annieb123's Review of What the Devil Knows (Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery, #16)

by C S Harris

Sebastian St. Cyr thought a notorious killer had been brought to justice until a shocking series of gruesome new murders stuns the city in this thrilling historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Who Speaks for the Damned.

It's October 1814. The war with France is finally over and Europe's diplomats are convening in Vienna for a conference that will put their world back together. With peace finally at hand, London suddenly finds itself in the grip of a series of heinous murders eerily similar to the Ratcliffe Highway murders of three years before.

In 1811, two entire families were viciously murdered in their homes. A suspect--a young seaman named John Williams--was arrested. But before he could be brought to trial, Williams hanged himself in his cell. The murders ceased, and London slowly began to breathe easier. But when the lead investigator, Sir Edwin Pym, is killed in the same brutal way three years later and others possibly connected to the original case meet violent ends, the city is paralyzed with terror once more.

Was the wrong man arrested for the murders? Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy turns to his friend Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, for assistance. Pym's colleagues are convinced his manner of death is a coincidence, but Sebastian has his doubts. The more he looks into the three-year-old murders, the more certain he becomes that the hapless John Williams was not the real killer. Which begs the question--who was and why are they dead set on killing again?

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

What the Devil Knows is the 16th Sebastian St. Cyr mystery by C. S. Harris. Due out 6th April 2021 from Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 336 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is consistently one of my very favorite ongoing historical mystery series and they always go directly to the top of my TBR list when they come out. The author is adept at writing tightly plotted intelligent mysteries full of pathos and interesting characters from all social strata of Regency London (and environs). All the action occurs against a backdrop of real and fictional political machinations and corrupt dealings alongside consistently believable and well engineered denouements and resolutions.

I love seeing Hero, her husband Sebastian, manservant Calhoun, and even their carriage tiger, Tom interacting and growing together along with the newest scion of the family tree, young Simon. Although it's the latest of 16 books in the series, it works quite well as a standalone and new readers won't have any trouble following the story. There are developments over the length of the series, so they do read better in order; but it's not absolutely necessary.

Five stars, a worthy addition.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

What the Devil Knows (Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery, #16)

by C S Harris

Reviewed by annieb123 on Apr 5, 2021

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