This review was written as part of Keishon’s TBR Challenge.
Where Serpents Sleep is the fourth book in C.S. Harris’s excellent Regency mystery series featuring the noble sleuth, Sebastian St. Cyr. I’ve enjoyed all the titles in the series so far, but this one is my favourite.
Still recovering from unwelcome family revelations and his bitter break-up with the actress Kat Boleyn, Sebastian St. Cyr has spent the last few months at the bottom of a bottle. Salvation comes in an unlikely form.
Hero Jarvis, the spinster daughter of St. Cyr’s enemy, Lord Jarvis, asks for his assistance in solving a murder case. Eight prostitutes were brutally murdered in a Quaker refuge for fallen women. The authorities are treating the case as an accidental fire, but Hero Jarvis knows better. She was present in the house when the murderers came and she is the only survivor of the attack. Her father, Lord Jarvis, the true power behind Regency England, refuses to allow her to investigate the matter in case her presence in a house of women of questionable virtue should become public knowledge. Hero has no intention of ever marrying, and cares little for her reputation, so she turns to Sebastian for help.
Sebastian’s interest is piqued. He dislikes Hero Jarvis but recognizes her sharp intelligence. Hero finds Sebastian disconcerting. She finds him attractive but is loathe to admit this, not even to herself. When Sebastian and Hero discover one of the murdered prostitutes was the daughter of a peer of the realm, the plot thickens. It soon appears that anyone and everyone connected to the case is being murdered, and attempts are made on Hero’s life. With Hero in grave danger, they must hurry to find the killers before they find them.
This is an excellent mystery. It’s fast-paced with a genuinely interesting storyline. I love both Sebastian and Hero, but Hero’s presence really made the book for me. I never warmed to Kat Boleyn and I was glad to see her only appear in a couple of scenes. The potential love triangle could still go either, way, though. I’m rooting for Hero!
C.S. Harris writes well and her attention to period detail is impressive. I suspect the St. Cyr series attracts a niche audience but not many readers beyond it. I find that a shame. For anyone who likes historical mysteries with a dash of romance, I can highly recommend this series. Grade: A-
Other Titles in the Sebastian St. Cyr series:
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I’ve read each of your reviews of these books over the months and have added these to my reading list for 2010. Have you already purchased the 5th book in the series?
So would you say that overall the books in the series have been getting better?
@Andrea I just bought the 5th book in hardcover. I hope to read it over Christmas – if I can wait that long!
@heidenkind Yes, I think the books are getting stronger. I also know the characters and enjoy seeing them develop.
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