I recieved an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and will recommend it often to lovers of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels!

C. S. Harris has done it again! This was fantastic! The mystery kept you guessing all the way through. It was fast paced and engaging, and I couldn't wait to find out who did it. I love all the characters and their interactions. The author paints such a vivid portrait of the scenery that I frequently found myself having to get a blanket against the cold and snowy atmosphere. (I read this in the middle of summer!) I can't wait for the next installation of Sebastian and Hero. I always love to solve mysteries with them.

As Harris is one of my very favorite authors, I always wait with bated breath for her new book in the spring. Harris' detailed research is always very evident and appreciated as I love the historical aspects as much as the mystery. The characters have grown and developed over the years and I feel as if I know them. This series needs to be read from the first book to truly appreciate Harris' ability to draw the reader in to Georgian England.

I've come into this series on the 13th book, but it's far from unlucky. Now I'd love to read them all! Our main characters and their baby. Hero, Sebastian's wife, falls over a body. That body is Jane and she was ahead of her time. She was a fantastic musician and music teacher. That alone made her death so sad and to make it worse, it was murder. As thing progress in all areas of the investigation, I grew fond of the victim and our detectives while "experiencing" the history included in the story.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Daniele

Author C.S. Harris never ceases to amaze me. The Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries are at the top of my “must read” list of historical mystery series, and Why Kill the Innocent is a wonderful installment, fresh even though it is the thirteenth book in the series. You can always count on Harris to seamlessly weave an intriguing, complicated mystery with actual historical places, events, and people, and here is no exception. She never shies away from the grittier, darker side of the era.

In Why Kill the Innocent, we find London in the midst of one of its coldest winters ever, and this frozen stretch is particularly tough for the poorest residents of the city. While out to provide supplies to those struggling, Sebastian’s wife Hero literally stumbles over the body of musician and teacher Jane Ambrose in the middle of the street. It quickly becomes apparent that Jane, who was Princess Charlotte’s piano teacher, was the victim of foul play, and she immediately sends for Sebastian. Thus begins the twisted path Sebastian must traverse, full of secrets, deceptions, and business and political intrigue, where time is quickly running out before the palace covers up Jane’s death.

Though Jane dies very early in the story, I felt like I really got to know who she was from those around her. Jane was a fine musician and composer whose career was stunted simply because she was a woman. Harris does a great job of highlighting the double standard, injustice, and repression of women in the era. Knowing this makes Hero especially remarkable for the time. She is independent, intelligent, and strong minded, caring about those given a different lot in life, and a loving match to the scarred Sebastian. Sebastian is an anomaly of his class in that her genuinely cares about finding justice for others no matter their station. He has changed a great deal over the course of the series, and I especially love his domestic scenes with Hero and their one year old son. The other characters pertinent to the mystery are each more despicable than the last, and it is horrifying to think that many of the scenarios are true. Poor Princess Charlotte. The mystery is complex, a true intellectual puzzle that kept me guessing as the victims accumulated.

I enjoyed every minute spent reading Why Kill the Innocent and am confident it is one of my best reads of the year. Highly Recommended.

Why Kill the Innocent was a satisfying and intriguing installment in C.S. Harris' long running Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series. If you have enjoyed the journey to book 13 I don't think you will be disappointed.

Why Kill the Innocent by C.S. Harris is a 2018 Berkley publication.

A sad death, shocking revelations, and a wealth of palace intrigue!

A nasty spate of frigid cold, snow, and ice hold London in its grip. As Hero makes her way through the icy sludge, she literally stumbles across the corpse of Jane Ambrose. It becomes apparent immediately that Jane is not a victim of the nasty weather, but has been killed, then dumped out in the snow. As Sebastian and Hero attempt to uncover the truth about Jane’s death, once again Hero’s father, Jarvis, appears to be at the center of all that is nasty, mean, and cruel….

This is one of my favorite series, of any genre, that I read, because I am never let down or disappointed by it.

This story highlights the vulnerabilities of women in this historical time period, in shocking detail. Poor Jane Ambrose was literally at the mercy of every man she encountered or was involved with.

Not only that, the novel explores the practice of recruiting men to fight in wars they have no emotional or patriotic stake in, which left their wives and children all alone with no way to provide for themselves, which often led to very tragic and heartrending results. These passages are nearly unbearable to read about, but is a terrible historical truth, nonetheless.

