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Cut to the Quick: Julian Kestrel #1 by [Ross, Kate]

Cut to the Quick: Julian Kestrel #1 Kindle Edition

by Kate Ross (Author)

96 customer reviews

Book 1 of 4 in Julian Kestrel (4 Book Series)

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Julian Kestrel is the walking definition of a Regency-era dandy. He cares about little beyond the perfection of his tailoring, he lives for the bon mot, and his life has the specific gravity and the fleeting charm of a soap-bubble. At least that's what he'd like you to think. In fact, it rather suits Kestrel to be perpetually underestimated, particularly when as in this instance his weekend at a glamorous country estate is spoiled by a dead girl's body being found in his bed.

Length: 410 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Page Flip: Enabled

Complete Series

Julian Kestrel (4 Book Series)

Kate Ross

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In 1820s London, Mark Craddock, formerly a stable hand for the ancient, respectable Fontclair family, blackmails Hugh Fontclair into asking for the hand of his only daughter. During a prenuptial house party at the Fontclair estate, gadabout dandy Julian Kestel discovers a murdered woman in his bed, then joins in the subsequent investigation. Likely suspects include Hugh's rakish cousin, evasive uncle, penniless poor relation, and so forth. Period atmosphere, polished dialog, ever-present class distinctions, and sprinklings of Regency romance make this a nice series opener with an unusual "hero."
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Period atmosphere, polished dialog, ever-present class distinctions, and sprinklings of Regency

romance make this a nice series opener with an unusual hero” – Library Journal

• “Kate Ross combines polished writing with originity, historical accuracy, and a genuine gift for

creating intriguing characters and situations.” – Mystery News

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

File Size: 1019 KB
Print Length: 410 pages
Publisher: Felony & Mayhem Press (December 15, 2012)
Publication Date: February 12, 2013
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B00BI8CC5O
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray:

Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,141 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #1098 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Historical
- #1466 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Historical > Mysteries
- #2329 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Police Procedurals

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Donald F. Kaminski

Good Whodunit and Great Lingo

October 7, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Kate Ross certainly knew the lingo. I've read the 11 book series of CS Harris and the 11 book series of Ashley Gardner. All three of these ladies deal with the Regency time period in England. Gardner and Harris explore more of the landscape in their novels while Ross has focused on an incident within a confined area, more in the style of an Agatha Christie novel. I found the central character as an enigma since he seems to be well-to-do, but absent a lineage or antecedents, which the other two authors define for their protagonists. Kestrel has no education and is from a financially destitute family, and yet, he is financially capable of supporting a valet and attending events normal associated with the upper classes. He gets himself invited to be the groom for an aristocrat's wedding out of the blue, which seems a bit far fetched, but once the story unfolds it becomes a rather good whodunit. There are three other novels in this line and I shall read them all. It is too bad that Ross is deceased, and so, I'll be in limbo within a very short period of time. What she did much better than the other two authors is capture the common language of the time. I recommend this author for anyone interested in this time period or an Agatha Christie type story.

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At Long Last... I'm Reading the Julian Kestrel Mysteries

December 28, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Julian Kestrel, Julian Kestrel, Julian Kestrel... Can't tell you how many times his name came up when I attempted to gather information about a book series which was/is similar to the St. Cyr or Captain Lacey series. Problem was/is the author, Kate Ross, apparently passed away after writing only four books in the series which left the Julian Kestrel fans bereft relative to her passing and the end of the Julian Kestrel series.

Hankering for something to take my attention off my hankering for the glorious Sebastian St. Cyr, who in my opinion, has got to be the prime hero of all the regency novels I've read and that's a lot of books, let me tell you. I've read hundreds and hundreds and Sebastian is, well... He. Just. Is.

So, I decided to brave new waters and downloaded this book yesterday. I can't honestly compare Julian to Sebastian because he's really nothing like St. Cyr. But, still and all, he is unique and although he is touted as a Beau Brummell type of guy, he comes across as very youthful, very kind, and humble. In this first book, he is willing to help out strangers, has taken on a valet named Dipper - who was apparently given that name because he was good at thievery before Julian reformed him - and befriends the weak and insecure folks he comes across. I liked Julian's character a lot.

In this first book in the series, he befriends a young man named Hugh Fontclair who has unexpectedly found himself set to be married to a young woman who is the daughter of a Mr. Craddock - apparently a rich Cit, and he's not ready to be married. Hugh hasn't experienced adventure, wine or women so to speak but, Mr. Craddock is holding a terrible secret over the family and the family wins out. When Julian befriends Hugh at his first gaming hell experience, he decides to ask his new best friend to be his groomsman at his upcoming wedding. Julian is a bit surprised but considers his attendance at the house party leading up to the wedding will give him a bit of a respite from his finances, so decides to take Hugh up on his request.

