Been wondering what the next book is about? Here's the cover flap copy:
London, 1813. The vicious
decapitation of Stanley Preston, a wealthy, socially ambitious plantation
owner, at Bloody Bridge draws Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, into a
macabre and increasingly perilous investigation. The discovery near the body of
an aged lead coffin strap bearing the inscription king charles, 1648 suggests a link between this killing and
the beheading of the deposed seventeenth-century Stuart monarch. Equally
troubling, the victim’s kinship to the current Home Secretary draws the notice
of Sebastian’s powerful father-in-law, Lord Jarvis, who will exploit any means
to pursue his own clandestine ends.
Working in concert with his fiercely independent wife, Hero, Sebastian finds his inquiries taking him from the wretched back alleys of Fish Street Hill to the royal castle of Windsor as he amasses a list of suspects who range from an eccentric Chelsea curiosity collector to the brother of an unassuming but brilliantly observant spinster named Jane Austen.
But as one brutal murder follows another, it is the connection between the victims and ruthless former army officer Sinclair, Lord Oliphant, that dramatically raises the stakes. Once, Oliphant nearly destroyed Sebastian in a horrific wartime act of carnage and betrayal. Now the vindictive former colonel might well pose a threat not only to Sebastian but to everything—and everyone—Sebastian holds most dear.
34 comments:
Oh my, Lord Oliphant back from Jamaica. And the conflicts with Jarvis on this one. This is gonna be good. Keep the tidbits and hints of story coming. I'm hoping we see Aunt Henrietta in this one (she's one of my favorites). Sabena
Sounds "bloody good." :)
Sounds too awesome to have to wait (almost) a year. I say turn Hero loose on Lord Oliphant and see what happens. My money's on Hero.
Veronica
Forgot to ask, how long after WKC does this book take place? Thanks!
Veronica
Veronica, yes, Aunt Henrietta is in this one several times.
Charles, believe it or not, there was a real Bloody Bridge.
Veronica, baby Simon is seven weeks old in this one.
Absolutely cannot wait for this one. They just get better and better.
I can't wait! And yet, we all have to. ;)
This sounds like a wonderful story with some old characters and environments, and some new. I'm excited!
I CAN'T WAIT!!!!
Also, my money's always on Hero, no matter her adversary!
One of these days, Sebastian will actually get to save Hero. Although, I have to admit, I love it when she saves herself and he shows up just a little too late. Sabena
Sandy, thank you!
Rebecca, I know, it seems like a long time away.
Jefner, yeah, woe betide any adversary who underestimates Hero!
Sabena, one of these days!
I love that Hero can save herself too, but now that she's proven herself more than equal to the task I can't help but wish Sebastian could save her. Just once. I'm kind of feeling sorry for him. He tries so hard. lol
Veronica
This one sounds fantastic. There were several books that I had been waiting for the last few months and now they have all been released, I have read them all and the long wait until the next Sebastian book begins again.
Veronica, he does indeed!
Elaine, it was a fun book to write.
Wow! This sounds thrilling (and Sebastian and Jane Austen? Cannot wait to see what you've done with that!)
I'm absolutely intrigued about how this story will play out!
:-)
ooh..ooh..ooh!!! I can hardly wait. Tantalizing intro - can next year be tomorrow instead??? Pretty please?
It sounds wonderful. I can't wait!!!
C- as much as i LOVE these looks into what is coming it drives me nuts that the book is so far away! but i agree with everyone else it sounds like an awesome read! bloodier the the better. i am counting the days - again..
best, Ali
Goodness, Jane Austen's brother? I wonder which one? Henry, perhaps? I know he lived in London until his bank failed and she stayed with him on at least one occasion. She once said of him "Oh, what a Henry!".
Sounds very intriguing...cant wait to see how the two handle parenting and investigating
Wow, I can't wait to read Hero's and Jane's conversations!!! Will Tom and baby Simon share a scene? That might be cute too. I am also wondering if Kat is back from her sojourn. And anything that has to do with the history of Catholics in the UK is also pretty interesting too.
And finally, I am a wee bit embarassed... where can I get the Lord Oliphant backstory? I seem to have missed that one
Rachel, since the story contains a lot of conflict about the interplay of love and wealth in Regency England, how could Jane NOT be in it?!
Lynne, I haven't even seen the copyedits yet! The bookstores have really been pushing publishers to get titles and descriptions far ahead.
Suzanne, that sounds good!
Ali, it does have a lot of heads in it....
Susan, yes, it's Henry. The book takes place shortly after the publication of Pride and Prejudice, when her sister-in-law/cousin is dying.
Anon, I must admit Simon has complicated things!
Paz, Simon is seven weeks in this one. And Oliphant is the Colonel who sent Sebastian off with the fake dispatches that resulted in the massacre at the convent in the Peninsula. This is his first actual appearance, although we learned of him in WHY KINGS CONFESS.
Have you seen the BBC film 'Jane Austen Regrets'? It depicts Jane Austen, played by the wonderful Olivia Williams, visiting her brother Henry and having a flirtation with his doctor? How much more interesting she must have been than her prissy family portrayed her once the boring Victorian era had taken over. I hate that awful Victorian portrait of her, she was so much more than that. Her letters reveal a full rounded, full blooded woman, warts and all. Not perfect but human and full of life, until it was so cruelly taken from her. I would love to have seen 'Sanditon' completed.
