Set in 1811 London, full of political intrigue, Sebastian (aka Viscount Devlin) is asked by the close adviser of the Prince Regent to investigate the murder of a woman found in the Regent's company dead--while he fell asleep and doesn't recall anything that happens. Not wishing to become involved in the Regent's female problems nor in anything political in the current climate, he's set to decline when Jarvis dangles a necklace in front of him--an ancient necklace that was last seen around Sebastian's mother's neck on the day she disappeared when he was eleven years old. Of course this draws him into the mystery, and the story unfolds--both the story of the murder and of how the necklace came to be on Guinevere Anglissey's pretty dead neck.

Sebastian, Tom (the street urchin he rescued who is now in his employ as his 'tiger' or horseman) and Kat Boleyn, his lover and actress in Drury Lane, investigate various aspects of the crime and things get more dangerous for them all the closer they get. I admit that I hooked one of the author's red herrings and ran with it and was rather surprised at the solution to the crime and the necklace mystery too. Cracking good action-packed suspense, the first book in awhile that I've been literally unable to put down. I liked this better than the first book, and the gratuitious sex didn't bother me as it was between well established characters.

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I like Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin. He's my type of hero - courageous, brave, determined and human. I only wonder how he manages to get through all his scrapes without serious injury yet goes out and does it all over again the next day. Couldn't help laughing when his servant resigned after so many ruined costumes! The reads in this series are comfortable and just plain fun. In this one he is trying to discover who murdered a lovely young woman found in the Regent's arms with a knife in her back. Adding to the mystery is the necklace the young woman was wearing. It belonged to Devlin's mother who disappeared at sea when he was a child. Yes, I labeled it three stars. It's enjoyable but not outstanding. I like that once in awhile.

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A page turning historical mystery with a developing love interest, complicated family backstory, political implications (Whigs, Tories, Hanoverians, Stuarts), great secondary characters, and a hero who is somewhat unwillingly a man of honor. When a beautiful, young woman is found dead with the Prince Regent, it's up to Sebastian St. Cyr to unravel the puzzle.

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