Scan barcode
A review by veronica87
Why Kill The Innocent by C.S. Harris
4.0
I’m once again visiting my all-time favorite historical mystery series. It’s book thirteen now and, at this point, Sebastian and Hero are about as dear to me as any literary characters can be. The year is 1814, the month is January and our sleuthing aristocrats are anticipating their son’s first birthday even as the city is facing one of its coldest winters. When Hero literally stumbles into the murder of the piano teacher of none other than HRH Princess Charlotte herself, it’s a foregone conclusion that Sebastian will turn his acute, mystery-solving skills to the task of solving the case.
As Sebastian tries to pin down the sequence of events in the piano teacher's final days, he finds himself following her down paths that lead to high placed palace intrigue as well as the more mundane matters of domestic unrest in hearth and home. It’s a complicated puzzle that seems to only add more suspects and motives without ever ruling anyone out. But there is always so much more going on in a Sebastian St Cyr mystery book than just the solving of a murder. It’s these “extras” that breathe a sense of realism into the stories and lend weight and emotional depth to the actions of the characters.
As usual, Hero is staunchly on Sebastian’s side and helps him in his investigations in any manner she can. She shares his passion for justice but she also seeks it out on a much larger scale than he does. Throughout their marriage, and even before it, Hero has used her research and writing skills to highlight the plight of England’s most vulnerable citizens. Her drive for reform is one of the reasons I love her so much and why she has always been the perfect match for Sebastian. Her work has also always been the reader’s window into those seedier and sadder parts of regency England that aren’t typically featured in your usual Jane Austen story. This time around we learn a little bit about the “hardships faced by the families of men snatched off the streets by the Royal Navy’s infamous press gangs.” The plight of the young wife who provides a “face” to this harsh practice is truly heartbreaking.
”It’s not right, what we do. Kidnapping men and carrying them off as essentially slaves to serve on our warships, all without a thought to the wives and children they leave behind to starve. As if their hopes and dreams - as if their very lives - matter not at all.”
Accompanying Hero on this very personal journey is Alexi Sauvage, the French physician/midwife who has become involved with Gibson, Sebastian’s surgeon friend. I’ll admit that I hadn’t really warmed up to Alex much since her introduction way back in book nine but I actually enjoyed seeing the friendship blossom between her and Hero here. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of that in future books.
We also got some updates on a few other matters in Sebastian’s and Hero’s personal lives. There is the matter of Stephanie’s marriage. She’s Sebastian’s niece and things are going more or less as expected. There is also a brief glimpse into the Jarvis household and I really can’t wait for Hero to catch wind of that. Then there were the events of the Frost Fair, which I had never heard of, that were woven seamlessly into the narrative. Oh! And I can’t possibly forget to mention the dropping of another clue pertaining to Sebastian’s paternity - though admittedly this personal mystery is moving at a snail’s pace. Sebastian does consider the possibility that he may never know the truth and I’m starting to wonder if this might indeed turn out to be the case. With Sebastian and Hendon reconciled, would identifying Sebastian’s natural father really serve any purpose at this point? Whether we ever find out the answer or not, I hope the author is planning for many more books in this wonderful series because I won’t be ready to say goodbye to it anytime soon.
**1st reread in January 2019: revisiting this favorite series during a stressful time in real life. As always, Sebastian and Hero were the perfect hosts.**
As Sebastian tries to pin down the sequence of events in the piano teacher's final days, he finds himself following her down paths that lead to high placed palace intrigue as well as the more mundane matters of domestic unrest in hearth and home. It’s a complicated puzzle that seems to only add more suspects and motives without ever ruling anyone out. But there is always so much more going on in a Sebastian St Cyr mystery book than just the solving of a murder. It’s these “extras” that breathe a sense of realism into the stories and lend weight and emotional depth to the actions of the characters.
As usual, Hero is staunchly on Sebastian’s side and helps him in his investigations in any manner she can. She shares his passion for justice but she also seeks it out on a much larger scale than he does. Throughout their marriage, and even before it, Hero has used her research and writing skills to highlight the plight of England’s most vulnerable citizens. Her drive for reform is one of the reasons I love her so much and why she has always been the perfect match for Sebastian. Her work has also always been the reader’s window into those seedier and sadder parts of regency England that aren’t typically featured in your usual Jane Austen story. This time around we learn a little bit about the “hardships faced by the families of men snatched off the streets by the Royal Navy’s infamous press gangs.” The plight of the young wife who provides a “face” to this harsh practice is truly heartbreaking.
”It’s not right, what we do. Kidnapping men and carrying them off as essentially slaves to serve on our warships, all without a thought to the wives and children they leave behind to starve. As if their hopes and dreams - as if their very lives - matter not at all.”
Accompanying Hero on this very personal journey is Alexi Sauvage, the French physician/midwife who has become involved with Gibson, Sebastian’s surgeon friend. I’ll admit that I hadn’t really warmed up to Alex much since her introduction way back in book nine but I actually enjoyed seeing the friendship blossom between her and Hero here. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of that in future books.
We also got some updates on a few other matters in Sebastian’s and Hero’s personal lives. There is the matter of Stephanie’s marriage. She’s Sebastian’s niece and things are going more or less as expected. There is also a brief glimpse into the Jarvis household and I really can’t wait for Hero to catch wind of that. Then there were the events of the Frost Fair, which I had never heard of, that were woven seamlessly into the narrative. Oh! And I can’t possibly forget to mention the dropping of another clue pertaining to Sebastian’s paternity - though admittedly this personal mystery is moving at a snail’s pace. Sebastian does consider the possibility that he may never know the truth and I’m starting to wonder if this might indeed turn out to be the case. With Sebastian and Hendon reconciled, would identifying Sebastian’s natural father really serve any purpose at this point? Whether we ever find out the answer or not, I hope the author is planning for many more books in this wonderful series because I won’t be ready to say goodbye to it anytime soon.
**1st reread in January 2019: revisiting this favorite series during a stressful time in real life. As always, Sebastian and Hero were the perfect hosts.**