Lord Ashworth was a sadistic, women tourturing murderer. But who murdered him? Was is Sebastian, who vowed to destroy him? Was it Sebastian's niece, who ended up marrying the dasdardly lord? Or was it someone who was privy to his secrets that finally put him down.

The mystery was lively, and the final reveal of the killer was a bit suprising. I wasn't quite prepared for it in the end. With a little dash of Russian intrigue thrown in as well.

This was a great installment in the series, I just wish there was more for Hero to do. She was regulated to mainly side-kick duties in this one, and she is one of my favorite characters. I hope she gets more to do in further installments!

I really enjoyed this book. We find Sebastian struggling to solve the murder of his niece’s husband, fully aware of what he was capable of. Harris’s characters are so well developed you fell like you know them. Very well done.

This was another well-written book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series. Hero amd Sebastian are married and have a young son, but both still have an uneasy relationship with their own--and each other's--fathers.

Sebastian is called in to help investigate the murder of a notorious peer, known for his vicious treatment of all classes of women. While the man is no loss to society, his death could implicate Sebastian's niece, who was married to the victim. The case is complicated by the deaths of others who were associated with the dead man, as well as by the apparent involvement of members of the Russian delegation visiting London. Sebastian's investigation is making no progress until Hero brings him new evidence from someone she interviews for one of her newspaper articles.

The book was good and kept me guessing as to the identity of the killer. However, I felt the ending came too abruptly and left me wondering how Sebastian was able to get away with his actions. Also, I was annoyed by the persistent use of "chords" for bindings when it should have been "cords".

I recommend this book but it would be best to read the other books in the series first. I received a free ebook from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

"Who Slays the Wicked" is a mystery set in April 1814 in London. This book is the 14th in a series, but you can understand it without having read the previous novels.

Historical information was woven into the story and provided a distinct feel of that specific time and place. The characters were interesting, complex, and acted in realistic ways. Both Hero and Sebastian were involved in the investigation, though Sebastian was the main investigator. He tracked down leads and asked pointed questions. There were several suspects who had a motive. I began to suspect whodunit after the fortuneteller provided some hints, but I wasn't certain until the end.

There were no graphically-described sex scenes. There was a fair amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical mystery.

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review, Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was really interesting to read because the characters went in many different directions similar to the writing style of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. At first, I thought the book was mass confusing and difficult to follow along but as the story picked up and you got more information of the murder and the background of Sir Ashworth then it got to be really enticing. Mystery stories such as this are very popular with our patrons and this will sure to fly off the shelves.

We will definitely consider adding this title to our Historical Fiction/Mystery collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Far from going stale, this series keeps on getting better. This book in particular has made me grateful that I do not live in Regency England, it is a lot of fun to read about.

Sebastian Ashworth is found bound, hand and foot and his chest hacked to pieces. The clues found by the investigator seems to point to a female killer. Further into the investigation it seems that the Investigator's niece may be the culprit. Stephanie was married to the tyrant Ashworth, but did she have reason to murder him in such a grotesque manner?.
This is a historical fiction. It is well written with great detail to each character. The storyline is intriguing and keeps your attention right up to the very end. Sensational read!

This series continues to please as characters grow and evolve, and relationships twist and turn. Each new entry makes me think it can't get any better, and then it does. Wonderful plotting with memorable characters - what's not to love?

C.S. Harris' Sebastian St. Cyr makes another appearance in Who Slays the Wicked. I've been following this series forever, and in addition to the mysteries, I usually learn something about the time period as well.

When Lord Ashworth is found viciously murdered, there is little sympathy to be found. The handsome, debauched young man had earned a reputation for debased behavior, and the only one who appears to mourn his death is his father.

Sebastian, however, understands that what is generally known about the young man's behavior is only the tip of the iceberg. Although he was never able to connect him to the crimes in a previous case, he has no doubt that Ashworth was involved.

Evidence from the bloody crime scene suggests that the killer was a woman, and Sebastian fears that perhaps his niece, who is married to Ashworth, may be the culprit.

But Stephanie is only one possibility. Sebastian and Bowstreet magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy have a number of suspects; after all, Ashworth had plenty of enemies. Then Ashworth's valet is found stabbed to death in an alley, a street crossing boy disappears, a young prostitute is murdered, and Ashworth's long-time friend murdered. As despicable as Ashworth was, Sebastian needs to find his killer, if only to prevent an innocent person from being held to account.

Hero, Sebastian's wife, plays only a small role, but it is Hero who reveals most of the historic details from the period. Hero is a social activist and is writing an article about the pure finders, rag and bone men, and night soil collectors.
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Rag and Bone Men -- These bone-grubbers, as they were sometimes known, would typically spend nine or ten hours searching the streets of London for anything of value, before returning to their lodgings to sort whatever they had found.[5] (source: Wikipedia)

2. PURE FINDER
Despite the clean-sounding name, this job actually involved collecting dog feces from the streets of London to sell to tanners, who used it in the leather-making process. Dog poop was known as "pure" because it was used to purify the leather and make it more flexible [PDF]. (source: Ten worst jobs in Victorian Era)

18th-century London nightman's calling card
Night soil is a historically used euphemism for human excreta collected from cesspools, privies, pail closets, pit latrines, privy middens, septic tanks, etc. This material was removed from the immediate area, usually at night, by workers employed in this trade. Sometimes it could be transported out of towns and sold on as a fertilizer. (source: Wikipedia)
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Hero's interviews with those who survive by performing these jobs gives a much more human touch than simply reading the factual accounts of what the jobs entailed.

Once again, I've enjoyed the characters and the plot of a Sebastian St. Cyr novel and gained a more personal view of Regency England.

Read in December; blog review scheduled for March 13, 2019.

NetGalley/Berkley Publishing
Historical Mystery. April 2, 2019. Print length: 352 pages.