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rclz's review
5.0
Good book with good narration. I could see where it was going as far as G was concerned but not quite the rest. I'm going to be so sad when I reach the end of this series. There are few series I just munch one after the next like I've done this one.
zombeesknees's review
5.0
Full review can be found here: https://www.criminalelement.com/book-review-who-speaks-damned-cs-harris-sebastian-st-cyr/
cleheny's review
3.0
I consider this closer to 3.5 stars; liked it a bit more than the immediately preceding one (Who Slays the Wicked), despite its' obvious plot twist (though I didn't see the final plot twist coming). In this mystery, Sebastian investigates the murder of Nicholas Hayes, the third son of the late Earl of Seaforth. His death is shocking because, about 20 years before, he was convicted of the murder of a beautiful young emigre, transported to Botany Bay, and reported killed about 3 years later. But just as his reported death was not what it seems, Sebastian slowly reveals that everything else has been similarly distorted. The primary subplot concerns the disappearance of a young child, Ji, who accompanied Hayes from China (where Hayes lived after his escape from Botany Bay), following Hayes' murder. Hero and Jules Calhoun--Sebastian's valet, who was a friend of Hayes before Hayes' arrest--search for Ji as Sebastian investigates both Hayes' murder and the murder he was convicted of. As usual, Sebastian has multiple suspects who he is unable to eliminate until close to the end of the mystery.
What makes this mystery stronger than most other St. Cyr mysteries is the tragedy of Hayes' life, a man who had excellent reasons for rage, bitterness, and vengefulness, but who nonetheless found a way to find peace and do good. Jarvis' actions are more despicable than usual.
Harris sets up a major plot twist early on, but its effect is spoiled by the obviousness of the setup. But I didn't anticipate the very last plot twist, and it just reinforced Hayes' character.
What makes this mystery stronger than most other St. Cyr mysteries is the tragedy of Hayes' life, a man who had excellent reasons for rage, bitterness, and vengefulness, but who nonetheless found a way to find peace and do good. Jarvis' actions are more despicable than usual.
Harris sets up a major plot twist early on, but its effect is spoiled by the obviousness of the setup.
Spoiler
For more than 3/4 of the book, Ji is believed by other characters to be a 9 or 10 year old half Chinese/half English boy, but, in fact, Ji is a girl. Unfortunately, it becomes obvious within Ji''s first couple of appearances (she shows up several times, as she tries to survive on London's streets) that Harris is deliberately obscuring the character's gender. Harris will only refer to Ji by her name or the appellation, "the child," never he/she; him/her, etc.--except for one paragraph (on p. 197 of the hardcover ed.), where Harris writes of Ji, "for some reason only he dimly understood, the sight of her filled him with an odd combination of compassion and dread." Given how unnatural it is never to use a pronoun when referring to a significant character--particularly when writing from that character's point of view--it's fairly obvious what Harris is doing. If the single sentence on p. 197 was an attempt at deliberate misdirection, it came far too late to accomplish its purpose. I'm inclined to think it was a mistake that slipped past the editor.Spoiler
Ji is not Hayes' biological, but adoptive, daughter.octygon's review
4.0
That was wonderful. Another enjoyable installment with Sebastian and Hero—thank goodness there was more of Hero in this one than the past few. I am emerging from my haze as I finish my bingefest on these books. Three weeks and 15 books later, now I have to wait until next April for the next installment.
audreylee's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The murdered victim was a man long believed dead. What better way to start a mystery? Harris blends historical information and politics with interesting characters and a dark plot. The pace is perfect. The exclusion of some of the strong female characters from prior novels was a bit of a disappointment.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
4.0
Who speaks for the damned? In this particular historical mystery series--Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin. And in this particular case, he is speaking for Nicholas Hayes, the younger son of the late Earl of Seaforth, who was tried and found guilty of murder 18 years ago. His sentence was commuted to transportation to Botany Bay for life and he had been reported dead after an accident not long after his arrival in Australia. But, in truth, he had escaped and made a life for himself in China. So, why was he found stabbed in the back with a sickle in a less-than-fashionable tea garden? Devlin's valet Calhoun would like his master to find out.
