"The year is 1811. As old King George III sinks deeper into madness, and the threat of social unrest and revolution haunts the privileged classes, a beautiful young woman is found raped and savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient parish church not far from Westminster Abbey. An ornate dueling pistol discovered tangled in the blood-soaked folds of Rachel York's cloak and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars. When a vicious attack during his arrest leaves a constable near death, Sebastian must run for his life.
"Now a fugitive, Sebastian calls upon his experience as an agent during the war to embark on a desperate quest to catch a brutal killer and prove his own innocence. Ranging from the glittering ballrooms and sedate salons of Mayfair to the squalid back alleys and fetid churchyards of St. Giles, Sebastian accumulates a band of unlikely allies, including a street urchin named Tom, an opium-eating Irish doctor, and a lovely but mysterious actress who calls herself Kat Boleyn. Years ago, Kat broke Sebastian's heart. Now she may hold the key to his salvation -- or doom him to destruction."Seamlessly weaving historical fact and an intimate knowledge of the period with a multilayered and compelling story, What Angels Fear is a stunning fiction debut by a powerful new master of mystery and suspense."
I stumbled across a later installation of this series on the New Release shelf at my local library. Anyone who reads this blog knows I've been on a bit of a mystery/suspense kick as of late, and I particularly favor period mysteries. This one fit in perfectly. To my surprise, my local library actually had the first book in the St. Cyr series and I very much looked forward to cracking it open. I was hoping that it would be a captivating blend of murder-mystery and period drama; I was not left disappointed.
Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is implicated in the gruesome murder of a young actress in a church. He's known to have some strange characteristics and abilities, making people suspicious of the young lord newly returned from the violence of the Napoleonic battlefields. Perhaps the horrors of war have scarred him too deeply to allow him to walk freely amongst the people of London. With the impending announcement of the Regency, England is uneasy and wary of any nobleman who might get away with such a violent, twisted crime. There are calls for Devlin's blood and he does the only thing he can do: He runs. Though he knows the timeline for the murder is impossible -- he's entirely innocent of any such crime on English soil -- no one believes him. And matters are only made worse when the unfortunate injury of a constable during Devlin's arrest appears to mark him as the violent animal everyone believes him to be. Calling upon his skills attained on the Continent from his time spent as a spy for the British cause, as well as his unnatural physical abilities, Devlin manages to evade capture as he doggedly sets out to prove his innocence and seek justice for the slain young woman.
What Devlin does not expect to uncover is the complex web of lies and alliances, the network of political subterfuge, and the multitude of pawns in play on the intricate board that is Europe during the early nineteenth century. Each fact he discovers seems only to reveal more questions, leading him down yet another wending path with blind turns and danger as his only companion. Along the way, Devlin realizes that his family is more involved in the scandal than he originally believed. Still, he remains determined to uncover the truth, even if it means the ruin of the St. Cyr name.
Along the way, we meet a band of lively characters. The undercurrent of romantic tension with Kat Boleyn was a pleasant and tense layer to this multifaceted story. The history between them is complicated, to say the least -- each of them extremely stubborn. Devlin knows Kat has connections and skills which could very well save his life; however, he doesn't know the dark secrets Kat must withhold even from the man she secretly loves. Though Devlin suspects she's somehow embroiled in the complex web, he has no idea just how deep the connection runs. And Kat will do everything she can to keep it that way. Tom is a street urchin Devlin meets when the boy tries to pick his pocket at an inn shortly after Devlin's initial escape from custody. The boy has remarkable skill and drive, lending an air of complexity to his character. He has a deep sense of loyalty and a seemingly endless supply in the belief that the truth triumphs, despite the hints that his past has proven anything but. His sense of humor and quick wit lend levity to an otherwise dark and heavy plot. Though Devlin resists at first, he quickly learns that Tom can come in handy. Even with Devlin's skills and abilities, Tom has a way with people and a knowledge of the streets which Devlin puts to very good use. Tom even manages to help Devlin out of a few close calls along the way. In addition to these very prominent secondary characters (though Kat is a bit more complex than a simple "secondary character" because several chapters are, indeed, from her point of view), Devlin encounters several others whom liven up the plot and aid him in his search for the true killer. His old friend, an opium-addicted doctor from the war, uses his medical knowledge to clarify the facts of Rachel's death, revealing truths which reveal hidden motives and startlingly grim truths about the murderer. Devlin even forms a connection with a well-dressed grave robber, an expert at procuring bodies for medical and...personal...purposes. Along with these men come a bevy of possible suspects ranging from Devlin's own family to those in the higher echelons of the monarchy; a Frenchman in exile who is more than he appears; an Italian artist with remarkable talent and a fascination with the beautiful dead woman. Readers are left guessing almost until the very last chapter who is responsible for Rachel's death.
