Cut to the Quick

by Kate Ross

Book Overview

Julian Kestrel is the walking definition of a Regency-era dandy. He cares about little beyond the perfection of his tailoring, he lives for the bon mot, and his life has the specific gravity and the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140233946
• ISBN13: 9780140233940
• Release Date: April 1994
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.42 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.3" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

A wonderful series that ended too soon

It has been well over 10 years since I first devoured the Julian Kestrel mysteries. I was searching for them to re-read in Kindle format. No luck for that but bravo for Felony & Mayhem for bringing Kate Ross' wonderful period mysteries back to print. Beautifully written, imaginative...the kind of book you disappear into. And obviously, the kind of book you remember after much time has passed. I have always wondered what might have been if the incredibly talented Kate Ross had not lost her life to cancer.

A marvelous introduction!

Writers are frequently told to summarize the entire plot of their book into one sentence; it is indeed an excellent exercise. That being the case, 'Pride goeth before a fall" could be the condensed theme of this dazzling mystery by the late Boston attorney, Kate Ross.The book jacket claims her detective, Julian Kestrel, as a worthy addition to the ranks of the 12th Century Brother Cadfael and the 1920's Lord Peter Wimsey, excellent company indeed. Kestrel is an inhabitant of London in the 1820s; a dandy lacking a gentleman's education, family, title or riches. During that era, façade was all important, when hours might be spent in tying one's cravat just so. Perhaps ten years after the self-exile of Beau Brummel, style over substance was still given too much emphasis.This first novel is redolent with the sights, sounds and smells of the era, as we've come to know it from the books of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. Two years before the beginning of this book, Kestrel is the unwilling victim of a pickpocket. Because the theft was of a valuable (although only to him) pocket-watch, Kestrel chases the thief and finally brings the miscreant down with a well-placed toss of his walking stick. Impressed with the Cockney lad's sense of personal integrity--he made no excuses for himself, but accepted his fate stoically--Kestrel refuses to press charges, and takes the lad into his employ. Dipper becomes a valet, but bemoans to his new employer, "When you got a gift, even if it was the Devil give it to you, you get a hankering to use it now and again." It is only by a brief return to the underworld of Dipper's London to uncover information available nowhere else that Kestrel is able to solve the mystery presented to him during a stay at Bellegarde, for centuries the country home of the Fontclairs.Kestrel is not burdened with the pride of the Fontclairs. Good thing, too. They have more than enough for the entire country. It is easy to understand why England has been invincible for centuries with just this kind of back-bone, which prizes personal honour above all, while seemingly ignoring the deception and lust which lay just under the surface.Kestrel had rescued the Fontclair scion, Hugh, from a gambling den one night, and then, to his surprise, is invited to be groomsman for Hugh's upcoming wedding. The bride, Maud Craddock, and her father, along with Kestrel are the only outsiders present. Hugh's parents, Sir Robert and Lady Cecily; his uncle, Sir Geoffrey, a retired colonel lamed during Boney's war; and his son, (who is also Hugh's cousin,) Guy, and Lady Catherine, Robert and Geoffrey's sister, along with a young woman, Isabelle, who is actually cousin to Sir Robert rather than Hugh, make up the family. Lady Catherine has a husband and a home of her own, but she much prefers Bellegarde. She was, after all, born a Fontclair.Lady Catherine is so prideful and bitter, she becomes the most obvious choice of villain; the wonderful character whom one loves to

Why didn't I read this one sooner!

As most of you, I read all the time and keep books "in reserve" so I am never without one. For a recent trip to London, I wanted to have a mystery set there, and stumbled onto this one. I bought it, but just wasn't sure about it, and kept putting it aside, reading other things. Eventually I ran out of others, and picked it up. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG? I was captivated immediately by the historical details and the character of Julian. He is interesting, as is his manservant. I was CRESTFALLEN to learn that Kate Ross died recently of cancer. That makes the other three books left in the series ones to cherish. I agree with everyone who reviewed this: buy them all and read them all. I am now on the second, trying to savor it, but it, like this one, is so good it is hard to pace yourself! Enjoy.

A Love Affair

Upon discovering Julian Kestrel and Kate Ross, I was in love. The writing style is for readers who want an intellectual experience with their mystery. The hero is historically interesting ( an English dandy) and emotionally interesting as well ( certainly not the typical private eye). The outcomes of all four Kate Ross books make sense, there is no gratuitous violence, and the writing does not insult your intelligence. I never write reviews, but I wanted other mystery readers to discover this under-valued writer.