Calhoun was friends with Hayes before he was exiled from England and believes that the man was innocent of the murder of the Countess Chantal de LaRiviere. He says that Hayes was a loyal and honorable man--perhaps a bit wild in his youth, but certainly not a killer of women. Devlin trusts Calhoun's judgment and has an abhorrence of senseless death. There is also a young child to be found--a child whom Hayes had brought with him from China and who disappeared as soon as they had told the valet of the murder.
It isn't long before Devlin has discovered four men who had reason to fear Hayes's return to England. Men who were inextricably tied to Hayes's guilty verdict. Could it be that Hayes came back to exact revenge on those whom he thought had set him up? Or is there another reason behind his return--a reason that resulted in his death? When Hayes's cousin (who had ascended to the title Earl of Seaforth on the strength of the report of Nicholas's death--and the deaths of his two older brothers) joins the list of those killed, Devlin begins to wonder if someone has a grudge against the Hayes/Seaforth family. Or is he missing something?
In the background, the crowned heads of Europe are still gathered in England to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon and the powers-that-be want nothing more than to sweep these ugly matters under the rug. Heaven forbid that unseemly events (like murder) should tarnish the aristocratic glamour of the elite. But as long as Devlin is around, murderers will get their comeuppance...even if they do walk among the elite.
Fo
r those of us who enjoy a good historical mystery, there is much to love in the Sebastian St. Cyr series and I must say that this is my current favorite. Harris (Candice Proctor) has earned degrees in history and her knowledge of the Regency period is extensive. Each book is well-researched and manages to integrate actual events with a lively mystery. Of course, as all historical fiction writers do, she takes some liberty with dates and such, but the basics of Regency England (and Europe) are solid and give readers much to learn about the era. Her characters are well-written and most of the recurring cast have become old friends (or old enemies depending on how much you feel about Lord Jarvis and his ilk). Settling into these novels is like settling back into a comfortable armchair that sits just right--of course her plots are loaded with surprises so we never get so comfortable that we fall asleep. She also offers up good mysteries with plenty of red herrings, possible twists, and clues. This particular plot offers up a few old scandals to choose from before we get to the end. ★★★★ and 1/2
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
Calhoun was friends with Hayes before he was exiled from England and believes that the man was innocent of the murder of the Countess Chantal de LaRiviere. He says that Hayes was a loyal and honorable man--perhaps a bit wild in his youth, but certainly not a killer of women. Devlin trusts Calhoun's judgment and has an abhorrence of senseless death. There is also a young child to be found--a child whom Hayes had brought with him from China and who disappeared as soon as they had told the valet of the murder.
It isn't long before Devlin has discovered four men who had reason to fear Hayes's return to England. Men who were inextricably tied to Hayes's guilty verdict. Could it be that Hayes came back to exact revenge on those whom he thought had set him up? Or is there another reason behind his return--a reason that resulted in his death? When Hayes's cousin (who had ascended to the title Earl of Seaforth on the strength of the report of Nicholas's death--and the deaths of his two older brothers) joins the list of those killed, Devlin begins to wonder if someone has a grudge against the Hayes/Seaforth family. Or is he missing something?
In the background, the crowned heads of Europe are still gathered in England to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon and the powers-that-be want nothing more than to sweep these ugly matters under the rug. Heaven forbid that unseemly events (like murder) should tarnish the aristocratic glamour of the elite. But as long as Devlin is around, murderers will get their comeuppance...even if they do walk among the elite.
Fo
r those of us who enjoy a good historical mystery, there is much to love in the Sebastian St. Cyr series and I must say that this is my current favorite. Harris (Candice Proctor) has earned degrees in history and her knowledge of the Regency period is extensive. Each book is well-researched and manages to integrate actual events with a lively mystery. Of course, as all historical fiction writers do, she takes some liberty with dates and such, but the basics of Regency England (and Europe) are solid and give readers much to learn about the era. Her characters are well-written and most of the recurring cast have become old friends (or old enemies depending on how much you feel about Lord Jarvis and his ilk). Settling into these novels is like settling back into a comfortable armchair that sits just right--of course her plots are loaded with surprises so we never get so comfortable that we fall asleep. She also offers up good mysteries with plenty of red herrings, possible twists, and clues. This particular plot offers up a few old scandals to choose from before we get to the end. ★★★★ and 1/2
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting portions of review. Thanks.
gawronma's review
4.0
This was one of the best books. It was great to see how Sebastian has matured and changed over the years. I'm looking forward to see where Harris will take this series next.