Then there is Princess Charlotte and all the palace machinations at play, pitting her between two warring, competing, manipulative parents and all those who would hope to use her, and her proposed engagement, to their own advantage.

Once more, Harris has done a fantastic job of exploring the dark, seedy sides of London, from the perspectives of the very poor to the very powerful, examining the cause and effect of all those caught in their vicious nets. I’m loving the way Sebastian and Hero work together in tandem, the way their relationship continues to solidify, and the excellent points the author always drives home to the reader, while weaving such absorbing and riveting murder mysteries.
4.5 stars

Somehow, I stopped reading this series when it was on book 6. Reading book 13, clearly I need to go back and read the ones I missed. It just got better. I loved the plethora of historical data too. Any book that makes me put it down and spend quality time with Wikipedia to get more information is a good book!

I'm addicted to this series!! Authors like C. S. Harris are the main reason Berkley is my favorite publisher. She never disappoints, and this was one of her best. The role of British royalty made this mystery particularly intriguing. Harris creates unforgettable characters while subtly teaching history. Her intensive research is apparent without distracting from the details of Sebastian's and Hero's investigations. Another aspect I found intriguing was the difficulties faced by women composers in this period. I had no idea so many famous composers had even more talented sisters, although I shouldn't have been surprised! Thanks to Berkley for giving me access before publication in return for an honest review!

I discovered this series a bit late in the game, but I'm sure glad I did! Why Kill the Innocent is the 13th book in the Sebastian St Cyr series. I love the mix of historical fiction and mystery. This book kept my attention from beginning to end. Interesting mystery. Great suspense and fantastic characters. I will definitely be backtracking to read the rest of this series! I hope all the books are as interesting and enjoyable to read as this one!

The basics: It's winter in London in 1814. Jane Ambrose is Princess Charlotte's music teacher. Jane is young, beautiful, a talented pianist...and dead. Sebastian St. Cyr's wife, Hero, finds her bloody, frozen body buried in snow. St. Cyr knows they need to investigate the murder fast before the Royals attempt to hush it up due to the tie with Princess Charlotte. Sebastian and Hero work together to discover the identity of the murderer.

I absolutely loved the blend of historical fact and fiction in this book. I'm not sure if it differs from other books in this series, as this is the first one that I've read. But I was definitely sucked right into this story from the start. The plot proceeds at a perfect pace and there were plenty of surprises and suspects.

So happy to have found this series! I'm going to start at the beginning and read every book!

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Berkley Publishing via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

First Sentence: A howling wind flung icy snow crystals into Hero Devlin’s face, stinging her cold cheeks and stealing her breath.

London is experiencing one of its most severe winters. Returning to her carriage along with midwife Alexi Sauvage, Hero Devlin falls onto the body of a woman buried in the snow. This is no pauper frozen to death, but a well-dressed woman who had been killed and dumped. This is Jane Ambrose, music teacher to Princess Charlotte, the Regent’s daughter. Entangled in politics and lies, Hero and her husband, Sebastian seek to find Jane’s killer.

The weather can be a powerful element for creating a sense of place. In this case, it also serves as an effective backdrop for meeting our two main protagonists, Hero and Sebastian, and their two friends, Paul Gibson and Alexi. The four are very strong and effective characters, but not without flaws. This makes them also seem more real.

One issue, however, is that when one becomes involved with the British Royal family, particularly in past times, there are so many connections, lines, and political machinations, the author is required to spend considerable time, and repetition, helping the reader keep it all straight. In the process, it is easy to lose focus of the plot. Still, the plot is effective in which Harris lays a pathway of clues with each character laying a step to each clue along the way. Part of the fun of the story is that Harris has created a garden of historical figures.

Another area in which the plot, and indeed, the series, becomes mired, is in Devlin’s question of his birth, and the hatred between Devlin and Hero’s father. Harris does do a good job of conveying the enmity and difference in viewpoints between the latter of these two—“Justice.” Jarvis rolled the word with distaste off his tongue. “This maudlin obsession of yours with vague and essentially useless philosophical constructs is beyond tiresome. Justice comes from God.” They are also issues for which resolution in the near future would be desirable.

