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Nothing is as simple as it seems in Kate Ross's Cut to the Quick, a murder mystery set in the early 19th century. A few weeks after playboy Julian Kestrel helps out a stranger (Hugh Fontclair) at a gaming hall, Kestrel receives an invitation to stay at the Fontclair estate for two weeks and a request to serve as Hugh's best man at his upcoming wedding. Curious, Kestrel accepts the invitation and travels with his serving man Dipper to the Fontclair estate. Events take a dramatic turn soon after their arrival when Kestrel discovers a beautiful young woman lying in his bed... dead. No one seems to know the identity of the murder victim, and, as fellow strangers to the area, Kestrel and Dipper find themselves the prime murder suspects. In self-defense, Kestrel takes on the case to capture the real killer, but finds the situation growing more complex at every turn. I enjoyed the book thoroughly. Ross weaves an inventive, engaging plot with interesting, multi-dimensional characters. Everyone in the story seems to be hiding a secret, which makes guessing the identity of the murderer as challenging as a game of Clue, and the plotline is logical yet unpredictable. It is hard to believe that this novel was Ross's first work of fiction; no doubt her background as a trial lawyer stood her in good stead. Ross continued the adventures of Julian Kestrel in A Broken Vessel, Whom the Gods Love and The Devil in Music. Ross died in March of 1998.
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