"wonderful Regency mystery"

In 1812, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin is re-establishing a relationship with his father. Their rift was caused by a secret that came to light leading to the son ending his relationship with his beloved actress Kat Boleyn, whom he intended to marry. Now he wonders if his one night with Hero Jarvis, the daughter of his father's mortal enemy resulted in a child although she refuses to verify it one way or another.

Escaping his female woes, Sebastian is asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury to investigate the deaths of two men decades apart in an ancient crypt in a church. One of the victims is Sir Nigel. The second corpse is the Bishop of London Francis Prescot, Sir Nigel's younger brother. Sebastian assumes the deaths are connected beyond the sibling link and believes the association harks back to the American Revolution. St. Cyr is taken aback when he finds a tie to his family. His father, Sir Nigel and Lord Jarvis went to the colonies to see if the pursuit of war would end up in England's triumph.

Viscount Devlin is a brooding hero in the tradition of Lord Byron as he distrusts everyone starting with his father who has kept numerous secrets from him. His investigative methods are similar to a twentieth century police detective as he follows clues to wherever they lead. C. S. Harris has written a wonderfully constructed Regency mystery filled with concealment, red herrings, and misunderstandings that keep the lead protagonist going down wrong lanes, but never giving up.

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted November 20, 2009

Summary

Fifth in the "fast-moving"(Publishers Weekly, starred review) British-set historical mystery series starring "a charismatic hero."(Kirkus Reviews starred review)

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury to help in the investigation of two corpses found in an ancient crypt, their violent deaths separated by decades. One is the Bishop of London, the elderly Archbishop's favored but controversial successor. The identity of the other seems lost in time.

Sebastian amasses a list of suspects that range from some of the Prince Regent's closest cronies to William Franklin, embittered son of famous American patriot Ben Franklin—and finds himself confronting the well-guarded secrets of his own family's history. Now each step he takes toward the killer brings him closer to a devastating truth that could ultimately force him to question who—and what—he really is.