Harris weaves together an intricate fictional storyline with historical and political fact. The settings are remarkably detailed and vivid, revealing the truly ugly sides of nineteenth century London. Even with the filth and grime, there's a morbid beauty in these descriptions of London which call to mind the glorious poems of William Blake (see his works "London" and "The Chimney-Sweeper" for excellent examples, if you're interested -- I can absolutely see echoes of Blake's work here). The marked differences between the suffering of the people and the privilege of the aristocracy are made painfully blatant in this book, adding notes of reality to the plot. This is, perhaps, one of the things which pulled me in the most. There were no romanticized depictions here, only harsh, bleak realism. This was a very different approach than what I am used to when reading period fiction and I, for one, appreciated it, especially because it was handled so artfully. I felt transported; sometimes in a way which made me uncomfortable. It was a new sensation which, to be honest, made me start and stop a few times within the first half of the book. The delay in my reading had nothing to do with the quality of the writing or the interesting nature of the story, and everything to do with the fact that it made me think and it made me experience emotions I'm not necessarily accustomed to when reading. These ended up being what make this story so special. The story is violent and dark, twisted and mysterious. It's not going to be a book for everyone, but, man, does it end up being an exciting, thought-provoking read.
Devlin was a fantastic lead. A lot of the mystery/suspense books I've read lately are told from the first-person; I ended up enjoying the fact that this book was not. It's a format I'm more used to and I find that I'm more drawn to a narrator who is more removed from the story -- I don't always want to feel like "I" am the main character because it can sometimes read a little bit like a Fanfiction. It was very interesting to see the way in which his mind worked and to experience his abilities as we do. At first, I thought his yellow eyes, heightened senses and reflexes were a bit over-the-top (more like the author was attempting to create a cool, superhero-like main character than one who was realistic, which felt slightly out of place in the hyper-realistic setting), but I was very pleasantly surprised to discover in the Author's Note that Devlin's abilities and physical attributes are part of a very real genetic mutation (I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff). This made me appreciate him all the more and it turned a once-unbelievable main character (though cool, nonetheless) into one who was perfectly suited for the life of a spy and to get himself out of what appears to be a hopeless and impossible situation.
As this book is the first in a series, the conclusion sets up the possibility for more adventures. It also leaves a great deal of unanswered questions about the heavily-guarded secrets of Devlin's family history -- things for which some would be willing to pay dearly and others would do anything to protect. With his drive and talents, I think Devlin makes a captivating main character and I really am looking forward to seeing where the series takes him.
While the story took me a few days to really get into (which I've already explained above), the plot moved at an excellent clip and contained so many twists and turns that I was often left spinning, just like Devlin. I was invested in his search for the murderer, and I desperately wanted to see him clear his name. The subplot of his complicated romance with Kat was an excellent touch and really fleshed him out. It gave him a rich backstory even more intricate than his just having an uneasy relationship with his surviving family members, and the fascinating time he spent at war. The hints of PTSD were a realistic touch to his character. Devlin is strong and unique, but not infallible.
I will reiterate that this book will not be for everyone. Like most murder-mysteries, it has some very intense violence and grim themes. The vivid writing style, however, can make this even more disturbing to some readers, so I will caution you if you're weak of stomach or have an averse reaction to such things. This is not a happy book on any level, but it is a fascinating one. It keeps you guessing, it makes you think, and you don't see the end coming until it practically slaps you across the face. Kudos to an author who managed to hide the truth from me for about 300 pages -- this is no easy feat. I hope the same can be said of the other books in this series. Another part of what makes this book so masterful is the fact interwoven with the fiction. Harris is an accomplished scholar and it is certainly apparent in her knowledge of the time period in which this book is set. I recommend this book to those with a strong continence, a love of intrigue, an admiration for strong male leads who have a soft spot for a strong woman, and who enjoy more than a little suspenseful mystery. I'm sure you'll be seeing more of Devlin in reviews to come.