Category: Historical Mystery

Who Cries for The Lost by C.S. Harris

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Top Pick - Highly RecommendedLeave a comment

Who Cries for the Lost (Sebastian St. Cyr, #18)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Sebastian St. Cyr #18
Publication Date: 4/18/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 368

I cannot say enough good things about this author’s dedication to historical accuracy in political, social, and military norms. She elegantly portrays the tensions in London as Napoleon escapes his island prison and marches back into Paris to begin the wars all over again. The tension mounts as news of Quatre Bras and Ligny reach London and then crescendos when news of Waterloo reaches them. Cheering the victory or mourning the loss of so many lives, everyone feels deeply about the war’s end. Set among these tensions is our story of a savage murder and mutilation – quickly followed by more. With London already on edge, Sebastian knows they must find and stop this vicious maniac before London erupts and everyone goes over the edge.

Nobody thinks too much about it when an almost naked, grossly mutilated corpse is pulled out of the Thames. Dozens of bodies are pulled from the Thames each year, but none like this one, and when he is identified as an aristocrat, Major Miles Sedgewick, brother to a Marquis, it finally becomes something important to Bow Street. It also quickly becomes vitally important to Sebastian St. Cyr when he learns that the body was identified by Alexi Sauvage who is the paramour of Sebastian’s best friend – Paul Gibson. Alexi identifies the corpse as Miles Sauvage – her husband – though it turned out she was tricked and it wasn’t a legal marriage. Had it not been for Alexi, Miles would have ended up in an unmarked mass grave, unidentified and unmarked. Would it have been better for that to have happened? You might be able to answer that after you’ve read the book – or you might not.

With people pointing fingers at Alexi, Sebastian knows it won’t be long before his closest friend, Irish surgeon Paul Gibson is pointed at as well. Sebastian knows without a doubt Paul isn’t guilty, but, for brief instances, he can see where Alexi might be. However, as more and more details surface about Miles and the person he was, there is a wide swath of the world population who might have wished to see him in his current state. Then, another body, this time without a head or feet, turns up in the Thames and nobody knows who he is as there is nothing identifiable about him. They believe him to be an aristocrat because of his soft skin and well-cared-for nails, but, is he? When yet another body turns up and two more people are reported as missing – everybody in London is beginning to be afraid of their own shadows. That is especially true with the suspense and worry about Bonaparte adding to the struggle.

There are more red herrings than you can shake a stick at – and all of them are very viable as suspects. Then, there are the motives – who knew there could possibly be so many potential motives for a set of crimes? Are the crimes all related? Is there more than one murderer? Is it overflowing from the wars on the continent? Is it a cuckolded husband? Or, is it really Alexi getting payback for Miles tricking her into a false marriage? Can it be that simple? Oh! You’ll just have to read the book to find out.

I anxiously await each new book in this series. My heart palpates with excitement and I vow I will read it slowly, savor each and every word so I can make the pleasure last absolutely as long as possible. Then, reality hits, the book arrives, and I devour each and every word so quickly I’m not even aware time is passing. Sadly, the book is read much too quickly, and I’m back to anxiously awaiting the next release.

This is a wonderfully crafted tale with a mystery so twisted you’ll be wondering right until the last who really did it – and why. You’ll hold your breath awaiting the next body, the next clue, the next bit of stray, meaningless information that might be the biggest clue yet. You’ll also feel the deep sense of apprehension felt by Londoners as they await news from the Continent. Is the war over? Who won? What will happen next?

I can definitely recommend this book and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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The Fourth Enemy by Anne Perry

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Top Pick - Highly RecommendedLeave a comment

The Fourth Enemy (Daniel Pitt #6)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Daniel Pitt #6
Publication Date: 4/11/23
Period: 1912 – George V
Number of Pages: 352

Gosh – what can I say? The book is every bit as exciting and nail-biting as the blurb implies and it may be my favorite of all of the books I’ve read so far this year. I have loved his author’s writing style since I read the first William Monk book and have read each book and series since. I love that this series features Daniel Pitt who is the son of Thomas and Charlotte Pitt, whose series was named after them.

The opening of this book has your mouth dropping open because of all of the changes that have happened between the last book and this one. I mean – we knew it would happen, but I thought we’d read it on-page rather than learning it happened three months prior to the beginning of this book. What happened? Well, Daniel and Miriam are married! YES! However, that isn’t the only change. Marcus fford Croft announces his retirement right at the beginning of the book, so there is a huge shake-up at the fford Croft and Gibson Law firm. You’ll be a bit surprised – I think – I was. Of course, someone is named as the new head of chambers to replace Marcus, but the replacement who is brought in to fill the vacancy left when the new head of chambers is named certainly stirs up some angst. Yes, Gideon Hunter, is a King’s Counsel who is brilliant, erratic, and can now choose which cases to accept. So, big changes for Daniel at work and at home.

Gideon calls in some favors on his very first day with the firm and manages to get the firm assigned as the prosecutor in a very controversial case involving a charismatic man. Malcolm Vayne is one of the most popular men in England. He supports the women’s suffrage movement as well as most of the worthy charities. Not to mention, he owns most of the newspapers in England as well. Yes, everybody absolutely loves Vayne, so how could he be charged with running a ponsy scheme that defrauds thousands of hardworking, simple citizens? With his riches, and close ties to many of the most powerful men in the country – and on the continent – how will they ever manage to prove their case against him?

Danger lurks around every corner because Vayne’s supporters are vocal and rabid. Is Vayne maybe a bit dangerous as well? Everybody from the witnesses to the prosecutors and their families are in danger. Will they manage to survive? Will the law firm survive? In the end, is Vayne really innocent? Will the jury really understand all of the dull financial details?

Oh! What an exciting read. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading, so I definitely recommend it! Happy reading!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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