I picked up this series again after reading some earlier books in the series years ago. I needed an audiobook that would keep my interest while I worked on some time consuming tasks. It is a historical regency mystery with tons of side characters and the ending was unexpected until very late in the book. I would say you could read the book as a stand alone as the main characters are introduced with a little historical detail but you might be wondering more about the characters backstories as you read. I thought the narrator was great and the story kept my interest over many hours.
Advanced Copy via NetGalley.

This used to be my favorite English historical mystery. Unfortunately, it is another mediocre installment. While the author does her due diligence with historical accuracies for the time period, this murder didn't suck me in until the very end.

If you've made it this far in the series, you'll know quite a few of the crimes deal with taboos. I won't say this was the worst one yet, but it made for a very interesting story in the end. What will you do to protect those you love? How far will you go?

We made it the entire book with only a passing glance at Devlin's heritage. Do we consider it a done deal after the last book? Are we supposed to have forgotten, after it was made such a big deal?

I am glad they changed narrators. Davina's voice makes me sleepy.

So many murders, so many suspects, at times it was difficult keeping track of the different characters. That is my main compliant about listening to the audio versions of these books. The narrator, Amy Scanlon, did an excellent job and added to the listening experience. As is usual with this series, Harris shows us the social upheaval of the time. Issues covered in this story include the treatment of mental illness, the protection of the upper classes and the dreadful state of those children left orphaned. Hero best not turn her back on her stepmother, that one is a real snake. C.S. Harris is a wonderful author who crafts stories that are gripping and make the Regency times real. Her characters and plots are meticulously researched and written. The storyline flows and always has a twist you can never see coming. There is a bit of a cliffhanger at the end, and I will definitely be waiting for the next book.

On a lazy summer day in July 1815 in Richmond Park, the sound of gunfire rings out across a quiet park. A mother, Laura, Lady McInnis, and her daughter, Emma, are shot, and their bodies posed to echo another murder from fourteen years ago. For Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy this is a chilling reminder of the death of his wife and daughter and Sir Henry knows he needs his friend, Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, to help unravel this murder.

Soon a very pregnant Hero is looking into the charity work that Lady McInnis was involved in and hoping to find the identity of the killer in someone who simply wanted to silence her. Being warned off this pursuit by her mother-in-law, Hero is left to wonder why. Sebastain follows a trail that leads in many different directions including to a chimney sweep using young children in his nasty business, a Waterloo veteran who loved Laura, a farmer and his wife who take in orphaned babies who die under mysterious circumstances. So many suspects including the widower, Sir Ivo McInnis and the illegitimate son of the Prince Regent. Both of whom Sebastian has been warned not to involve in this case.

When the niece and nephew of Lady McInnis, who were with her in Richmond Park on that day, are attacked as well as two other young women being found dead and poised, Sebastain is forced to consider a motive that is both terrifying and unconceivable.

My thanks to the Publisher and Author for providing a complimentary audio Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Thank you to my bookish friends who caught me up on the MC's very exciting background and dynamics between the recurring characters so that I could jump into this series this late in the game. The book was written so well and the characters so vivid that it was no problem at all to start here and I enjoyed this book and Sebastian and Hero so much!  The writing swept me away and was almost addicting, the way I was lead along and could not stop (I finished this in under 24 hours). The historical setting of this book was wonderfully described and it was absolutely heartbreaking to read about what so many poor children were put through and how they were treated during this time!  The way the clues came together and the final result were so perfectly shocking. I cannot wait for more!!
Note: the audiobook narration is perfection and I highly recommend it!

First, I’d like to admit I started reading this book without knowing it was part of a series. Maybe my review would be better if I had realized that before hand.
My first critique is that it was narrated by a female although it is completely written from the perspective of a male detective. While her voice was enjoyable to listen to, I just didn’t understand that choice.

The main plot I found interesting, a murder mystery set is the aristocratic 1800s. I felt like to many subplots and extra characters were Introduced and to much time was spent on them. The story telling was entertaining but I felt myself losing focus during parts that I didn’t feel necessary.

Over all I would recommend it to people who are I retested in historical crime fiction. It just didn’t hit on all cylinders for me. Thank you RB media and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

C. S. Harris' long running St. Cyr series continues as fresh and thrilling as ever. In 1815 England, Lord Devlin is invited to assist Bow Street detective Sir Henry Lovejoy in investigating the horrific murders of a mother and daughter that appear to imitate the murders of Sir Henry's own wife and daughter 14 years earlier. As the investigation proceeds, Ms. Harris pulls back the veil on a number of social and political woes of the day, some that the murdered woman was working to address and others that serve to hinder or are merely peripheral to the investigation. Whether or not any or all are pertinent to the murders, they serve to pull the reader further into the story. I cannot help but compare and contrast the adversities in this historical setting with those in our own age, leading me to consider how far we have or have not come in more than 200 years. Not to worry, for the less introspective, they will serve only to flesh out a well written and plotted mystery. Either way, this is a mystery that will baffle the most astute armchair detective, and the resolution is as explosive as the murders themselves. Ms. Harris presents us with a well researched and written book that is a wonderful addition to the series but that can serve as a standalone to any who have not yet discovered this amazing series. I highly recommend this book and series.

