What Angels Fear (Sebastian St. Cyr Series #1) by C. S. Harris

From the Publisher

In London, 1811, a young woman is brutally raped and murdered, her body left on the altar steps of an ancient church. The prime suspect: Sebastian St. Cyr, a brilliant young nobleman still haunted by his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars. Now he is running for his life, desperate to catch the killer and prove his innocence. Moving from Mayfair's glittering ballrooms to St. Giles's fetid back alleys, Sebastian is assisted by a band of unlikely allies and pursued by a Machiavellian powerbroker with ties to the Prince Regent himself. What Angels Fear seamlessly weaves an intimate knowledge of the period with a multi-layered and compelling story, and is the first of a series of novels featuring these characters.

Publishers Weekly

Set in England in 1811, Harris's riveting debut delivers a powerful blend of political intrigue and suspense. When Sebastian Alistair St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is accused of the rape and murder of actress Rachel York, mistress to various members of Spencer Perceval's wobbly Tory cabinet, Sebastian goes "on the lam," in the words of young Tom, his adopted companion and faithful servant, and must spend frantic days in clever disguises chasing "across London and back." Uncanny powers of sight and hearing help him to identify several suspects, including Hugh Gordon, Rachel's fellow actor and ex-lover; shadowy French emigre Leo Pierrepoint; and even his own wayward nephew, Bayard Wilcox, who had been stalking the victim for weeks. Also implicated is portrait painter Giorgio Donatelli, for whom Rachel often posed nude, whose current patron, Lord Fairchild, is expected to be the next prime minister. Waiting in the wings to rule over this gathering chaos is dissolute Prince George (aka Prinny), soon to become regent for his incompetent father, George III. Backed by a blurb from Stephanie Barron, this fresh, fast-paced historical is sure to be a hit. Agent, Helen Breitwieser at Cornerstone Library. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

In 19th-century England, a dashing nobleman teams up with a jaded actress to clear his name of a murder charge. London, 1811. Naive young actress Rachel York is lured to a rendezvous at St. Matthew's of the Fields church, where she is brutally raped and murdered by an anonymous figure. Magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy arrests handsome Sebastian St. Cyr, the Viscount Devlin, a veteran of the Napoleon Wars with a notorious reputation. Though addicted to danger and alcohol, the honorable Sebastian, haunted by war memories, is no predator. While transporting Sebastian to lockup, sniveling constable Edward Maitland accidentally stabs another officer and quickly blames it on Sebastian, multiplying the young nobleman's alleged offenses and triggering his escape. Breaking into the room of acclaimed actress Kat Boleyn, who's both his great lost love and the late Rachel's closest confidante, Sebastian enlists her help in ferreting out the truth. The pair embark on dangerous probes that uncover a cache of secrets about Rachel as well as an array of lovers and admirers. These include a fellow thespian, a wealthy Frenchman and Sebastian's brother-in-law. Meanwhile, Sebastian's distraught father tries to slow Lovejoy's manhunt by confessing to the murder himself, to little avail. But the discovery of Rachel's diary and a hidden pregnancy quicken the search for her killer. A starchy but well-appointed debut most notable for its historic detail.

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