Sebastian St. Cyr’s search for the killer of the controversial Bishop of London leads him from the back alleys of Smithfield to the power corridors of Whitehall to the well-guarded secrets of his own family’s past.
Great entry for the series. Character development and complrx plot.
Author
carole
3 years ago
My Rating: 4.5*
“The Bishop of London is dead.” (quote from the book)
With great reluctance, Sebastian St. Cyr is pulled into another murder investigation at the request of his Aunt Henrietta, Duchess of Claiborne and the Archbishop of Canterbury. For not only has the Bishop of London been murdered, he has been found near the body of another murdered victim from thirty years prior in the recently opened crypt of St. Margaret’s church.
“It was true that in the last year and a half he’d found himself drawn into a number of murder investigations. Yet those murders had touched him personally in some way, or had involved victims who were otherwise unlikely to find justice. And each case had peeled another layer off his soul.” (quote from the book)
With the assistance of Sir Henry Lovejoy, Bow Street’s stipendiary magistrate, they work to untangle the many reasons and possible suspects for why they were murdered and if they are connected…political intrigue, revenge, crime of passion or mere coincidence.
“Some men keep their friends for a lifetime. But Francis Prescott he preserved his enemies. Forever.” (quote from the book)
The most intriguing bit of information, is that Hero Jarvis was the last person to see Bishop Prescott alive. Why? And in pursuing all angles, secrets from the St. Cyr family past, are revealed to him. But with another man murdered, Sebastian is in a race against time to prevent any others, especially his own!
“For some, the passage of time means little.” (quote from the book)
I thoroughly enjoyed the intertwining and complicated mystery regarding the death of both men. Unsavory characters are always in the mix and their actions cause major havoc. The historical details of learning William Franklin (son of Benjamin Franklin) was a Loyalist and living in England added another layer to the plot. I had my suspicions but not once did I clue in to the actual murderer. But it all came together in the end.
But the emotional turmoil of Sebastian and Hero will always be the major lure for me. How do they each come to grips with their individual torments? And how does a man like Sebastian continue to deal with the loss of his first and only love.
“A horrible possibility had begun to form in his mind, a confluence of events and interests, and circumstances that he found profoundly, personally disquieting.” (quote from the book)
I highly recommend this historical murder mystery series. I suggest starting with book one (Where Angels Fear to Tread) as they all tie-in to each other.
Reviewed: June 7, 2021
Author
sandi
3 years ago
Devlin’s life just keeps getting more and more complicated with each novel. This one reveals secrets, has plenty of action, and thoroughly delivers. What a fascinating series!
Author
gledab
3 years ago
Start at the beginning and read the entire series!!!
Author
rosado
3 years ago
4.5 Stars
I am more and more enamored with Sebastian St. Cyr after each book. The mystery wasn’t as intriguing in this one as previous books, but the intricacies of Sebastian’s private life were fabulously juicy and quite entertaining.
Author
susankiernanlewis1
3 years ago
I love all of the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries and this one did not disappoint. In fact, I started with the first and plowed through all of them in just a few weeks. Great characters, snappy dialogue and intriguing mysteries set in a place and a time that allowed my imagination to run wild.
Author
tjkeating2000
3 years ago
4 stars for a well written historical mystery. I won a book in this series 3 years ago and liked it enough that I am reading the rest of the books in the series. Sebastian St Cyr has gained a reputation for solving murders in the previous 4 books in this series. He is approached by his aunt and the Archbishop of Canterbury for his expertise. They want him to solve the murder of the Bishop of London, who was mentioned as a successor to the Archbishop himself. Sebastian is reluctant to get involved, pointing out that a dozen people died that last time he investigated a murder. But the Archbishop and his aunt have combined to ask this of him, and he cannot turn down his dear aunt.
Sebastian does solve the murder, but not before he is attacked and nearly killed several times. I have noticed that this is a recurring theme in these books, i.e. Sebastian is always attacked and nearly killed, but always manages to survive.
While I recommend reading these books, I also recommend reading them in order, as there are developing relationships that progress through the series.