jonetta's review against another edition
5.0
The Allied Sovereigns have assembled in London to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon in June 1814. Royal families from the German states, Russia and Austria are reveling in the restoration of the European monarchs. In the midst of all the festivities, the body of Nicholas Hayes, a British noble, was discovered in a tea garden. He was thought to have died 15 years earlier in Botany Bay where he was sentenced for the murder of the wife of a French emigre. Hayes was a friend of Jules Calhoun, Sebastian St. Cyr’s valet, who had Sebastian accompany him to the murder scene. Sebastian soon discovers that his own interest goes beyond helping out a friend as the investigation calls into question Hayes’ guilt for the crime that originally banished him from England.
I’ve loved this series for its historical accuracy, forthrightness and honesty about the past. It’s unparalleled in that respect, at least among my other historical fiction choices. This story surpassed my high expectations in this aspect as well as providing high intrigue and a downright confounding mystery. My education about the East India Company was apparently a farce and I learned the reality of its sordid history and devastating impact on Asian cultures. Hayes murder was cleverly entwined with the political machinations involving Allied relationships following Napoleon’s downfall, which had me paying attention to minute details and the intricacies of key relationships. If this wasn’t enough to engage me, Sebastian was teamed with Hero to work through many elements of the case, past and present.
This was the most delectable of installments to date, at least for me. Nicholas Hayes’ life was sort of a “what if” representation for Sebastian as so much of their lives mirrored each others except for the intervention of Constable Henry Lovejoy saving him from a similar fate at a similar pivotal moment in his own life. It inspired him to seek the truth on Nicholas’ behalf as there was absolutely no one to stand for him. There’s always been a noble quality about Sebastian beyond peerage and he’s never been finer than he was here in seeking the truth amidst incredible opposition. I loved everything about this story as it cleverly and skillfully steeped well defined characters, intrigue, mystery and suspense in a wealth of history. And the ending? Beyond lovely.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
I’ve loved this series for its historical accuracy, forthrightness and honesty about the past. It’s unparalleled in that respect, at least among my other historical fiction choices. This story surpassed my high expectations in this aspect as well as providing high intrigue and a downright confounding mystery. My education about the East India Company was apparently a farce and I learned the reality of its sordid history and devastating impact on Asian cultures. Hayes murder was cleverly entwined with the political machinations involving Allied relationships following Napoleon’s downfall, which had me paying attention to minute details and the intricacies of key relationships. If this wasn’t enough to engage me, Sebastian was teamed with Hero to work through many elements of the case, past and present.
This was the most delectable of installments to date, at least for me. Nicholas Hayes’ life was sort of a “what if” representation for Sebastian as so much of their lives mirrored each others except for the intervention of Constable Henry Lovejoy saving him from a similar fate at a similar pivotal moment in his own life. It inspired him to seek the truth on Nicholas’ behalf as there was absolutely no one to stand for him. There’s always been a noble quality about Sebastian beyond peerage and he’s never been finer than he was here in seeking the truth amidst incredible opposition. I loved everything about this story as it cleverly and skillfully steeped well defined characters, intrigue, mystery and suspense in a wealth of history. And the ending? Beyond lovely.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
taisie22's review
5.0
When Nicholas Hayes is murdered with a sickle in his back, Sebastian St Cyr is called to investigate the case. Among the odd facts surrounding the death is that Hayes was sentenced to life in Botany Bay and supposedly died there, so he shouldn't be in England. Also, what happened to the young boy Ji who accompanied him? It's up to Sebastian and his wife Hero to uncover the many mysteries behind Hayes's death.
I've read every one of the books in this series. Each new book is a revelation. I always think I know who the murderer is and I'm always wrong. The complex misdirection has me hooked. It doesn't hurt that the historic background is so good; the author takes particular pains to get that right and I appreciate her efforts. The relationship between Sebastian and Hero just gets better and better. I wait every year for the next book and it doesn't disappoint.
I've read every one of the books in this series. Each new book is a revelation. I always think I know who the murderer is and I'm always wrong. The complex misdirection has me hooked. It doesn't hurt that the historic background is so good; the author takes particular pains to get that right and I appreciate her efforts. The relationship between Sebastian and Hero just gets better and better. I wait every year for the next book and it doesn't disappoint.