Much is made of the weather as the book is set during the winter of the Great Freeze. It is nice that the time can also provide a lovely image which lightens the mood of the story—“An older man and a little girl sailed past on the ice, the man skating, the grinning child simply holding on to the tails of his coat and gliding along in his wake.” Harris also ensures one understands that this is a period of tremendous poverty and suffering—“It’s just that I have the most lowering reflection that I’m doing this simply as a pitiful sop to my own conscience. In the grand scheme of things, what does it matter if I help one desperate mother and her children when thousands more are starving to death?”—and later—“She’s in Newgate. She was arrested before Christmas trying to steal a ham and is scheduled to hang on Tuesday.”

Harris also raises the issue of press gangs and the futility of war—“This blasted war. Sometimes I think it will never end. For how many years can the nations of Europe continue fighting each other? Some of the men dying today must be the grandsons of those who fell two decades ago.” She also reflects on the—“differences in attitude and posture that distinguished the men from the women, the boys from the girls.”

“Why Kill the Innocent” is a story of duplicity. The plot is way over-complicated yet, when stripped of the overabundance of historical detail, the story is quite good.

WHY KILL THE INNOCENT (Hist May-Sebastian/Hero St. Cyr-England-1814) Good
Harris, C.S. – 13th in series
Berkeley – April 2018

While the initial mystery was well set-up, the follow through was not very satisfying. The tone of the the protagonists was not fitting for the time period. Though I finished the book, I will not be reviewing it on my site.

I've long enjoyed this historical Regency mystery series, but I have to admit this one is not as engaging as previous books. What is interesting is the emphasis on the situation in which women found themselves during this period. We tend to forget how circumscribed the lives of women have traditionally been.

Jane Ambrose, a talented musician, is murdered, and the plot revolves around the surprisingly numerous suspects for such a kind and talented woman. As a music tutor to Princess Charlotte, her connections to the royal family have placed her in a precarious situation. Her husband may also have had a reason to kill her. Her brother and a dear friend have been imprisoned for their writings against not only the Prince Regent, but against much of the Tory ideology, but even the Whigs may have been willing to sacrifice lives at the political alter. Jane may have overheard something at the homes of one of her pupils that has to do with smuggling and the French. On and on, there are suspects and possible motives.

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount of Devlin, becomes involved in Jane's death because his wife Hero discovered the body. So...there is the basic plot. Sebastien and Hero visit suspect after suspect, all of whom deny murdering Jane.

It is interesting to see, in the context of fiction, the way Jane's life has been restricted and hemmed in by the strictures of society. A brilliant musician, Jane is reduced to becoming a tutor for children because women were not allowed to perform. Her art has been censored by social norms, not by law. Her husband can beat her, and she has little recourse. Divorce was legally possible, but not an option for most women because husbands would take their children.

I was reminded of the book Censored: A Literary History of Subversion and Control which I read in January and in which there is a section on Frances Burney, whose writings were stifled and controlled by her father and her mentor because writing for the stage was considered inappropriate for women.

Interesting aspects of this historical mystery include the corruption of the court and politics, the common people and the poor who were neglected or used as cannon fodder, and the fact that no mattered how intelligent or how talented, women were confined by the dictates of a male dominated society. As a Sebastian St. Cyr mystery, however, I found it much slower than previous novels.

NetGalley/Berkely Publ.

Historical Fiction. April 3, 2018. Print length: 368 pages.

Every book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series of historical mysteries, from its very beginning in What Angels Fear, begins with a question word. The words that inform the investigation of any mystery. Who? What? When? Where? Why? And every book ends with an answer to that question. In the middle, there is a chilling mystery.

But none quite as chilling as the mystery in Why Kill the Innocent, which takes place during the deadly frozen winter of 1814, the last time in recorded history that the Thames River froze over – solid enough for a Frost Fair to be held in the middle of the river, out on the ice.

That winter there was a killing cold, but the cold is not what killed Jane Ambrose. It is up to St. Cyr, with the able assistance of his wife Hero, to discover the cause of that particular mystery.

As in all the books of this series, Sebastian St. Cyr finds himself, or rather feels compelled to insert himself, into a mystery that explores the dark underbelly of the glittering Regency. An underbelly that is very dark indeed, and usually rotten.

The story begins with Hero Devlin and midwife Alexi Sauvage discovering a frozen corpse in the streets of Clerkenwell, a down-at-heels district at the best of times. And these are far from the best of times.

They recognize the body, and they can all too easily determine the cause of death. And that’s where all the problems begin. Jane Ambrose was a talented composer and a gifted pianist, but as a woman, the only acceptable outlet for her talent was as a piano teacher. As one of her students was the Princess Charlotte, heir-presumptive to the throne of England, they are certain that the palace will want to hush the crime up as quickly as possible.

