Cut to the Quick

Regency gentleman and acknowledged dandy Julian Kestrel doesn’t expect anything to come of his chance meeting with Hugh Fontclair in a gaming house. But soon after their encounter, the young and recently engaged Hugh asks Julian to be a groomsman and to stay with the rest of the wedding party at his family’s estate. Intrigued, Julian accepts the invitation, but he soon realizes that all is not right with the Fontclairs. Hugh doesn’t seem very fond of his new fiancée, Maud Craddock, and her father appears to have a hold over the entire Fontclair family. As Julian begins to decipher these mysteries, a much more serious one presents itself: a young and beautiful woman is found murdered – in Julian’s own bedroom, no less! He show more decides to assist the Fontclair family in discovering the girl’s killer, but all too soon the evidence seems to point to one of their own.

This book was absolutely fantastic! I’m always on the lookout for good historical mysteries, and this is honestly one of the best I’ve read. Julian Kestrel is everything you could wish for in a sleuth: intelligent and diligent, but also clever and charming. While he investigates into the characters of all the people around him, he manages to remain largely mysterious – but there are some tantalizing hints about his own past, and I’m definitely eager to find out more! The plot was intriguing and kept me guessing; ultimately, there are many more secrets to reveal than just the identity of the killer. I suppose some of the situations and characters weren’t entirely original – there’s the honor-obsessed patriarch, the weak and selfish young man, and the roguish valet with a criminal past. However, the book is so well written that I didn’t mind at all! I also enjoyed the period detail, which was well done. If you like mysteries, historical fiction, or the Regency period, I enthusiastically recommend this book! show less

A few months after Julian Kestral, a fashionable lounger, helps Hugh Fontclair out of a scrape, he's invited to be best man at Hugh's wedding. Kestral is surprised--he's only met Hugh that once--but intrigued. He travels to the Fontclair estate, hoping for a restful vacation in the country, only to find that the family members are all at each others' throats. Then someone is found murdered. First because he's curious, then because he's worried for his manservant, Kestral insists on investigating.

The mystery itself is meaty and delightfully difficult. I guessed a few hints of it, but the resolution was a total surprise to me. But although her plot is excellent, where Ross really shines is her characters. The supporting cast is unique show more and interesting, each a well-rounded character in their own right. (The women are particularly good. Every single one of them was someone I'd have read an entire book about.) But Julian Kestral is the one that truly shines; he's like a Regency-era Peter Wimsey, but without the education or blue-blood. He's too smart and perceptive for his own good, and far too tender-hearted to do well in the maneuvering Regency society.

I love him beyond all reason, and hanker for more. show less

This has to be the best historical mystery I have read in a long time. The characters are good, the story is interesting, and though I was pretty sure I'd figured out who the murderer was, I couldn't figure out why they did it. I liked that the detective is left a bit of a mystery--more to discover if I can ever find the next book in the series! I think that what I liked best, though, was the treatment of the historical setting. Most historical mysteries bombard the reader with historical details to the point that the mystery and characters are buried. It's like looking at costumes in a museum rather than reading about the people who wore them. Please don't get me wrong, I love history and used to be a history major. I enjoy historical show more detail. I just think that in a mystery it is important to focus on whodunnit rather than on what everyone's shoes looked like, what the latest society gossip was, and why this particular kind of tea was so expensive (unless those things actually have bearing on the story). I like historical mysteries where the people are people, no matter what the setting, and this is definitely one of those. I really hope I can find the next volume! hehe a warning though, if you read this you may find yourself thinking in Dipper's weirdly charming criminal slang for quite some time! show less

I give up. After procrastinating for almost a week, I'm still no nearer articulating my reaction to this book. Instead, I keep recalling Northwest Smith's reaction to transcendental beauty in C. L. Moore's "Black Thirst" — a mind-disorienting sense of vertigo.

[b:Cut to the Quick|351385|Cut to the Quick (Julian Kestrel Mysteries, #1)|Kate Ross|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223675280s/351385.jpg|742856] is a Regency murder mystery in the tradition of the Golden Age of Detective Fiction adhering, consciously or unconsciously, to Knox's Rules or Van Dine's Commandments. No twists, no plot holes, no omniscient narrator sleights-of-hand. Just a perfectly crafted murder mystery, sparkling with unexpected delights.

Foppish dandy Julian show more Kestrel is invited to a country house party, where he uses his powers of observation and deduction to solve murder most foul.

Like a mephistophelian crossword or a 2,000-piece jigsaw, the narrative is meticulously plotted and carefully constructed. Once the mystery is unveiled, the reader realises that every single hint, every single clue, to the solution was provided earlier in the book.

I have no idea how Ms Ross researched this book, but the depth and breadth of the historical detail makes other Regency novels look shabby in comparison. Not only the detail, but the style and register of the prose is utterly in character.

It doesn't get much better than this. I've already purchased two other books in the Kestrel series and am hunting around for the fourth. show less

What a find! This is one of the best mysteries (I am very fussy about my mysteries) I have read in a long time. Julian Kestrel is now in my top 5 dectives of all time. I loved the Regency setting which allowed for some nice Austeny nuances, but which was no handled so heavily that they overwhelmed the story. There was one plot element that I though was a bit of a reach, but there were so many other grand things about this book. Haven't been this excited about a mystery series since I discovered Sarah Caudwell's books.

I read this years and years ago and remember liking it a lot, but I don't remember any of the plot or characters (apart from Julian K.). I picked it up again as part of a buddy read on Twitter and was a little apprehensive. But no need, it holds up beautifully.

I'll save the details for our group discussion, but I really enjoyed the reread. Ross did a terrific job integrating a Regency Historical writing style with a murder mystery. There are a few Americanisms sprinkled through the text, but not many, and overall it's far more historically authentic feeling than the AU/"Recency" books that are all over historical romance today. Julian remains a wonderful, complex character. Astonishingly assured for a debut novel written by someone show more with a demanding day job, and I'm reminded all over again how much we lost with Ross's death at a young age.

One caveat: the women characters occupy pretty stereotypical roles (although they aren't cartoons by any means) and the plot turns on the murder of a very pretty, petite, woman. So a bit of fridging. If you are avoiding these types of plots, you might want to take a pass.

Otherwise: Highly recommended. show less

The start of one of the best thought-out murder mystery series I've read in a long while. Julian Kestrel, dandy and style-setter, is invited to Bellegard as a member of a wedding party. A body turns up in his bed: a mysterious young woman, beautiful, stabbed in the back. Suspicion falls upon Dipper, Julian's valet. But the family offers far more promising ground to investigate. Unfortunately, the local magistrate is head of the family. Beautifully plotted, you'll be able to just vanish into the world Kate Ross created.