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spaces_and_solaces's review
4.0
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I absolutely love regency era mystery novels that exude old world danger, wit & unparalleled atmosphere. And C.S Harris’s book series on Sebastian St. Cyr, delivers that & more.
Set in the regency era, sometime around 1800’s, this series revolves around Sebastian Devlin, a Viscount who uses his uncompromising moral compass to solve murders & bring justice for the dead. Although it is uncommon & heavily frowned upon for an Earl’s son to engage in such pastimes/profession, Sebastian doesn’t mind bending the societal norms & breaking a few rules to stand for the dead, & often helps the impoverished & the voiceless.
Dealing with threats to his life for choosing to be in a life of service, the author draws the protagonist to be a man of intelligence, wit, & unyielding grit. Although the murders solved in this series are on a standalone basis, the author does a fantastic job of binding these books together with rich character developments, giving shape to the story in a way that feels wholesome & familiar.
The plot is thick with intrigue as Napoleon plans to march towards Britain, with a final reckoning held in Waterloo, and tension soars high amongst the classes & masses. In the midst of political turmoil, an unidentifiable body of young man was fished out of Thames.
Apparently murdered in the most gruesome ways possible, Sebastian thinks these murders are connected with Political Espionage & along with his wife’s support does his best to decipher the reason behind this malevolent act.
Recognizing the person as someone Sebastian served with in the prior wars, Sebastian delves deeper into his life & learns of his many secrets and the many powerful people/ countries who could want him dead. As more and more bodies of young men are pulled out of Thames, the writing turns theatrical, and I could almost sense the disquiet & stress felt by Sebastian.
With a climactic ending, driven by a fierce protagonist & the rich & diverse personalities of the side characters – this series has it all. And anyone interested in historical crime fiction specifically set in the regency era should definitely read this series!!!
Set in the regency era, sometime around 1800’s, this series revolves around Sebastian Devlin, a Viscount who uses his uncompromising moral compass to solve murders & bring justice for the dead. Although it is uncommon & heavily frowned upon for an Earl’s son to engage in such pastimes/profession, Sebastian doesn’t mind bending the societal norms & breaking a few rules to stand for the dead, & often helps the impoverished & the voiceless.
Dealing with threats to his life for choosing to be in a life of service, the author draws the protagonist to be a man of intelligence, wit, & unyielding grit. Although the murders solved in this series are on a standalone basis, the author does a fantastic job of binding these books together with rich character developments, giving shape to the story in a way that feels wholesome & familiar.
The plot is thick with intrigue as Napoleon plans to march towards Britain, with a final reckoning held in Waterloo, and tension soars high amongst the classes & masses. In the midst of political turmoil, an unidentifiable body of young man was fished out of Thames.
Apparently murdered in the most gruesome ways possible, Sebastian thinks these murders are connected with Political Espionage & along with his wife’s support does his best to decipher the reason behind this malevolent act.
Recognizing the person as someone Sebastian served with in the prior wars, Sebastian delves deeper into his life & learns of his many secrets and the many powerful people/ countries who could want him dead. As more and more bodies of young men are pulled out of Thames, the writing turns theatrical, and I could almost sense the disquiet & stress felt by Sebastian.
With a climactic ending, driven by a fierce protagonist & the rich & diverse personalities of the side characters – this series has it all. And anyone interested in historical crime fiction specifically set in the regency era should definitely read this series!!!
reikista's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
I learned how widespread the witch burning was in Europe and also about the terrible fate of the French prisoners of Spain.
misscandice's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
3.0
catmom22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
haylnomann's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
natcat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
Very engaging, and without any infuriating developments in Sebastian's social life like the previous book, but without quite such a compelling historical backdrop as that book, so you win some, you lose some. Gibson is one of my favourite characters, so I enjoyed his presence here but would have enjoyed it more if he'd played more of a role in the plot; the blurb to this book rather overstates his part in it!
I enjoyed both the backdrop of Waterloo happening far away ans no-one knowing what was happening, and the bits about folklore and people's interest in it - the bit about the popularity of werewolves in romance novels made me laugh. The more things change, the more they stay the same!
The formula for this is book the same as the others in the series, but if that works for you it'll work here again!
I enjoyed both the backdrop of Waterloo happening far away ans no-one knowing what was happening, and the bits about folklore and people's interest in it - the bit about the popularity of werewolves in romance novels made me laugh. The more things change, the more they stay the same!
