Jane
Ambrose is music instructor to Princess Charlotte, the presumptive heir (before
Victoria) to the throne in England in London in 1814. The Regent of Charlotte is doing everything
in his power to get the Princess engaged to royalty in Denmark so that he can
continue his rule unopposed. Jane is a
brilliant composer although as a woman she cannot publish her works under her
own name. A tragedy, however, cuts short
her life and it is Sebastian St. Cyr’s wife, Hero, who finds Jane’s broken body
in the snowy streets of London. Certain
clues, however, indicate that Jane was murdered elsewhere but the killer
obviously dragged her body into the street thinking the awful snowstorm would
hide her, allowing the murderer to escape any chance of arrest.
The
famous couple sets out to investigate the crime and all clues lead back very
close to the seat of royalty. Hero also
demonstrates a compassionate side in assisting the wives of men who have been
impressed into the Royal Navy, leaving wives and children penniless and often
homeless.
It
also turns out that Jane’s husband was a violent man who just might have
discovered Jane knew a secret that would have necessitated him permanently
silencing her. Jane’s brother is an
enigmatic character who was formerly imprisoned for speaking out against
government policies. He also has a huge
secret which might be lethal but will actually be elicited as something even
more amazing.
This
is a non-stop, page-flipping, wild and intriguing romp through London’s
fashionable, aristocratic society as well as in the dregs of poverty on the
“other” side of London. Murderers, however,
are fierce but cowardly creatures who think too highly of themselves. Several more characters will die by the time
Sebastian and Hero immediately after the famous winter Frost Fair have it all
figured out, the reader never suspecting the “who done it” side of the mystery.
This
is a fine historical mystery that will delight all lovers of the genre and many
more besides. Plan on staying up late as
this is a novel one can’t put down until the last page is finished! Finely crafted, C. S. Harris; a real treat!
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