Susan, Sanditon was completed in the 1970s. It is titled Sanditon by Jane Austen and Another Lady. Whoever the other lady was I felt she did an excellent job of it. It is still available second hand from Amazon UK. Have you seen the recently discovered portrait that could be Jane Austen? It is very much under dispute as some experts refuse to accept any image other than the prissy Victorian one, but others are convinced. There is a documentary about it called Jane Austen; The Unseen Portrait. There are clips from it on Youtube.
Suzanne: I have seen a programme on TV about a new portrait. Not sure if it is the one you speak of or not. The one I'm thinking of was descovered by somebody who has recently written a biography of Jane Austen. I'm not sure if it's her or not but the lady depicted is quite tall and very slim, as Jane Austen was, as can be seen by a dress of hers that has survived. It also shows her depicted before a background in London, in an area she was known to have visited. She also seems to have the Austen nose in the portrait, as can be seen in the portrait of her father. Thanks for the info on the completed Sanditon book, I'll have to look out for it.
Did you know that the actress who played Miss Bingley in the 1990's BBC dramatisation of 'Pride and Prejudice', Anna Chancellor, is actually a decendent of Jane Austen? She is very tall with curly hair and a full face and bright complexion, as Jane Austen was described by her family and I often wonder if Jane Austen looked anything like her.
Susan - that is so interesting about Anna Chancellor. I had no idea. I believe she is the same Anna Chancellor who will join the Downton Abbey cast next year. Also - for you and Suzanne - one of the best biographies I've ever read about Jane is fairly new - "The Real Jane Austen" by Paula Byrne - and I heartily recommend it as a very readable bio. Not dry as dust like so many are.
Susan, yes that is the one. If it is really Jane it shows a much stronger face than the Victorian portrait. I like to think it is because this Jane looks like a woman to be reckoned with.
Thanks for the info. ladies. I didn't know about Anna Chancellor. I will keep my eye out for her on TV in future. It will be really interesting to see if there is any resemblance between her and the portrait.
Susan, I haven't seen it, no. I watched "Becoming Jane" and wanted to throw something at the screen, they got her soooo wrong. self-obsessed and moody and American.
Suzanne, the woman who found the portrait has written an interesting book; I don't remember the title exactly--something like "Jane Austen: a Life in Small Things."
Lynne, yes, I liked that one, too.
Suzanne, I also like Clarke's portrait; it shows her out in style rather than simply sitting around in her cap.
'Miss Austen Regrets' is about Jane Austen in her later life, highlighting her relationship with her niece Fanny. It includes her visit to London to stay with Henry and her flirtation with his doctor and her friendship with his French housekeeper, who she later left a legacy. Also the beginnings of her illness. It's a very intelligent film, with an intelligent actress playing Jane and obviously makes use of her letters. I think you can still get in on DVD.
Candy, I felt the same about Becoming Jane. I didn't like it much at all. The BBC did a dramatized documentary about her life with Amanda Root about 10-15 years ago, which I thought was much more enjoyable and accurate. I can't remember the name of it though.
Suzanne: I love Amanda Root, have you seen the BBC version of 'Persuasion' starring her as Anne? I love that dramatisation, particularly as it is my favourite of Jane Austen's novels. Amanda Root was also recently the narrator in a BBC Radio Four version of 'Pride and Prejudice'. I have not seen 'Becoming Jane' but I can't say I've ever fancied it, it looks a bit trashy. 'Miss Austen Regrets' is a BBC production also.
Great cover copy!! Cannot wait to read this one. About the cover itself, I agree with someone in another post who said the hat is too big. Actually maybe the head is too small for both the hat and the cape?
It was the cover on When Gods Die that drew me to this - one of my very favorite series. I buy almost all my books now via Nook. Finding new writer is somehow more difficult in ereader format. Someone on the author swag post commented that she loves the .99 books to find new authors, but I haven't had much luck that way.
Which reminds me, Charles Finch just posted a link on Facebook to a specially priced ereader version of the first in his series which I shared. Love to do that with your books as well. Though come to think of it, I've already gotten most of my reading friends hooked on Sebastian and Hero. We all discussed Simon's birth as though he was the child of friends.
Susan, I love that version of persuasion too. I watched it so many times that I ended up buying it on DVD. I thought Amanda Root and Cirian Hind captured Anne and the captain beautifully.
Suzanne: We have it on DVD also, my husband and I've watched it loads of times, usually with a nice bottle of red wine! It's a shame that they left out some of the really amusing bits that are in the novel, like the Admiral asking to have all Sir Walter Elliot's mirrors removed from his dressing room, but it is almost perfect.
Susan and Suzanne, yes, I love that version of PERSUASION, which is also by far my favorite Austen novel.
Elaine, that's so funny because I always worried the GODS cover wouldn't entice readers! I did get them to do a promotion on ANGELS this spring, and I'm hoping I get them to agree to do it again next year. I think it does help to attract new readers. Although nothing works like word of mouth, so thank you to you and your friends!
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