The formula for this is book the same as the others in the series, but if that works for you it'll work here again!
constantreader471's review
4.0
4 stars for book 18 in an excellent historical mystery fiction series, set in Regency Britain. This book opens just prior to the battle of Waterloo. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin and heir to Lord Hendon, a member of the British cabinet, has been offering his help to the British authorities in solving murders throughout this series.
This book opens with Devlin going to his friend Paul Gibson to witness a postmortem on a body pulled out of the Thames river in London. The man's face has been partially shot off and his penis and testicles have been cut off. Devlin starts investigating w/o pay and raises hackles from the killer, who hires assassins to first warn him off, and then try to kill him. Devlin getting attacked and always surviving is a recurring theme in this series. More murders occur before the killer is identified by Devlin in a satisfying ending. Devlin is independently wealthy and does not have to worry about money.
Some people who are involved in helping solve the murders:
Sir Henry Lovejoy, Bow Street Magistrate, in charge of the investigation. In Book 1 he was Devlin's enemy, and was convinced Devlin was a murderer. But now they are old friends who rely on each other .
Hero, Devlin's wife, and daughter of Lord Jarvis, cousin to the Prince Regent, and one of the most powerful men in Britain.
Alexi Sauvage, companion to Paul Gibson. She was an accredited doctor in Italy, but is reduced to midwife status in Britain, because woman doctors are not allowed. She hates Devlin, because he killed her French lover several years before.
Tom, Devlin's tiger, i.e. a teenager who stays with Devlin's curricle(carriage) while he is questioning people.
The author describes some of British society shortcomings, including the practice of hanging poor women whose babies die of malnutrition. She also has spent time researching the clothing worn by the people of the period.
One quote: Earl of Bathurst "He was dressed, as always, in the height of fashion with an elaborately knotted cravat, a dark blue tailcoat with large gold buttons, and tight pale pantaloons."
#WhoCriesfortheLost #NetGalley.
I read this book in 2 days and will continue reading the series. I recommend it to historical mystery fiction fans.
Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group, for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
This book opens with Devlin going to his friend Paul Gibson to witness a postmortem on a body pulled out of the Thames river in London. The man's face has been partially shot off and his penis and testicles have been cut off. Devlin starts investigating w/o pay and raises hackles from the killer, who hires assassins to first warn him off, and then try to kill him. Devlin getting attacked and always surviving is a recurring theme in this series. More murders occur before the killer is identified by Devlin in a satisfying ending. Devlin is independently wealthy and does not have to worry about money.
Some people who are involved in helping solve the murders:
Sir Henry Lovejoy, Bow Street Magistrate, in charge of the investigation. In Book 1 he was Devlin's enemy, and was convinced Devlin was a murderer. But now they are old friends who rely on each other .
Hero, Devlin's wife, and daughter of Lord Jarvis, cousin to the Prince Regent, and one of the most powerful men in Britain.
Alexi Sauvage, companion to Paul Gibson. She was an accredited doctor in Italy, but is reduced to midwife status in Britain, because woman doctors are not allowed. She hates Devlin, because he killed her French lover several years before.
Tom, Devlin's tiger, i.e. a teenager who stays with Devlin's curricle(carriage) while he is questioning people.
The author describes some of British society shortcomings, including the practice of hanging poor women whose babies die of malnutrition. She also has spent time researching the clothing worn by the people of the period.
One quote: Earl of Bathurst "He was dressed, as always, in the height of fashion with an elaborately knotted cravat, a dark blue tailcoat with large gold buttons, and tight pale pantaloons."
#WhoCriesfortheLost #NetGalley.
I read this book in 2 days and will continue reading the series. I recommend it to historical mystery fiction fans.
Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group, for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
bethanyread's review
5.0
Got as a Library book. LOVED this book. Such a great story line. Loved seeing Hero, Devlin, Simon and Patrick. Always wondering what Jarvis is up to -- but loved that Devlin got the better of him at least once in this book. Hated to read what happened at Cabrera -- who could have possibly thought that would be a great idea? So sad and sorry for those people and their families. Great new characters - interesting interactions. The author does such a great job of making you feel for the characters positive and negative - Gibson and Alexi; Phoebe and Amelia; The Reverend Palmer; Eloisa, the Dutchess, even Cousin Victoria. The book is standalone, but I'd recommend going back and starting at the beginning -- you'll miss so much. Definitely recommend.
fluffyturtle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25