The book is called What Angels Fear, and it is the first in the Sebastian St Cyr mystery series, written by CS Harris.
You'll be immersed in the atmosphere from the first sentence. Ms Harris has the ability to write lyrical prose that sets mood and tone, without feeling stilted or silly. I'm the type of reader who pronounces every word in my head, and while I was reading this book, I "heard" every accent.
It's a rare ability to be able to write with that kind of clarity.
Ms Harris moves things along at a brisk pace, and navigates standard mystery traps with skill. She keeps the reader guessing, but the "who done it" reveal is plausible and doesn't require the introduction of last minute clues to wrap up.
From Ms Harris' website:
Regency England. The age of Napoleon and Jane Austen, of Beau Brummel and Lord Byron. Ladies wear filmy dresses and dampen their petticoats, while gentlemen duel with pistols at dawn and agonize over the cut of a coat. Fortunes are won and lost at the turn of a card, a decades-old war has turned Europe into a ravaged battlefield, and in London, a child of six can still be hanged for stealing a handkerchief.
This is the world of Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin. Heir to an earldom, disillusioned Army officer, latter day knight errant.
A master of disguises. Sebastian moves easily from the ballrooms of Mayfair to the rookeries of St. Giles, from the exclusive men's clubs of St. James's to the dangerous docks of the Thames.
Think Mr. Darcy with a James Bond edge...
I really liked this book, and I'm downloading the next in the series.
Thanks Charles!
