Who Will Remember: A Sebastain St. Cyr Mystery
C.S. Harris. Berkley, $29 (384p) ISBN 978-0-593-63921-4
The cold, rainy London summer of 1816 provides an atmospheric backdrop for Harris’s enjoyable latest mystery featuring aristocratic sleuth Sebastian St. Cyr (after What Cannot Be Said). At the outset, a young man named Jamie summons St. Cyr to a ruined chapel on Saville Street, where the murdered Lord Preston Farnsworth hangs upside down in the position of the Le Pendu tarot card. In life, Farnsworth was a mercurial character, described by some as profoundly moral and by others as embittered and licentious. He also happens to be the husband of Lady Tess, who left him seven years ago to live with St. Cyr’s friend, Hugh. When Hugh is accused of killing Farnsworth, an initially ambivalent St. Cyr decides to look into the case. As usual, his sleuthing takes him from the halls of power to London’s most dangerous alleys. The social commentary is a bit heavy-handed, with St. Cyr’s wife delivering impassioned critiques of public attitudes toward the poor, but the series’ trademarks—brisk pacing; well-wrought descriptions of Regency London; and a large, diverse cast—carry the day. Harris’s fans will be satisfied. Agent: Helen Breitwieser, Cornerstone Literary. (Apr.)
Details
Reviewed on: 02/03/2025
Genre: Mystery/Thriller