Reviews

Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris

holl3640's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

reikista's review against another edition

5.0

A young man from the foreign office dies of heart disease, and Gibson, upon examining the corpse, discovers he has been murdered. Sebastian is embroiled in a plot that costs many bodies before he discovers the truth. He and Hero are married.

Learn more about diplomacy in the early 1800s, the war of 1812 with the US.

mostlyfated's review against another edition

4.0

I skipped Book 5 mainly because I just didn't want to read about Sebastian and Kat Boleyn again (ugh...there are times where I just want to smack Sebastian) and so glad I did. If you're a fan if Hero Jarvis, or root for the Hero and Sebastian relationship, then Where Shadows Dance(Book 6) is the one to read after Where Serpents Sleep (Book 4). Skip Book 5 unless you want to read all the boring details about Sebastian and Kat Boleyn and the whys, hows, of that doomed relationship. C.S. Harris once again did a fantastic job weaving historical events/facts into her story to create a world where our characters inhabit.

In Where Shadows Dance Sebastian is once again on hunt to solve a mystery which involves a few dead bodies (of diplomats and spies) and the lead up to the War of 1812 between England and the U.S. Hero and Sebastian once again are reunited after Hero consented to marrying Sebastian. However, there is tension in their relationship as the reader is seeing Hero's loyalty to her father (Charles Jarvis and Sebastian's enemy) and that of her feelings and new loyalty towards Sebastian are tested. I love how each book reveals another layer of bravery and intimate detail about Hero that makes her such a wonderful partner for Sebastian. Definitely looking forward to seeing how Sebastian and Hero's relationship will progress once they are married and their relationship with Lord Charles Jarvis.

castiel67's review against another edition

4.0

Amazing as always! Cannot wait for the next book to be released in March!

melausten's review against another edition

I really need to move on from these! I wasn't going to continue after the second book, but here we are. I keep reading for Hero Jarvis!

alikatson's review against another edition

4.0

It took me forever to finish this one - I think because I found the romantic aspects super annoying and I stopped reading

Spoiler

the half sister, not half sister drama and pining. What is the point of this? It's weird.

. I hope that ends now, and I love Hero and hope to see more of her.

slothburglar's review

adventurous funny mysterious fast-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

4.0

I loved the romance elements of this story from the series! The mystery was a satisfying one, though may have been more interesting if I was more of a history buff and knew more about the wars of the time. Lots of political influences in this one. But overall one of the ones I enjoyed the most

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Violence

Minor: Rape

dawn_marie's review against another edition

4.0

The sixth offering of the Sebastian St. Cyr series does not disappoint. In this addition Irish surgeon Paul Gibson discovers that a young man working in the Foreign Office did not die of heart failure as was reported but was murdered; so naturally Gibson calls on his friend the Viscount Devlin (St. Cyr) to solve the case. C.S. Harris once again seamlessly weaves historic content (in this case England on the brink of war with the United States) in her fictional universe; the writing style evokes the Regency era world; the plot, while complex, moves well.

iskanderjonesiv's review against another edition

The “rich period detail [and] riveting action”* C.S. Harris delivers in her Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series reaches new heights as the aristocratic sleuth navigates dangerous political waters to bring a murderer to justice…

 

Regency London: July 1812. How do you set about solving a murder no one can reveal has been committed?

That’s the challenge confronting C.S. Harris’s aristocratic soldier-turned-sleuth Sebastian St. Cyr when his friend, surgeon and “anatomist” Paul Gibson, illegally buys the cadaver of a young man from London’s infamous body snatchers. A rising star at the Foreign Office, Mr. Alexander Ross was reported to have died of a weak heart. But when Gibson discovers a stiletto wound at the base of Ross’s skull, he can turn only to Sebastian for help in catching the killer.

Described by all who knew him as an amiable young man, Ross at first seems an unlikely candidate for murder. But as Sebastian’s search takes him from the Queen’s drawing rooms in St. James’s Palace to the embassies of Russia, the United States, and the Turkish Empire, he plunges into a dangerous shadow land of diplomatic maneuvering and international intrigue, where truth is an elusive commodity and nothing is as it seems.

Meanwhile, Sebastian must confront the turmoil of his personal life. Hero Jarvis, daughter of his powerful nemesis Lord Jarvis, finally agrees to become his wife. But as their wedding approaches, Sebastian can’t escape the growing realization that not only Lord Jarvis but Hero herself knows far more about the events surrounding Ross’s death than they would have him believe.

Then a second body is found, badly decomposed but bearing the same fatal stiletto wound. And Sebastian must race to unmask a ruthless killer who is now threatening the life of his reluctant bride and their unborn child.

* The New Orleans Times-Picayune

 

**

From Publishers Weekly

An overly convoluted plot mars this otherwise solid historical set in 1812, Harris's sixth featuring aristocratic London detective Sebastian St. Cyr (after 2009's What Remains of Heaven). When surgeon Paul Gibson finds a cadaver that he bought for anatomical study with a stab wound at the base of the skull, Gibson brings the matter to St. Cyr's attention. The corpse is identified as that of Alexander Ross, who worked for the Foreign Office. Several other murders follow, at least some of which may be linked with the political turmoil roiling the Continent in the wake of Napoleon's invasion of Russia. Meanwhile, Hero Jarvis, the independent daughter of St. Cyr's archenemy, accepts his marriage proposal, but this dramatic personal development compensates only in part for the failure of the disparate narrative threads to come together neatly enough. Series fans will hope the intriguing lead character will return to form in the next installment. (Mar.)
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Review

Praise for the Sebastian St. Cyr Series

"Best historical thriller writer in the business!  Sebastian St. Cyr is…uncannily clever, unwaveringly reserved, and irresistibly sexy.  The entire series is simply elegant.” --New York Times bestselling author Lisa Gardner

“Deftly combines political intrigue, cleverly concealed clues and vivid characters.”

--Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“A crescendo of suspense and surprise.” –Library Journal (Starred Review)

“Thoroughly enjoyable…kept me enthralled.” –Deanna Raybourn

“A ripping read...captivated me to the final page.” –Will Thomas

“Harris crafts her story with the threat of danger, hints of humor, vivid sex scenes, and a conclusion that will make your pulse race.” –The New Orleans Times-Picayune

“Harris delves deep into the mores of Regency England…” –Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

mamap's review against another edition

4.0

Oops. Gibson finds a body that he had stolen by the 'resurrection men' to study has been murdered.

Awkward.

Intriguing mystery set in the time of the war of 1812. Britain didn't find out that the United States had declared war for 6 weeks. Such was the time.