That there is a crime to investigate is all too clear. Jane Ambrose was found with the side of her head bashed in, but there was no blood in the surrounding snow. She did not die where she was found, and she did not stagger to the site after she was struck. Someone put her in the street, making her death at least manslaughter if not murder.

And the palace will not want anyone to talk about a murder of someone so close to the Princess, no matter how much her father the Regent hates and despises both his only child and her mother. There’s a tangled web here even before the body is discovered.

After that gruesome discovery, St. Cyr takes it upon himself, with help from Hero and their friends and associates, to discover everything he can about the last days of Jane Ambrose. And whether she died as the result of something in her own life, or because of secrets she was privy to as a member of the Princess’ inner circle.

And whether or not Hero’s father, the manipulative, powerful and secretive Lord Jarvis, might possibly lie at the center of this web.

Escape Rating A+:The St. Cyr series is deep, dark and marvelous. If you like your historical mysteries on the grim side, where the detective and the reader get to dive deeply into the nasty, smelly side of the glittering past, this series is like the finest dark chocolate, mostly bitter, just a tiny bit of sweet, and absolutely delicious.

Why Kill the Innocent, like the rest of the series, is set in the Regency, but it is definitely not the sparkling Regency of Georgette Heyer. St. Cyr is a troubled soul, suffering from PTSD as a result of the Napoleonic Wars. He feels compelled to search for justice as a way of paying back, not just for his privileges, but also as a way of dealing with a heaping helping of survivor’s guilt.

St. Cyr is a member of the aristocracy, which gives him entry into places that other detectives cannot go. Not just the gentleman’s clubs, but also the halls of power, including the households of the Princess of Wales and her daughter Princess Charlotte.

He is also in a position to say what other people fear to say, or are punished for. The Regent, the future George IV, is a profligate spendthrift who treats both his wife and his daughter abominably and leaves the actual governance of his kingdom to men like Lord Charles Jarvis, who flatter the Regent’s massive ego while they accumulate power by any means available, no matter how nefarious.

The series as a whole does not shy away from the darkness that lay beneath the glitter. Hero, in particular, is a social reformer, and a tireless investigator. She finds Jane Ambrose’s body because she was in Clerkenwell writing a story about the wives left behind in extreme poverty after their husbands had been “impressed” by the British Navy. (This same practice became one of the foundational causes of the War of 1812 between Great Britain and her recently independent and frequently obstreperous colonies in the Americas).

Throughout Why Kill the Innocent St. Cyr and Hero are fighting an uphill battle. There is no one who wants this death investigated. That they keep doggedly on compels the reader to follow them, as they piece together the victim’s last days. And find not one, but multiple cesspools still stinking. And while the stink may rise all the way to the top, the rot that they are there to uncover lies much closer to the bottom – and much nearer to home.

Although the mystery is, as always compelling, the success of this series relies on the strengths of its two main characters, St. Cyr and Hero. Their unlikely match has resulted in a partnership of equals, which is always marvelous to read. But it is their flaws that make them so fascinating to watch.

Why Kill the Innocent could be read on its own. The crime and the investigation of it are complete in this story. As St. Cyr and Hero follow the clues and we meet their friends and enemies, characters who have appeared before in the series are given just enough background to keep a new reader engaged in the story. But for those who have read more of this marvelous series, there is added depth to the characters and the story. If you want to get in on this series from its beginning, start with What Angels Fear.

I’ll be over here, waiting for next year’s installment, tentatively titled Who Slays the Wicked.

Thanks to Berkley Pub #Partner for inviting me onto the Blog Tour and for sending a free copy of the book in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book, at first I wasn't sure that I would, but my mind was quickly changed. What makes this book even better is that it is based on real moments in history, it features real people, and some of them were so unsavory. If you do read this book, I would suggest reading the Authors Note when you've finished. It's fascinating. The grandfather of Marie Shelley (author) and Earl Grey (the tea) are mentioned in here, so its fascinating to learn some back history to them.

I loved Sebastian and Hero, they were my favorite characters, They never gave up, they kept pushing through, and they didn't care who the investigation brought down, they were on a quest for justice. Harris is an incredible story-teller, this book was so detailed and visual that I had no trouble envisioning walking down the slushy streets of London, seeing The Frost Fair, or even just simply seeing the characters in my head.

