When Gods Die by C. S. Harris

Guinevere, the Marquess of Anglessy is a beautiful woman well in love with her aged husband. So when the Prince Regent attempted to make her his lover, she flatly refused. But now that the Prince Regent is in Brighton, it seems she has finally acquiesced to his lustful advances, and left him a note to meet her in the bungalow. When the Prince goes to meet her, he twists his ankle and must rest, falling asleep for a while. When he wakes, she is still waiting, and he can hear people outside looking for him. But when he goes to embrace her, he makes a shocking discovery- a dagger lodged deeply in her back. And he is caught in that position when the door opens.

Needless to say, the country can't stand for the danger of having the Prince Regent accused of murder. Nor can anyone in Prinny's close circle believe that he was mentally strong enough or had the intestinal fortitude to commit murder. The discovery of Guinevere Anglessy's death was so shocking to him that he has already wiped the incident from his mind. Lord Jarvis, a noble politician who but Prinny on the regent's throne in the first place, wants Sebastian St. Cyr to investigate the murder, but Sebastian has no stomach to help Prinny out of a scrape, until Lord Jarvis presents him with the necklace that the murdered woman was wearing- a necklace that once belonged to Sebastian's mother, one that she wore on the day of her death, when the boat she was sailing in had a mishap and sank, killing all on board.

But the necklace is definitely hers, beyond a shadow of a doubt, which means- the story of her death is a lie, and Sebastian's father has been lying to him his whole life about the death of his mother. Did she even really die? And how did Guinevere Anglessy even come into possession of her necklace. With this incentive, Sebastian agrees to look into the case- and into the life of Guinevere Anglessy.

Hers was an unusual childhood, and she fell in love with a boy from a neighboring estate. When she was denied marriage to him, she vowed never to marry, but finally relented to marry Oliver Gordon Ellsworth, the Marquis of Anglessy. The Marquis is an old man, but he was looking forward to welcoming his son by Guinevere. Now, with his wife and unborn son dead, he has nothing to look forward to, not even life, as he is dying. It was this that got him his wife- he offered her freedom from marriage after his death, for as a wealthy widow, he wouldn't be forced to remarry. But she had come to care for him a great deal, and he hoped she was happy with him.

Her former lover, the boy she wished to marry, also shares an interest in the case, and Sebastian investigates him. Half French by birth, and related to the French throne, the French wish him to return to rule them, but he has been resisting their overtures. Meanwhile, Kat Boleyn, still working for the French as a spy, is trying to quit the spy business to be free to have a relationship with Sebastian, but with Lord Jarvis holding her involvement over her head to get her to inform on her former comrades, will she even have the chance to make a choice?

As for Guinevere Anglessy, it appears she stumbled onto a diabolical plot to kill Prinny at the time of his ascencion to the position of Prince Regent over his raving mad father, King George. But can Sebastian bring an end to the plot before the conspirators detonate all the explosives they have stored up for the occasion? Can Sebastian keep the Prince- and himself, alive as the people demonstrate against the reign of Prinny?

Another excellent book and mystery in the series. This one, too, has some problems, for instance, having Sebastian recognize a Georgia accent without ever having been to America or heard one, but aside from that moment (and a few others), most of the book is smooth sailing. The story of the woman's background is quite unusual, and the reason for her death provides the name of the novel.

Here, we learn more about Sebastian's mother, and discover that she isn't quite so safely dead after all. She never died, but left to be with her lover, and only Sebastian was left in the dark by his mother's behavior. His closest sibling, his sister, hated her mother for being unfaithful to her father. This story mirrors the story of the murder in a very strange way, as Guinevere Anglessy actually is dead, and died from being faithful to the wrong man.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and once again the story swept me along in its wake. Many of the same faces are back from the first: Sebastian, his father, his sister, Kat Boleyn, and Tom, former picker of pockets and now Sebastian's Tiger (Groom and Carriage Driver). Also Lord Jarvis and his daughter, Hero Jarvis (Who I have a feeling will be closer to Sebastian one day, maybe even marry him). Anyone who enjoys cracking good mysteries, but can forgive some overreaching in the story, will love this book. It leaves you wanting more. Recommended.