2-3-4 Challenge Book Discussions #1 discussion

It's October 1814. The war with France is finally over and Europe's diplomats are convening in Vienna for a conference that will put their world back together. With peace finally at hand, London suddenly finds itself in the grip of a series of heinous murders eerily similar to the Ratcliffe Highway murders of three years before.

In 1811, two entire families were viciously murdered in their homes. A suspect--a young seaman named John Williams--was arrested. But before he could be brought to trial, Williams hanged himself in his cell. The murders ceased, and London slowly began to breathe easier. But when the lead investigator, Sir Edwin Pym, is killed in the same brutal way three years later and others possibly connected to the original case meet violent ends, the city is paralyzed with terror once more.

Was the wrong man arrested for the murders? Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy turns to his friend Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, for assistance. Pym's colleagues are convinced his manner of death is a coincidence, but Sebastian has his doubts. The more he looks into the three-year-old murders, the more certain he becomes that the hapless John Williams was not the real killer. Which begs the question--who was and why are they dead set on killing again?

Setting
London, England - October 1814

58 Chapters

Character List
(view spoiler)[
Recurring Characters
Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin: Viscount Devlin. Tall, leanly built man, not yet 30-years old. He has dark hair and strange yellow eyes with the unnatural ability to see clearly at great distances or at night. Lord Hendon's only surviving son, they enjoy a very complicated and acrimonious relatiohship. St. Cyr's mother abandoned him at a young age which still affects him to this day. He was forced to forgo the love of his life, Kat Boleyn due to familial secrets. He's now married to Hero and father of their toddler son, Simon.
Hero Jarvis St. Cyr, Lady Devlin: Viscountess Devlin. Daughter of Charles, Lord Jarvis and St. Cyr's enemy, She's tall, 25-years old with gray eyes and was considered a spinster until she married Sebastian. Independent minded, smart and not afraid of her father. She and Sebastian have a toddler son, Simon.
Simon Alistair St. Cyr: Sebastian and Hero's 20-month old son.
Claire Bisette: Simon's nursemaid. She recently lost her 3-year old daughter.
Tom: Sebastian's 15-year old groom or tiger who is devoted to him because he rescued him from the streets after he saved Sebastian's life. Secures information for Sebastian due to living on the streets and his ability to go undetected.
Paul Gibson: Former army surgeon, an Irishman who shared the battlefields with Sebastian where he lost a leg. Unmarried, he works out of a small surgery at the base of Tower Hill and shares his knowledge of anatomy at St. Thomas and St. Bartholomew's teaching hospitals. He frequently assists St. Cyr, his friend, with his murder investigations and provides an invaluable source of knowledge. He's in his mid-thirties, slim, dark haired and of medium height and has an opium addiction. Alexi is his lover and lives with him.
Alexandri (Alexi) Sauvage: French doctor currently living with Paul.
Charles, Lord Jarvis: Brilliant, ruthless man and cousin to the King. Completely dedicated to the preservation of the House of Hanover, he was considered the power behind Prinny (Prince Regent) weak Regency due to King George slipping into madness. In prior mysteries, St. Cyr had broken into Jarvis' house, held him at gunpoint and thrown a knife at him. They were not on the best of terms and neither trusted the other. He's Hero's father.
Annabelle, Lady Jarvis: Lord Jarvis' deceased wife, Hero's mother.
Emma Knight: Young widow who was Annabelle's companion.
Alistair St. Cyr, Earl of Hendon: Sebastian's father to the world but in reality he was not. Sebastian recently learned he's not his biological father but the Earl has always known. He is, however, the father of Kat Bolyen, Sebastian's former lover, and allowed Sebastian to believe they were brother and sister. Currently the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in his late sixties with deep blue eyes.
Sophie St. Cyr: aka Dama Capello. Sebastian’s mother who was believed to have drowned when he was a child. However, he recently learned that was untrue.
Henrietta, Dowager Duchess of Claiborne: Lord Hendon's sister, Sebastian and Amanda's aunt. She has a son, Claiborne who is married to Emily.
Lady Amanda Wilcox: Oldest of the St. Cyr siblings, Sebastian's sister. Her husband drowned as he was attempting to murder Sebastian. He had already murdered several people. Mother of Bayard and Stephanie.
Lord Bayard Wilcox: Amanda’s son.
Stephanie Wilcox Ledger, Lady Ashworth: Amanda's daughter. She was married to Anthony and mother of twin sons.
Anthony Marcus Ledger, Viscount Ashworth: Stephanie's abusive husband, now deceased. He was thirty-two years old when he was murdered, handsome, wellborn, and extraordinarily wealthy.
James Ledger: Stephanie’s son, Adrian’s twin.
Adrian Ledger: Stephanie’s infant son, James’ twin.
Sir Henry Lovejoy: Once the chief magistrate at Queen Square, now the newest of Bow Street’s three stipendiary magistrates, and friend of Sebastian.
Morey: Sebastian's majordomo.
Jules Calhoun: Sebastian's valet. Began his life in one of London's most notorious flash house, some of his unusual talents are of use to Sebastian from time to time.
Grace Calhoun: Jules’ mother, a famous underworld figure. She operates the Red Lion Inn.
Giles: Sebastian's groom.
Victoria Hart-Davis: Annabelle's distant cousin who continues to live in and run the Jarvis’ household. She’s Jarvis’ lover and Sebastian suspects she killed Annabelle.
Kat Boleyn: Actress who was Sebastian's first love. She's Hendon's illegitimate daughter.
Edward Burnside: Former hussar major and Jarvis' henchman.
George Augustus Frederick: aka Prinny. Prince of Wales and Regent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Princess Charlotte Augusta of Wales: Sole legitimate issue of the Prince of Wales and heiress presumptive to the throne. Her mother is Princess Caroline.
Princess Caroline: Princess of Wales and estranged wife of the Prince of Wales, Charlotte’s mother.
Grisham: Jarvis’s butler.
Jamie Knox: Former owner of the Black Devil tavern who was killed during an attempt on Sebastian’s life. He was a former sharpshooter for the army and looked like Sebastian and is suspected to have been his half brother. He was also a reputed smuggler.
Pippa: Barkeep and owner of the Black Devil tavern. She was Jamie's girlfriend and mother of their son, Patrick.