A lot of corruption, greed, and lying occurs in this book, and it was so multi faceted, it didn't stop at the murder of Jane Ambrose. There was mention of the Day the tents and people were lost due to the ice breaking at the last known  Frost Fair, the Napoleon War, the poor men stolen off the streets to fight in the war, their wives and children left behind to starve and die. This book was heavy, intense, and very emotional to read at parts. 

If you are a Historical Fiction reader, I would highly suggest this book. I always forget how much I love Historical Fiction until I pick up a book like this one, and than I am reminded.

When Hero stumbles on the body of Jane Ambrose, music teacher to Princess Charlotte, her husband Sebastian St. Cyr the viscount Devlin quickly becomes involved. Knowing he has little time before the palace hushes the murder up, he ascertains that her death is not a natural one and that her body has been moved. Who among the political players of the day, or of Jane's family wanted this young woman dead?

Love this historical series, Sebastian has a very storied past, things he still does not know, but he is very unusual in that unlike most of those of status, he honestly cares about justice for all people, not just the wealthy. It is well written, and the best part is that the history is accurately portrayed, the mystery woven amongst known facts. In 1814 the last Frost fair was held on the Thames. Underestimating the thickness of the ice and snow number of people were killed. This was at the culmination of s horrid winter that included the great fog. This story takes place during this time period. The Royal family in all it's disarray and the political manuverings of this time are also described. All this and more is included in the authors note at books end.

It is the characters though that I enjoy, Sebastian, Hero, Kat, and meeting different notsbles of the day. A great mix of the personal, political and history.

ARC from Netgalley.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A historical thriller filled with intrigue, duplicity, and social commentary.

WHY KILL THE INNOCENT is a smart and well crafted mystery. The way the author gives her reader the details of the crime coupled with the historical content and setting are perfectly balanced. From the first chapter, I was instantly brought back to the 1800s even if it were in such a grim way.

As many know, I love a good historical fiction novel with a twist. This book gave me just that. It didn't shy away from commenting on how women were treated in society or the way men perceived women at the time. Harris intertwined this element in such a way that it made a point without hitting you over the head with it. In fact, there are many aspects of this book crafted in a way to make the reader think while enjoying the chase of a crime novel.

Since WHY KILL THE INNOCENT is the the thirteenth book in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series, I was concerned I wouldn't be able to follow some of characters and story. However, I was pleasantly surprised I could jump right in. Of course, I was able to recognize that I didn't know all the back stories of the characters and their relationships, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment at all. I have no doubt I will read another St. Cry mystery. I may even start at book one.

This story was exciting from beginning to end. The mystery started in the first chapter and went all the way to the last page. There was romance, political intrigue, and quite literally, backstabbing. I enjoyed that Harris wrote the mystery to be just that, a mystery. There weren’t any huge twists or items that were thrown in just for shock value. It was refreshing to read a mystery that wasn’t based around a twist, since that’s what a lot of new mysteries are banking themselves on now. I look forward to reading the next book in the series. If you have read any of the other Sebastian St Cyr books, you will not be disappointed.

This was a great installment in the series. We (as readers) got a glimpse into the life of the enigmatic royal family of the time, and the machinations of the politician influencers. When a murder occurs to Princess Charlotte's piano teacher, it unravels a whole mess of political intrigue that it's up to Sebastian St. Cyr and his wife Hero to investigate. All this is set on the backdrop of one of the coldest, snowiest winter's in London. The Thames freezes over and the Frost Fair begins.

I was intrigued by the idea that a book was written about a piano teacher to the rich being found killed on the street during a snow storm. There had to be more, some twists and turns, some additional storylines but there wasn’t. Oh, there were a few twists that I didn’t see coming but for the most part the story was only about a piano teacher being murdered and following Sebastian St. Cyr work to solve it. It just seemed that the story went in circles. The same characters telling their story, adding more to the story each time they are asked about it. Each character has an excuse as to why they didn’t tell their story the other times they were asked but it just seemed weird.

I had a hard time following who all the characters are, how they are related, and why they are relevant to the murder of Jane Ambrose. This is the first book in this series, the Sebastian St. Cyr, of 13 books that I have read and maybe that added to my confusion. Possibly the back stories of the characters would clear up who everyone was and how they were involved in Jane Ambrose’s murder.

There is more to come in this series and I would consider reading another in hopes of better understanding the story.