Scan barcode
jonetta's review against another edition
5.0
Sebastian St. Cyr is drawn to a case where the victim, Stanley Preston, was beheaded after being stabbed. Preston was the cousin of the Home Secretary so it is a high profile murder with a host of equally high profile suspects, including Simon Oliphant. Needless to say, it puts Sebastian and his family in the killer's crosshairs.
This was one of the more intriguing stories in the series. I especially liked how historical figures such as Jane Austen and Henry Addington were skillfully incorporated into the plot. The author created an environment that could be construed to have impacted Austen's stories. And, England's macabre history of beheadings was center stage.
It was also lovely to see Sebastian and Hero's relationship continue to deepen. Even her research of the world of costermongers (had never heard of them before) created a perfect backdrop for much of the story, described so vividly I could easily picture their existence and the contrast to the gentry.
I loved everything about this story, including its moral conflicts and historical relevance. There were many surprises and the level of danger was more palpable than the others. I'm saddened, though, that I'll be caught up after the next book. I've looked forward to my monthly Sebastian fix.
This was one of the more intriguing stories in the series. I especially liked how historical figures such as Jane Austen and Henry Addington were skillfully incorporated into the plot. The author created an environment that could be construed to have impacted Austen's stories. And, England's macabre history of beheadings was center stage.
It was also lovely to see Sebastian and Hero's relationship continue to deepen. Even her research of the world of costermongers (had never heard of them before) created a perfect backdrop for much of the story, described so vividly I could easily picture their existence and the contrast to the gentry.
I loved everything about this story, including its moral conflicts and historical relevance. There were many surprises and the level of danger was more palpable than the others. I'm saddened, though, that I'll be caught up after the next book. I've looked forward to my monthly Sebastian fix.
wordnerdy's review against another edition
3.0
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2015/03/2015-book-70.html
Look, it's one thing to have characters in a historical novel reading Jane Austen, it's another thing entirely to throw her in as a character, especially when she has nothing to do with the story! It just feels cheap--especially when the invented characters here are apparently supposed to be inspiring Persuasion! ANYWAY, in this latest Sebastian St Cyr mystery, Sebastian is called in to help investigate a murder in which a man was beheaded--and the murder may have ties to Charles I and Oliver Cromwell! (Thanks to both Monty Python and AP Euro, I understood these references.) Or not, who knows, there are a million suspects and Sebastian just ping-pongs around between them. I still love Hero and Sebastian though. I even was into Jarvis for this one. Entertaining enough. B.
Look, it's one thing to have characters in a historical novel reading Jane Austen, it's another thing entirely to throw her in as a character, especially when she has nothing to do with the story! It just feels cheap--especially when the invented characters here are apparently supposed to be inspiring Persuasion! ANYWAY, in this latest Sebastian St Cyr mystery, Sebastian is called in to help investigate a murder in which a man was beheaded--and the murder may have ties to Charles I and Oliver Cromwell! (Thanks to both Monty Python and AP Euro, I understood these references.) Or not, who knows, there are a million suspects and Sebastian just ping-pongs around between them. I still love Hero and Sebastian though. I even was into Jarvis for this one. Entertaining enough. B.
leener33's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 The least compelling of the series so far for me. Maybe not enough of the series story arc vs. the book-specific plot?
pkadams's review against another edition
3.0
Yay! Another St. Cyr novel. This one centers around a grotesque series of murders and the missing head of Charles I. Mystery was excellent the maudlin behavior of Gibson, St. Cyr's sidekick was depressing and the grappling of Devlin with his humanity and desire to protect his family, though understandable, was not interesting and as a result took me longer than I expected to read!
jessreadthis's review against another edition
4.0
As an eager fan of C.S. Harris I was looking forward to this installment in the series for awhile now. Harris does not disappoint fans.. except for still dangling tidbits of Sebastian's parentage without a major break thru. It really is masterfully done. Sebastian is brought once again to solve a murder, this time a beheading. Stanley Preston was found missing his head on the apt named Bloody Bridge. Sir Henry calls Sebastian in for aid in solving this crime against a peer. The usual characters Gibson (who I wish had more time devoted to his opiod addiction and withdrawl), Knox, Tiger Tom, Hero (who had a terrific separate storyline which makes me enjoy her even more), and Jarvis (who still gives no quarter to his son in law) all continue to play a role in the case but also the overarching mystery of his mother that plagues Sebastian's mind. As he works to solve the case, Sebastian comes across an old foe, Oliphant, who also has an interest in the dead man and Sebastian's continued health.