Non Recurring Characters
Henry Addington, Viscount Sidmouth: Home Secretary.
Nathan Cockerwell: East End magistrate and Middlesex justice of the peace.
Charlie Horton: Former Thames River policeman who was the first to respond to the Marr murder scene.
Edwin Pym: East End magistrate who was murdered in Wapping. He led the Ratcliffe Highway murders investigation three years ago.
Katie Ingram: Pym’s daughter.
Andrew Ingram: Katie’s husband.
Steven Pym: Edwin Pym’s son who is the captain of the Lady Perry.
Emile Labourne: Man Sebastian hired to find his mother.
Molly McGuire: Prostitute who was with Pym shortly before his murder.
Hugo Reeves: Murdered seaman whose death was similar to the Ratcliffe Highway murders.
Timothy Marr: Victim in the 1811 Ratcliffe Highway murders, along with wife Celia and their infant son.
Celia Marr: Married to Timothy, victim in the 1811 Ratcliffe Highway murders.
James Gowan: 14-year old shop boy who worked for Marr and was also murdered.
Margaret (Meg) Jewel:13-year old servant who worked for Marr but was out when they were murdered.
John Williamson: Pubican who ran the King’s Arms tavern who was a victim in the 1811 Ratcliffe Highway murders.
Elizabeth Williamson: John’s wife who was also murdered.
Bridget Harrington: Servant who worked for the Williamson’s and was also murdered.
Adam Campbell: Scotsman Sebastian hired to guard Katie.
John Williams: Man who was suspected of being the Ratcliffe Highway murderer. He hanged himself in jail.
Seamus Faddy: Man Cockerwell is accusing of having murdered Pym.
Billy Ablass: Sailor who was a suspect in the Radcliffe Highway murders.
Jake Turner: Witness to the Ratcliffe Highway murders.
Marcus York: Vicar at St. George’s-in-the-East.
Ian Ryker: Son of a former Wapping publican who has now taken up with Pippa, Jamie Knox’s old girlfriend, at the Black Tavern.
Robert Vermilloe: Proprietor of The Pear Tree. Married to Sarah.
Sarah Vermilloe: Wife of the proprietor of The Pear Tree, the lodging where John Williams stayed before his arrest.
Hannah Bishop: Along with her brother, proprietor of Three Moons.
Christopher Bishop: Along with his sister, proprietor of Three Moons.
Wendell Flood: Man who was in the cell adjacent to John Williams.
Thomas Webb: Prison surgeon.
Cornelius Hart: Seaman and a suspect in the Ratcliffe Highway murders.
Henry Meux: Primary investor in Meux Horse Shoe Brewery.
Paul Nichols: Celia's father.
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Spoiler Info
(view spoiler)[
Hannah’s mother was married to Billy Ablass’ brother, Peter.

Jarvis and Victoria get engaged and married.

Hannah and Christopher are John Williams’ siblings.

Pippa and Ian sold the tavern and moved to America. She left her son, Patrick, with Sebastian and Hero. (hide spoiler)]

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC. I'm in and anxious to discuss.

Woo hoo! I was hoping you would.

I’m just getting started so it’ll be a couple of days.

I'll have to wait until it's at my library, but anxious to discuss. Really enjoy this series!

We’ll respond when you join in!

I'm in but not until the kindle is released on April 6th.

I'm second in line for this book from the public library.