What Angels Fear

It is 1811, and when a young woman is found raped and murdered on the altar steps of a Westminster church, the evidence points directly at Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin: his dueling pistol is at the scene, and a witness places him there. Sebastian, knowing he is innocent, becomes a fugitive and uses the skills he developed as a wartime intelligence officer to investigate the real killer, while navigating a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of British society. C.S. Harris's debut introduces one of the more compelling figures in historical mystery fiction.

Davina Porter is the defining voice of the Sebastian St. Cyr series, and from this first entry she establishes the precise blend of aristocratic period formality and modern psychological depth that the character requires. Her command of Sebastian's voice and his world gives the long series its consistency, and the Regency London setting comes to life in her delivery. At just under twelve hours, this is an excellent introduction to a richly realized historical mystery series.