This of course sets up Julian to become a sleuth extraordinaire when he finds a dead woman in his room after being in residence at the house party for a few days. Secrets are deep and dark in the Fontclair family and the murder of the woman found in Julian's room will motivate and inspire Julian toward becoming a mystery solver. He has quite the knack for it and of course, we get to tag along while he does his thing. The writing is exquisite, Julian is quite a different type of hero and I was dialed into the twists and turns of the storyline.

Regarding the components of the mystery and those who were involved to whatever degree, there was one individual that I felt should have been made to pay a higher price than they paid for their misdeeds. I won't say who, but the resolution to the mystery could have been a bit more tidy in my opinion.

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Montana Mackay

A Well-Drawn Mystery

March 14, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is a great choice for Regency-era lovers, although if you're looking for something spicy with flirtation and sex, keep shopping. This has more of a Downton-Abbey family-values restraint (set a hundred years earlier, in the early 1800s, during the reign of Price George). I enjoy the Regency era mainly for the "other" meaning of romance, i.e., the fascination of an era full of refinement, elegant clothing and lifestyles, and manners. I'll pick up a racy romance now and then but in general find them not especially well-written. Kate Ross reminded me a bit of Georgette Heyer in her attention to relationships and the delicate politics of society.

Julian Kestrel makes a slightly mysterious and yet very gracious entrance in this novel by rescuing a young and very drunk Hugh, heir to the illustrious Fontclair name and estate, who is making a fool of himself at a gaming club. Kestrel winds up at the Fontclair family seat in the thick of a murder investigation, where Hugh's family does a very good job of looking down their noses at him, viewing him as a shallow dandy. The murder investigation goes on a wee bit too long for me, or I should say, it evolves in a protracted way without enough encouraging clues to add excitement and forward movement. Hence the four instead of five stars. I must conclude, though, that I was very much compensated by Kate Ross's elegant writing style (a rarity anymore).

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Amazon Customer

... nor the Julian Kestrel series - so what a wonderful surprise the discovery was

August 12, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I'd never heard of Kate Ross nor the Julian Kestrel series - so what a wonderful surprise the discovery was! Very well written, excellent mysteries with characters one cares about because they are well-drawn and fleshed-out. Enough clues along the way so that one may try to solve the mystery (but will probably fail - many twists - no pun intended). Gently written, despite occasional gore. Moments of good wit. Historic detail. Good dialogue. Convincing cockney & "flash" when appropriate to a character. A touch of romance - sometimes wistful. For this first offering, I'd say that those who enjoy G. Heyer and period mysteries, will be sure to enjoy this book. My only regret is that only 4 of Kate Ross' books are offered on kindle. I believe there are several more in hard copy. There will be no more after that, as the author has passed away; I never knew her, but I miss her already.

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Most recent customer reviews

Ezra Josef

Historical fiction at its finest

-This is an extremely well written and well thought out mystery novel taking place in 1800’s England.Read more

Published 4 months ago

Mrs. Darcy

Wonderful!

I adore the Julian Kestrel books! Reread them often!

Published 4 months ago

Amazon Customer

Very well written

This book is very well written, with fully fleshed characters and beautiful prose that is almost literature quality. The plot twists were a surprise each time.Read more

Published 5 months ago

balam

Five Stars

I read this and was hooked on this author. I will search for more.

Published 5 months ago

Okustow

Five Stars

Wonderful series

Published 7 months ago

Janet Fritz

Summer Reading Enjoyment

I was a bit disappointed with the ending, as I didn't remember anything that would have made this killer a suspect.Read more

Published 7 months ago

Nancy Bee

Worthwhile

I very much like this author and character. I have enjoyed the series.

Published 8 months ago

CL in Dallas

You won't put it down!

There are so many historical mysteries out and so many are poorly plotted with even weaker writing style.Read more

Published 9 months ago

S.L.H.

I loved the character but was less interested in the crime

The first Julian Kestrel book. I loved the character but was less interested in the crime. However, the second and third books are my favorites of the four.Read more

Published 9 months ago

Valerie K. Myers

A promising series

The time period may put one in mind of novels by Georgette Heyer, yet the style and character development are totally different.Read more

Published 1 year ago

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