Sebastian St. Cyr investigates the mysterious life and death of a nobleman convicted of murder in this enthralling new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Why Kill the Innocent....
It's June 1814, and the royal families of Austria, Russia, and the German states have gathered in London at the Prince Regent's invitation to celebrate the defeat of Napoléon and the restoration of monarchical control throughout Europe. But the festive atmosphere is marred one warm summer evening by the brutal murder of a disgraced British nobleman long thought dead.
Eighteen years before, Nicholas Hayes, the third son of the late Earl of Seaford, was accused of killing a beautiful young French émigré and transported to Botany Bay for life. Even before his conviction, Hayes had been disowned by his father, and few in London were surprised when they heard the ne'er-do-well had died in disgrace in New South Wales. But those reports were obviously wrong. Recently Hayes returned to London with a mysterious young boy in tow--a child who vanishes shortly after Nicholas's body is discovered.
Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is drawn into the investigation by his valet, Jules Calhoun, an old friend of the dead man. With Calhoun's help, Sebastian begins to piece together the shattered life of the late Earl's ill-fated youngest son. Why did Nicholas risk his life and freedom by returning to England? And why did he bring the now-missing young boy with him? Several nervous Londoners had reason to fear that Nicholas Hayes had returned to kill them. One of them might have decided to kill him first.
Who Speaks for the Damned is the 15th Sebastian St. Cyr mystery by C. S. Harris. Released 7th April 2020 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 336 pages and 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.
Despite being the 15th book in the series, the author manages to strike a fine balance between introducing new characters, new plot elements, and a twisty and engaging mystery, while still delivering a satisfying interlude with the characters readers know and love. The strength and intelligence and synergistic delight of seeing Hero, her husband Sebastian, manservant Calhoun, and even his carriage tiger, Tom interacting and growing together is worth the read alone, but the author has wrapped the heart of the characters inside a historical plot rife with xenophobia, political machinations, blackmail, murder, and the unforgiving rigidity of 19th century societal mores and the overall effect is deep and engaging.
This is one of my favorite ongoing historical mystery series and I always look forward to new installments with anticipation. Although it's the latest of 15 books in the series, it works quite well as a standalone and new readers won't have any trouble following the story.
Five stars, a worthy addition.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