Overall, I completely enjoyed the story. While I can appreciate Harris's tactful efforts of fun to incorporate Jane Austen into this story; I felt it was not needed. The story was terrific in and of itself and didn't need the addition of Jane Austen to improve it. I found it rather detracted from the story. However, it was well done without being too cliche.
meera01's review against another edition
3.0
This took me a while to get into. It felt kind of repetitive with the constant going back and forth interviewing different suspects and not much going on for the first half of the book. The second part of the book improved because now the interviews were giving some results and the background of the suspects were getting more flushed out. I liked it but not one of the better ones in the series.
jeannine's review
4.0
There were so many characters to track in this one and the real reason for the murder(s) came sort of out of left field towards the end, but this was still a great read. I still find myself looking forward to the parts with Hero, Tom, and Paul, but the fact that Sebastian gets to settle something we’ve read about since book 1 was satisfying.
frostbitsky's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Back in March 2016 I went on a trip to Seattle, WA, with my friends. One of my friends is a book worm like me and we went to the Seattle Mystery Bookshop.
I bought this book mostly because I wanted to support an independent bookshop and I wanted a souvenir. When I picked it out (the cover caught my eye) I had no idea it was part of an ongoing series and I'm sure the mention of Jane Austin being a character sparked my interest.
So this is the 10th in the series, but the book can stand alone. The author does a great job of catching you up on anything you might have missed from the previous nine books. Even jumping in on book 10 I felt I knew Sebastian really well. Actually, I became so invested Sebastian's personal story and the mystery of his past that I might read more of these novels.
It's amazing how a book that follows the same mystery solving formula can still capture one's attention and imagination. There's a reason that these age old tropes become bestsellers. I found the mystery to be a compelling page turner. I was left guessing and deducting just like Sebastian. Also, the challenge is that it's 1813 and there are no modern methods to solve a murder. Got to use your brain.
I liked the historical fiction aspect of it by adding Jane Austin as a character and by also adding the story of King Charles I's tomb. I loved all the little nods to Austin's characters.
So the reason I put off reading this for so many years is because:
A) I don't usually read mysteries.
B) Once I realized that it was part of series that put me off because I thought I would feel lost and uninterested.
C) Also, I didn't want to be sucked into another book series.
I decided to read it now because I have a TBR pile 80-100 books big and I want to start actually reading them to see what I want to give away or keep.
I thought I would end up giving this one away, but I really enjoyed it and it is still a souvenir from my trip to Seattle.
5 out of 5 Beheaded Heads.
I bought this book mostly because I wanted to support an independent bookshop and I wanted a souvenir. When I picked it out (the cover caught my eye) I had no idea it was part of an ongoing series and I'm sure the mention of Jane Austin being a character sparked my interest.
So this is the 10th in the series, but the book can stand alone. The author does a great job of catching you up on anything you might have missed from the previous nine books. Even jumping in on book 10 I felt I knew Sebastian really well. Actually, I became so invested Sebastian's personal story and the mystery of his past that I might read more of these novels.
It's amazing how a book that follows the same mystery solving formula can still capture one's attention and imagination. There's a reason that these age old tropes become bestsellers. I found the mystery to be a compelling page turner. I was left guessing and deducting just like Sebastian. Also, the challenge is that it's 1813 and there are no modern methods to solve a murder. Got to use your brain.
I liked the historical fiction aspect of it by adding Jane Austin as a character and by also adding the story of King Charles I's tomb. I loved all the little nods to Austin's characters.
So the reason I put off reading this for so many years is because:
A) I don't usually read mysteries.
B) Once I realized that it was part of series that put me off because I thought I would feel lost and uninterested.
C) Also, I didn't want to be sucked into another book series.
I decided to read it now because I have a TBR pile 80-100 books big and I want to start actually reading them to see what I want to give away or keep.
I thought I would end up giving this one away, but I really enjoyed it and it is still a souvenir from my trip to Seattle.
5 out of 5 Beheaded Heads.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Death
Minor: Slavery
hollie313's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0