London, 1811; King George III is on the throne, but utterly mad. The Prince of Wales is about to be made regent. Great Britain is at war with France and there is a French spy in London.
Sebastian St. Cyr has been wrongly arrested for the brutal murder of a young actress. During the arrest he pushes back at one of the constables who pulls a knife and then accidentally stabs his fellow constable. St. Cyr finds himself accused of the stabbing, too. Fortunately he makes his escape.
Covered in the blood of the constable St. Cyr makes his way to the seedier part of London. At an in a young lad tries to pick his pocket and is caught. Tom, as the lad is known, is released and will become St. Cyr's right hand man as he goes about trying to prove his innocence and stay free of the law.
Author C. S. Harris writes this murder mystery like a compass gone wrong. In his investigations St. Cyr has several potential culprits, but when the evidence seems to point to one, new evidence points to another. It is only near the end of the story that we find the true culprit. Well written and enjoyable.
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