By: C.S. Harris
Genres: Mystery | Mystery Historical
Posted: June 22, 2014
Despite now being a relatively poor one-legged veteran of the Napoleonic War with France, Surgeon Paul Gibson knows that he can always count on his friend Sebastian. An unidentified man has been brutally murderer and his companion, a woman, is too injured to help. Shocked at why the man had been killed and then had his heart ripped out, Sebastian realizes he has forgotten to ask Paul why he was out roaming in such a bad area late in the night.
Taking advantage of his position and title, Sebastian sets out to find the identity of the man and interviews people from his own wealthy family right to the poorest of slums. As he discovers the man's identity and as more disturbing murders happen, Paul and Sebastien realize that there is a much larger political game at stake. Who of all the suspects is the one seeking revenge and is committing all these bloody murders?
Meanwhile, Sebastian's beloved wife, Hero, is soon about to give birth to their first child and he worries about her, especially when they find out that the upcoming delivery may be far more complicated than they expected. In a strange twist of fate, Hero's best chances may end up depending on an old enemy of his. Could that person really be trusted with the most precious thing in his life at stake?
WHY KINGS CONFESS is the ninth adventure novel in the Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Series written by the best-selling and highly acclaimed C.S. Harris (aka Candice Proctor who also writes as C.S. Graham).
WHY KINGS CONFESS is a compelling and totally engaging suspense thriller that I just could not put down and read it late into the night. It reads very well as a stand-alone mystery, yet fans might claim that this intriguing story of revenge and political intrigue would be even more satisfying if some of the earlier books have been read. I am quite sure fans of Harris' books are delighted by the release of this latest mystery.
With her strong character development, fast moving plot, and historical accuracy and sense of the time, Harris quickly develops a complex storyline with realistic characters whose vocabulary, attitudes and mannerisms are true to Regency times and to the 1813 setting of WHY KINGS CONFESS. I really appreciate how Harris, with her strong academic background, interweaves in real historical events as well as interesting facts about the times, especially in relationship to Hero's situation. I fully enjoyed Harris' notes on her research at the back of the book almost as much as the story itself. For myself, I know I am very happy that there will be more in this wonderful series centred on the Viscount and his brave and intelligent wife, Hero. I definitely look forward to reading them in the future!
So, don't miss out on this dark and dangerous world of WHY KINGS CONFESS! Get a copy and have a thrilling read! Enjoy!
Book Summary
The gruesome murder of a young French physician draws aristocratic investigator Sebastian St. Cyr and his pregnant wife, Hero, into a dangerous, decades-old mystery as a wrenching piece of Sebastian’s past puts him to the ultimate test.
Regency England, January 1813: When a badly injured Frenchwoman is found beside the mutilated body of Dr. Damion Pelletan in one of London’s worst slums, Sebastian finds himself caught in a high-stakes tangle of murder and revenge. Although the woman, Alexi Sauvage, has no memory of the attack, Sebastian knows her all too well from an incident in his past—an act of wartime brutality and betrayal that nearly destroyed him.
As the search for the killer leads Sebastian into a treacherous web of duplicity, he discovers that Pelletan was part of a secret delegation sent by Napoleon to investigate the possibility of peace with Britain. Despite his powerful father-in-law’s warnings, Sebastian plunges deep into the mystery of the “Lost Dauphin,” the boy prince who disappeared in the darkest days of the French Revolution, and soon finds himself at lethal odds with the Dauphin’s sister—the imperious, ruthless daughter of Marie Antoinette— who is determined to retake the French crown at any cost.
With the murderer striking ever closer, Sebastian must battle new fears about Hero’s health and that of their soon- to-be born child. When he realizes the key to their survival may lie in the hands of an old enemy, he must finally face the truth about his own guilt in a past he has found too terrible to consider....
by: C.S. Harris
NAL Hardcover
March 1, 2014
On Sale: March 4, 2014
Featuring: Sebastian St. Cyr; Alexi Sauvage
352 pages
ISBN: 0451417550
EAN: 9780451417558
Kindle: B00DMCV160
Hardcover / e-Book