Bruce - reviewed on 4/23/2013

Helpful Score: 1

This is another enjoyable addition to the St. Cyr series. The plot revolves around the Hope Diamond, said to have been cut from the French Crown Jewels, and Napoleon's efforts to regain the lost jewel. Harris provides some interesting historical references. My main complaint is that each St. Cyr volume follows the exact same pattern. Someone is murdered. A person is wrongly accused. Someone or something draws Devlin into the investigation. Devlin interviews half-a-dozen suspects repeatedly because they lie to him and only give him the truth piece by piece. Many of these suspects are killed off. Someone is lurking in the shadows following Devlin. At some point, Devlin will get into a fight and receive a serious cut via a knife or sword, usually to the arm or torso (he must have so many scars it's hard to function). The accused will be exonerated but the guilty party usually dies before facing the hangman. If you've never read a St. Cyr novel, I just summed up all eight of them for you. Otherwise, an enjoyable series.

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