spoilers so far on this topic.

I look forward to our reading in February!

[Kris (My Novelesque Life)]

Charlene wrote: "Good point, Kris. I haven't read ahead, so I'm guessing the detective bug must bite Sebastian for the sake of clearing the innocent, and/or for the quest for justice. I cannot imagine he will have ..."

Or have the Murder, She Wrote curse...everywhere he goes someone is murdered!

[Charlene]

Looking forward to the next one, upcoming soon :)

[Veronica]

It's been quite awhile since I've read the second book. I've done a couple of series rereads since then but I always start with the fourth book.

I agree with others that Sebastian's motivations for solving the murder in this one were more self-serving. It was his life on the line after all (assuming the son of an Earl could really be prosecuted at that time), but I think he discovered that he was good at it and maybe even came to find a self of satisfaction and a new purpose that went beyond being "the heir".

[Mary Beth]

I loved Kat's and Sebastians relationship. I want to read more about that. I also agree that Sebastian trying to find proof on who the killer really was so that he would no longer be a suspect. At first I thought Lovejoy had something against Sebastian. He was true in the end though, he really did try to find justice for Rachael. I really do like Sebastian. He is my fictional boyfriend.

[Sharon]

I'm late to this game, but here are my thoughts.

There are a lot of passions running through this story. Some hit you in the face right at the start, others not so much.

Tom has a passion for horses and to change his station in life. Initially, he sees Sebastian as someone who can help him advance. As their time together progresses, Tom begins to admire Sebastian adding a passion to serve this man.

Rachel's passion is Gino and their need for money. Unfortunately, her plan backfires.

Kat's passion isn't revealed until the end. In the beginning we think it is France, but she is passionate for a free Ireland. Her big passion is Sebastian even though she knows she can't fit in his world.

Sebastian's passion is a little more complex. His major passion is Kat. I agree that he would not start searching for Rachel's killer, if he wasn't implicated in her death. (Most people don't get involved in events that don't touch on their lives or the lives of their family.) However, the more Sebastian learns about the crime, the more he wants to get closure for Rachel. The grave robbing and seeing what was done to her is a turning point for Sebastian. There is a lot we don't know about him yet. Lovejoy found out something of his military career. I think there is a passion for justice for all in his soul.

Lovejoy's passion is justice. He didn't want to arrest an innocent man. He wants to make his mark on society.

Hendon wants to save the succession at all costs. That is his passion. By the end of this book, he begins to see Sebastian differently which gives him hope for his legacy.