The death of a fiendish nobleman strikes close to home as Sebastian St. Cyr is tasked with finding the killer to save his young cousin from persecution in this riveting new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Why Kill the Innocent....
When the handsome but dissolute young gentleman Lord Ashworth is found brutally murdered, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is called in by Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy to help catch the killer. Just seven months before, Sebastian had suspected Ashworth of aiding one of his longtime friends and companions in the kidnapping and murder of a string of vulnerable street children. But Sebastian was never able to prove Ashworth's complicity. Nor was he able to prevent his troubled, headstrong young niece Stephanie from entering into a disastrous marriage with the dangerous nobleman.
Stephanie has survived the difficult birth of twin sons. But Sebastian soon discovers that her marriage has quickly degenerated into a sham. Ashworth abandoned his pregnant bride at his father's Park Street mansion and has continued living an essentially bachelor existence. And mounting evidence--ranging from a small bloody handprint to a woman's silk stocking--suggests that Ashworth's killer was a woman. Sebastian is tasked with unraveling the shocking nest of secrets surrounding Ashworth's life to keep Stephanie from being punished for his death.
Who Slays the Wicked is the 14th (!!) Regency murder mystery featuring Viscount Sebastian St. Cyr by author C.S. Harris. Released 2nd April 2019 by Penguin on their Berkley imprint, it's 349 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.
This series has been consistently strong from the first book. Although the actual mysteries are self contained, the characters and story arc develop throughout the series. Since the series itself is so well done and engaging, I recommend reading them in order. I can only think of a handful of series (in any genre) which have maintained my interest evenly throughout and this one is superlative.
The plotting and pacing are seamless with varying dramatic tension which kept me interested from the first paragraph. I love Sebastian's family and retinue and always enjoy seeing how his young coach-boy Tom is developing as well as visiting his dogsbody/valet Calhoun, and his redoubtable wife, Hero.
This is just a top quality historical murder mystery with meticulous background research and beautifully written. I highly recommend the series. It would make an admirable summer binge read. This installment might well be my favorite thus far.
Five stars for both the series as a whole and this, the 14th book.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