Amy Scanlon does an excellent job of voicing these characters.

Wow, there is a lot happening in this murder mystery involving a killer who preys on both the aristocracy and the working class. I probably should not have jumped into this series at book 19, but the plot sounded so interesting. I think anyone who has been following the series probably sees the main characters as old friends by now. I would advise reading some of the previous installments before getting in too deep. There were so many threads of inquiry to follow that I was a bit lost at times, too.

Once again, I really enjoyed the narration of Amy Scanlon. She does an excellent job of bringing a variety of characters to life -- male, female, young, old.

I always love the Sebastian St. Cyr books. They are a solid mystery with historical aspects driving the story. The characters are interesting. The mystery is engaging. And I am always ready for the next one. I liked the narrator of the audiobook but I do miss the original one.

Lady McInnis and her daughter are found dead in Richmond Park, their bodies eerily arranged like ancient tomb effigies. As family members are targeted and more victims meet similar fates, investigator Sebastian pursues a twisted trail of horrors. With the stakes and victims mounting, he uncovers a chilling revelation that surpasses his darkest imaginings.

This is a dark and tortured story, the only book I’ve read in the series. I had a hard time keeping track of the recurring characters. The plot is twisty and unpredictable. The emotional tone trends toward anger and grief, with little warmth or close attachments. The audiobook narration was entertaining.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This was my first novel in the series and I really enjoyed the twisting narrative and murder mystery involved. Great characters and character development throughout which allowed for further context and questions to arise about a potential killer.

I wasn’t as fully invested in the story as I would’ve liked to be because there were so many possible suspects and I felt like my “guessing” and interest in the story overall started to wane. Overall, I did enjoy the story and will be interested in reading more by CS Harris.

Wow thus is my time listening to Amy Scanlon both for this series and otherwise and she's fab. Her voice, articulation and distinction between genders was very well done.

I have nothing to say about this book. As with every other book in the series it had me enthralled. Sebastian and Hero are as always pragmatic, brave empathetic. They are my dream historical mystery pair.

I can’t believe I’ve never read any books in this series and it is on its 19th book! This is the second book I’ve read about how we treated children years ago and I am sad every time.

It is a personal case for Sebastian as this new one mirrors how his wife and daughter were killed years ago. Is there a copycat? Was the wrong person convicted and the murderer is back at it?

This was such an interesting read. The writing style and plot really drew me into the time period and it felt like I was there. The history and social issues of the time were well researched and woven into the plot. It is a bit of a dark and somewhat sad story and had me guessing until the very end.

Amy Scanlon does a terrific job narrating the audiobook and bringing the large cast of characters to life. I thought it was an odd choice to have a female narrator for a male protagonist, but I was wrong in my thinking and she is great.

Nineteen books into this series and every installment is still an absolute banger. Once again, Sebastian and Hero start a book working on their own and wind up collaborating as the threads of their work become entwined. The plotting is masterful.

Hero is writing articles about children at workhouses and apprenticeships. Sebastian is helping Lovejoy with a murder that seems like a copy cat of the murder of his wife and daughter...or did the wrong person get hanged for the earlier crime and the murderer is back? At the same time, Hero's step-mother/cousin seems to be trying to encourage conflict between Hero and her father. Jarvis is threatening Sebastian, as usual, because one of the Prince Regent's illegitimate sons might be involved in the murder. Oh, and Napoleon has been defeated and his fate is being debated - will he go back to the Bourbons, allowed to live in England, or sent to exile?

I loved the audiobook of this - the narrator was fantastic and did a great job with the large cast of characters.

Enjoyed the narration at 2.5x speed. The various accents and voice inflections remained well suited to the story!

Book 19 of Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries was my first introduction to this author and these characters. Several past stories are referenced, but not having a frame of reference for them does not detract at all from the enjoyment of this installment.

As a historical fiction mystery, I was incredibly pleased by the story--it's writing, it's references, it's subject matter. While language has been modernized for easy reading/listening, it's easy to tell this was set in the 1800s. After a mother and daughter duo are found murdered in a park, Sebastian and his wife embark on a quest to solve the mystery. They use their connections, their likeability, and their wit to conduct their investigation in believable ways that still engage the reader and provide engagement with their quest.

This was a quick listen, but I'm glad to know I have 18 other books to go back and enjoy now!

Overall: 4 stars (I really liked it)

I'll tell my students about: child death, murder/gore/violence, language, mental health, trauma,

**Thank you to NetGalley & RB Media | Recorded Books for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I listened to this as an audiobook and it was narrated by Amy Scanlon. She was an excellent choice and I enjoyed it very much. It was a historical regency mystery was interesting and the ending was great. The author definitely has a special talent for writing this time period. I found the characters intriguing and the experience was delightfully charming and mysterious. It was written as a stand-alone in case you’re wondering.
Thanks RB media via NetGalley.

A dense mystery whose solution is only glimpsed at the end. Sebastian at his best, although Hero is definitely in the background, and I regret that. As always, though, I'm rooting for Paul. Kudos to the narrator.

Un mistero fittissimo di cui solo alla fine si intravede la soluzione. Sebastian al suo meglio, anche se Hero é decisamente in secondo piano e questo mi dispiace. Come sempre peró faccio il tifo per Paul. Applausi per la narratrice