facebook goodreads email
C.S. Harris C.S. Harris C.S. Harris
WHEN GODS DIE
When Gods Die
"A fast-moving story that will have readers eagerly anticipating future volumes in the series."
   —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Like Georgette Heyer, Harris delves deep into the mores of Regency England, but hers is a darker, more dangerous place. St. Cyr is a charismatic hero whose future exploits are eagerly awaited."
   —Kirkus (starred review)

"Fans of historicals...will snap up this triumph."
   —Library Journal (starred review)

More reviews...

June, 1811. On a summer's evening at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, the beautiful young wife of an aging Marquis is found dead in the arms of the Prince Regent himself. From her back protrudes a jeweled dagger that once belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie. Around her neck lies an ancient bluestone and silver necklace said to have been worn by the Druid priestesses of Wales. Legend credited the necklace with mysterious powers—until it was lost at sea with its last owner, the mother of Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin.

Still shadowed by rumors of his own dark past, Sebastian is lured into a dangerous investigation of both the Marchioness's death and his own mother's uncertain fate. He soon discovers that the idle, profligate Prince is not as innocent as his court handlers would have the public believe. With the aid of his lover, a celebrated actress with secrets of her own, and his new servant, Tom, Sebastian follows a twisted trail that leads from a seaside pleasure palace to the most depraved London slums, from the murdered woman's elegant townhouse in Mayfair to a medieval tavern run by an ex-slave.

As he edges closer to the truth, Sebastian finds himself thrust into a world of hidden passions and disguised ambition. And when one murder is followed by another, he confronts an insidious conspiracy that imperils those nearest to him even as it threatens to bring down the monarchy.

Read an excerpt.

BUY THE BOOK
IndieBound
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million



WHEN GODS DIE
Obsidian/New American Library, November 2006 hardcover, 978-0451219688
Signet, November 2007 paperback, 978-0451222558


 

REVIEWS

When Gods Die
Australian edition
Starred Review. It is June, 1811. At a party thrown by the Prince Regent at Brighton Pavilion, the notoriously decadent royal is discovered in a secluded room with the corpse of the beautiful young wife a marquis, a knife planted in her back. Most assume the Regent, a victim of excessive appetites, is guilty but of what they cannot say. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is asked to find out who killed the marchioness and how her body was smuggled into the Royal Pavilion. He only agrees after he recognizes the necklace worn by the dead woman. It had been worn by his mother the day she was lost at sea, her body never recovered. Harris knows her English history and has a firm grasp of how a mystery novel is supposed to play out. In this second Sebastian St. Cyr novel (What Angels Fear), she cleverly pulls the threads of her plot together, ending in a crescendo of suspense and surprise. Fans of historicals, especially those set in Regency-era England, will snap up this triumph.
   —Library Journal

Starred Review. Fans of quality historical suspense who mourn the end of the late Kate Ross's Julien Kestrel mysteries and the late Bruce Alexander's Sir John Fielding novels should find solace in the work of promising newcomer Harris, whose series (beginning with 2005's What Angels Fear) is set in Regency England. The ability of Harris's detective, Sebastian St. Cyr, the Viscount Devlin, to mingle freely with the cream of society leads to his receiving a highly sensitive commission. Given the perilous state of the English monarchy in 1811, the discovery of the dissolute Prince Regent with a murder victim in his arms makes the death of the beautiful wife of an aristocrat even more scandalous. St. Cyr is charged by the powers that be with solving the crime and absolving the royal suspect. The author deftly combines political intrigue, cleverly concealed clues and vivid characters for a fast-moving story that will have readers eagerly anticipating future volumes in the series.
   —Publishers Weekly

Warning! This review contains many spoilers!
  Starred Review. It's a bad day for royalty when the Prince Regent is found in the Royal Pavilion clutching the dead body of the Marchioness of Anglessey.
  Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is willing to investigate only when Lord Jarvis, the power behind the throne, shows him an unusual necklace found around Guinevere Anglessey's neck. Sebastian's mother had been wearing it when she was lost in a boating accident years earlier...With the help of his lover, an Irish actress and French spy who refuses to marry him; his young horse handler, a former thief, and his own contacts, Sebastian finds that Guinevere was last seen going into a tavern in a London slum. Fighting off several murderous attacks, he realizes he has stumbled on a Stuart plot to overthrow the profligate, unpopular Regent. After a series of dangerous adventures, he solves the crime, thwarts the plot, and discovers the truth about his mother's disappearance.
  Like Georgette Heyer, Harris delves deep into the mores of Regency England, but hers is a darker, more dangerous place. St. Cyr is a charismatic hero whose future exploits are eagerly awaited.
   —Kirkus Reviews