When Gods Die: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery [Hardcover]

C.S. Harris (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery | Publication Date: November 7, 2006

Brighton, England, 1811. The beautiful wife of an aging Marquis is found dead in the arms of the Prince Regent. Draped around her neck lies an ancient necklace with mythic origins-and mysterious ties to Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin. Haunted by his past, Sebastian investigates both the Marchioness's death and his own possible connection to it-and discovers a complex pattern of lies and subterfuge. With the aid of his lover, Kat Boleyn, and a former street urchin now under his protection, Sebastian edges closer to the killer. And when one murder follows another, he confronts a conspiracy that threatens his own identity...and imperils the monarchy itself.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Fans of quality historical suspense who mourn the end of the late Kate Ross's Julian 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 young 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. (Nov.)
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Review

When Gods Die: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery, by C.S. Harris... is the second in a series of mysteries set in Regency England. Harris made an auspicious debut last year with What Angels Fear. -- Times Picayune

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, 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

Like Georgette Heyer, Harris (What Angels Fear, 2005) 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

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: NAL Hardcover (November 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451219686
• ISBN-13: 978-0451219688
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,109,777 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An Air Force brat who grew up exploring castles in Spain and fishing in the mountains of Oregon and Idaho, Candy later worked as an archaeologist and earned a PhD in European history. She now writes the Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series under the name C.S. Harris and coauthors a series of contemporary thrillers as C.S. Graham. Married to retired Army Colonel Steve Harris, she lives in New Orleans. Visit her website at www.csharris.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars realistic entertaining whodunit, November 10, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Gods Die: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery (Hardcover)

In Brighton in June 1811, the Prince Regent hosts a fete at the Royal Pantheon when he finds the woman he planned to make his mistress dead with a dagger in her back. The Prince falls apart so it is up to LordJarvis to learn what happened. He asks Viscount Sebastian St. Cyr to find out who killed Marchioness Guinevere Anglessey. St. Cry declines until he sees the necklace the victim is wearing.

The last time St. Cyr saw the necklace his mother wore it on the day she died at sea. The dagger belongs to Prinny, but Guinevere actually died from arsenic poisoning. Many English believe the Hanover dynasty is tainted with madness and assume the crazy Regent killed his latest whore; some go so far as to believe the country would better off with a Stuart restoration. Civil war seems imminent as St. Cyr considers how Guinevere fit in a highly charged political picture as she didn't dabble in affairs of state only in affairs with heads of state and had no connection to the Stuarts except the necklace.

C. S. Harris cleverly uses words to paint vivid colorful pictures of a decadent era symbolized by its hedonist prince and a country divided like a checkerboard in many chaotic ways. The hero is intent on solving the mystery of the necklace perhaps more than the homicide though he knows uncovering the killer might give him clues as to how Guinevere got his mother's death jewelry. The cast brings out the ambience of the era inside a realistic entertaining whodunit.

Harriet Klausner

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Strike Two-- Takes the Historical Out of Historical Mystery, September 28, 2009

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Gods Die: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery (Hardcover)

I started to sit down and write a long diatribe about all of the historical errors in this book-- errors of history, not just anachronisms. Then I decided that I would just bore anyone who read that wall of words. So this is the short version.

If you don't mind the fact that the author writes a Note at the end to mention that she made up Ann of Savoy and fails to mention that she also made up a lot of other stuff including the fear of a curse against England because George III went mad, then you might be all right with this book.

She does get the Jacobite heir at the time wrong-- it was Charles Emanuel, King of Sardinia (Savoy was a Duchy which became part of the Kingdom of Sardinia in the 17th century), not his brother Victor Emanuel. Charles had abdicated Sardinia but kept the personal title of King some years before the last legitimate Stuart died and the right passed to him by both descent and the will of Henry, Cardinal called Duke of York.

To be fair, the PC attitudes that other people complain about are not out of period. This was a time when people where examining what liberty and rights of man (and even women) meant.

However, the idea that the hero could recognize an accent as from the south in the USA based on his father having spent time in Georgia "in his youth" is entirely too much for me to swallow.

So no, this isn't a very good HISTORICAL mystery. Nor is it terribly good mystery.

If the reader is interested in a contemporary mystery that also works in the death of the Duke of Cumberland's valet, I would suggest Kingdom of Lies by Lee Wood. I recommend the Audible download.

And in case anyone cares (or is still reading), there was an alliance between Goditha Price and James, Duke of York, as mentioned in the Author's Note, but without children-- the Stuarts weren't shy about claiming their children by mistresses so there's is no conspiracy there. Goditha died young, unmarried and childless before James took the throne as James II. The records that remain of her (Pepys, MEMOIRS OF THE COMTE DE GRAMONT. and the Earl of Rochester) are not kind.

I think that making up half royal children for Americans to claim descent from is almost a cottage industry.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Historical Mystery, January 31, 2010

By 

Charles Gramlich (Metairie,, LA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Gods Die: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery (Mass Market Paperback)

An excellent book. This is the second in the Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series. Each of the first two books featured most prominently a different strength. In book 1, "What Angels Fear," the setting and atmosphere of the work were just oustanding. In this book I really began to fall in love with the characters. Well differentiated, with fascinating backstories. And in addition to the specific mystery of the book, there's an overarching mystery and story that really makes you want to keep going in the series. I highly recommend this one.