A review by jonetta
Why Kill the Innocent by C.S. Harris

4.0

Hero St. Cyr and Alexi Sauvage are returning home following a visit to one of her patients when they stumble upon the body of a young woman in a snow drift. Hero recognizes her as Jane Ambrose, the long time piano teacher to Princess Charlotte, the sole child and heir presumptive of the Prince Regent. When the palace moves quickly to silence the official investigation, Hero and Sebastian continue and find themselves in the midst of high intrigue and danger.

Of all the books in the series, this was one of the most historically accurate and complex. The central palace figure here is Princess Charlotte, surrounded by many with secret agendas and very few with her best interests in mind, least of all her nasty father. I loved how Sebastian and Hero worked as a team, both formidable individually and a major force together. The stark realities of the era are tough to absorb, heightened by the cruelty of not only the ruling class but a brutal, icy winter upon the poor and disenfranchised.

Sometimes it was difficult to keep up with all the machinations and chess players but I managed just fine. This story has a bit of everything, including but not limited to the romance of Hero & Sebastian, mystery, suspense and history (never knew about the Frost Fair of 1814). There’s a scene involving Hero that I’ll never forget as she showed how distinctly unique she is and has now become my favorite character. This was a highly interesting story with so many, many layers.