May 24, 2011OMG! I'm hooked!
http://www.csharris.net/
Just finished When Gods Die, plunging into Why Mermaids Sing. I'm hoping to have this one finished before my new romances come in! Now, let me say this about this series - love Sebastian St. Cyr and his peeps! There are so many continuing story lines going on that I have to finish this series just to find out who did what to who when and why. There are all the wonderful supporting cast and because I'm a romance reader I can see something coming between Sebastian and the character Hero... even though supposedly Kat Boleyn is Sebastian's soul mate.
However, this is not a romance book, but a mystery, so let's talk about the particular mystery in When Gods Die. I didn't figure this one out till the end; I didn't really try and I didn't care. I actually was a tad bit bored with the mystery part of the book although I found the victim, her husband, and her lover all to be fascinating characters. Ms. Harris is a master of establishing great characters. I think why this book didn't work for me was because it was more about Sebastian and less about the murder/mystery solving. Weirdly enough, that is also where the book works for me. I'm finding the world that Sebastian inhabits to be completely engrossing. And, I love Tom the pickpocket turned tiger... there were some very poignant moments in this book involving his character.
As in the previous book, there is a wonderful feel of place. London is betrayed in all its gritty splendor. We even have a chase scene through the sewers. This was another Sebastian "Jason Bourne" St. Cyr moment. And, how many times can a man be shot, stabbed and banged over the head before he is seriously injured? I'm not sure how I feel about reading chase scenes as opposed to watching chase scenes; they are both pretty tiring.
So, this book comes with a warning: if you are a big mystery fan this book will be a disappointment because the murder-mystery is the weakest part of When Gods Die. If you don't mind occasional contemporary words that at times can be a tad bit jarring, you will find this a light, fast read. If you like strong character development, you'll enjoy this book and become captivated by Sebastian as I have been.
And by the way, your history lesson for the day - Bow Street Runners were established in 1749 by Henry Fielding (author of Tom Jones), and disbanded in 1839. They were London's first professional police force (originally six men), so the use of them in this book is historically accurate! There were also the Peelers and eventually Scotland Yard. There's an interesting website http://www.learnhistory.org.uk/cpp/index.html in case you are interested in crime, England, and history.
Time/Place: Regency England
Rating: Mystery:
Sebastian's World:
Sensuality Rating: Don't blink
No comments:
Post a Comment