One quote on weather: “The next morning dawned heavily overcast and blustery, with an unseasonably chill north wind that whistled in the chimneys and sent trash scuttling down the streets.”
Author
taks0528
3 years ago
Full review under Where Serpents Sleep. Exceptional book and series.
Great entry for the series. Character development and complrx plot.
My Rating: 4.5*
“The Bishop of London is dead.” (quote from the book)
With great reluctance, Sebastian St. Cyr is pulled into another murder investigation at the request of his Aunt Henrietta, Duchess of Claiborne and the Archbishop of Canterbury. For not only has the Bishop of London been murdered, he has been found near the body of another murdered victim from thirty years prior in the recently opened crypt of St. Margaret’s church.
“It was true that in the last year and a half he’d found himself drawn into a number of murder investigations. Yet those murders had touched him personally in some way, or had involved victims who were otherwise unlikely to find justice. And each case had peeled another layer off his soul.” (quote from the book)
With the assistance of Sir Henry Lovejoy, Bow Street’s stipendiary magistrate, they work to untangle the many reasons and possible suspects for why they were murdered and if they are connected…political intrigue, revenge, crime of passion or mere coincidence.
“Some men keep their friends for a lifetime. But Francis Prescott he preserved his enemies. Forever.” (quote from the book)
The most intriguing bit of information, is that Hero Jarvis was the last person to see Bishop Prescott alive. Why? And in pursuing all angles, secrets from the St. Cyr family past, are revealed to him. But with another man murdered, Sebastian is in a race against time to prevent any others, especially his own!
“For some, the passage of time means little.” (quote from the book)
I thoroughly enjoyed the intertwining and complicated mystery regarding the death of both men. Unsavory characters are always in the mix and their actions cause major havoc. The historical details of learning William Franklin (son of Benjamin Franklin) was a Loyalist and living in England added another layer to the plot. I had my suspicions but not once did I clue in to the actual murderer. But it all came together in the end.
But the emotional turmoil of Sebastian and Hero will always be the major lure for me. How do they each come to grips with their individual torments? And how does a man like Sebastian continue to deal with the loss of his first and only love.
“A horrible possibility had begun to form in his mind, a confluence of events and interests, and circumstances that he found profoundly, personally disquieting.” (quote from the book)
I highly recommend this historical murder mystery series. I suggest starting with book one (Where Angels Fear to Tread) as they all tie-in to each other.
Reviewed: June 7, 2021
Devlin’s life just keeps getting more and more complicated with each novel. This one reveals secrets, has plenty of action, and thoroughly delivers. What a fascinating series!
Start at the beginning and read the entire series!!!
4.5 Stars
I am more and more enamored with Sebastian St. Cyr after each book. The mystery wasn’t as intriguing in this one as previous books, but the intricacies of Sebastian’s private life were fabulously juicy and quite entertaining.
I love all of the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries and this one did not disappoint. In fact, I started with the first and plowed through all of them in just a few weeks. Great characters, snappy dialogue and intriguing mysteries set in a place and a time that allowed my imagination to run wild.
4 stars for a well written historical mystery. I won a book in this series 3 years ago and liked it enough that I am reading the rest of the books in the series. Sebastian St Cyr has gained a reputation for solving murders in the previous 4 books in this series. He is approached by his aunt and the Archbishop of Canterbury for his expertise. They want him to solve the murder of the Bishop of London, who was mentioned as a successor to the Archbishop himself. Sebastian is reluctant to get involved, pointing out that a dozen people died that last time he investigated a murder. But the Archbishop and his aunt have combined to ask this of him, and he cannot turn down his dear aunt.
Sebastian does solve the murder, but not before he is attacked and nearly killed several times. I have noticed that this is a recurring theme in these books, i.e. Sebastian is always attacked and nearly killed, but always manages to survive.
While I recommend reading these books, I also recommend reading them in order, as there are developing relationships that progress through the series.
One quote on weather: “The next morning dawned heavily overcast and blustery, with an unseasonably chill north wind that whistled in the chimneys and sent trash scuttling down the streets.”
Full review under Where Serpents Sleep. Exceptional book and series.
Love this series.