When Gods Die

When Gods Die (2006) C.S. Harris

Last year I picked up What Angels Fear on because I thought it looked mildly interesting. I was pleasantly surprised to find an intriguing and fascinating Regency thriller. I then placed the the second book in the series When Gods Die on preorder, which means I’ve been waiting since March for this book to come out in paperback. Was it worth the wait? Yes.

It has been several months since Sebastian St. Cyr cleared himself of murder charges. While he and his father are attending a party thrown by the Prince Regent, a young woman is found murdered–a jeweled knife hilt sticking out of her back, while the prince–who discovered her body–is suspected by the populace of killing her, although anyone who knows the prince figures him incapable of such an act. Lord Jarvis commands Sebastian’s presence and asks him to search for the killer. Sebastian declines, until he is shown the necklace found around the woman’s neck–a necklace that disappeared with Sebastian’s mother when she was lost at sea years ago.

As with the previous book, the characters are my favorite part of the book. Sebastian is a complex character, whose many quirks and eccentricities are credited to his time in the war. His past also gives him a good reason for his skills–a set that would be highly unusual for a Lord at that time. Kit is also fascinating, and in this book we learn more of why she continues to refuse to marry Sebastian. We also see Sebastian’s relationship with his father grow more complex, as the death of his mother appears to figure in this mystery.

The mystery itself is full of political intrigue: if the Prince didn’t kill the young woman, why was she killed, and why was the body moved so as to place suspicion upon the prince? We also–in the background–see the continued development of the Bow Street Runners. Not that they play a major role in the story, but they are in the background, and unlike other stories I’ve read from the point of view of the Runners, you can see in this tale, the disdain that the wealthy and empowered feel for the Runners. It’s an intersting point of view switch from other Regency mysteries I’ve read.

If you enjoy mysteries set in the past, then I recommend When Gods Die. You should be able to read and enjoy the story without having read What Angels Fear, but of course I always think it’s best, if possible, to read stories in order. So you’ll have to make up your mind whether you want to start her, or at the beginning of the series.
Rating: 8/10

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