What Angels Fear

by C.S. Harris

What Angels Fear has been mentioned positively a few times on the site but never reviewed. I became aware of the series when I received a marketing email for the 19th book in this series. When a series reaches that kind of number, there’s usually something special about it so off I went to the library for the first one in the series.

It was initially slow going for me to get into but I think that’s because it’s been so very long since I read anything that wasn’t a romance. Once I adjusted mentally, I found the writing immersive and compelling. Scent, in particular, is used in evocative ways to communicate the atmosphere.

Sebastian St Cyr is a remarkably interesting character. He’s part of the aristocracy and he worked in army intelligence for five years before selling out of the armed forces and returning to London. At the start of the story, he’s only been back for 10 months. He is quick (in all possible senses) and carrying a certain amount of baggage and disillusionment from his time in the war. This is a man (and a story) that is not scared to face and then dig into the horrors humanity can perpetrate. Despite the fact that Sebastian would deny this, he believes that justice should be equal and fair.

I enjoyed the multiple points of view present and the well-rounded secondary characters, particularly the magistrate Sir Lovejoy. I haven’t looked ahead in the series at all, but I do hope that this magistrate makes a return. In general, the secondary characters are interesting, dynamic and stand apart from each other in distinct ways, so it’s a pleasure to read.

To my delight, there seems to be a romantic subplot which I’d like to leave as a surprise for my fellow readers. .

I found the mystery gripping. It’s tightly plotted and as with all good mysteries, at the end, the culprit is a genuine surprise, but when you look back at the clues, they all align with that suspect. I particularly enjoyed the detailed Regency London I got to know through the various clues dug up and followed by Sebastian.

If you can stomach the content warnings and you don’t mind romance playing second fiddle and you enjoy a self-aware hero with baggage, then you might enjoy this book as much as I did. Once I mentally adjusted to the genre of the book, I found myself so immersed in the story that my actual life was forgotten while I was reading. I’m going to have to pace myself with this series. While I’ll definitely continue reading it, I’m going to space out the books so I can savour them.

– Lara