Why Mermaids Sing: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery [Hardcover]

C.S. Harris (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery | Publication Date: November 6, 2007

It's September 1811, and someone is killing the wealthy young sons of London's most prominent families. Partially butchered, with strange objects stuffed into their mouths, their bodies are found dumped in public places at dawn. When the grisly remains of Alfred, Lord Stanton's eldest son are discovered in the Old Palace Yard beside the House of Lords, the local magistrate turns to Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, for help.

Ranging from the gritty world of Thames-side docks to the luxurious drawing rooms of Mayfair, Sebastian finds himself confronting his most puzzling--and disturbing--case yet. With the help of his trusted allies--young servant Tom, Irish doctor Paul Gibson, and his lover Kat Boleyn--Sebastian struggles to decipher a cryptic set of clues that link the scion of a banking family to the son of a humble Kentish vicar. For as one killing follows another, Sebastian discovers he is confronting a murderer with both a method and a purpose to his ritualized killings, and that the key to it all may lie in the enigmatic stanzas of a haunting poem...and in a secret so dangerous that men are willing to sacrifice their own children to keep the truth from becoming known.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While appending a serial killer plot line to a historical setting is nothing new, Harris imbues what could be an overdone and tired narrative device with refreshing novelty, making his third Regency-era whodunit (after 2006's When Gods Die) a triumph. Sebastian St. Cyr, an unconventional nobleman with a talent for detection, is called in by Westminster chief magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy after two scions of the upper classes are found butchered and left on public display. St. Cyr soon finds a connection between the killer's calling card and a John Donne poem. As shadowy figures threaten and the parents of the victims display an inappropriate hostility to his efforts, the sleuth doggedly persists, uncovering a secret with shocking repercussions for London's upper class. Neatly meshing the page-turning whodunit plot with major developments in St. Cyr's love life, Harris shows every indication of assuming the mantle of the late Bruce Alexander as a reliable producer of quality period mysteries. (Nov.)
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About the Author

C.S. Harris holds a degree in the Classics and a Ph.D. in European history. After years of living all over the world, she has settled in New Orleans with her husband and two daughters.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: NAL Hardcover (November 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451222261
• ISBN-13: 978-0451222268
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,081,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An Air Force brat who grew up exploring castles in Spain and fishing in the mountains of Oregon and Idaho, Candy later worked as an archaeologist and earned a PhD in European history. She now writes the Sebastian St. Cyr historical mystery series under the name C.S. Harris and coauthors a series of contemporary thrillers as C.S. Graham. Married to retired Army Colonel Steve Harris, she lives in New Orleans. Visit her website at www.csharris.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, tightly plotted, fast-paced mystery., January 22, 2008

By 

A. Lee (L.A., CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why Mermaids Sing: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery (Hardcover)

I enjoyed the first two books in this series and found this one even better than the others. (It's not necessary to read them in order, although it can help with some background elements.)

Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin, already weary from recent experiences with death and secrets in his past, as well as seeing action as a soldier, is asked by his friend, a magistrate, to aid in what looks like a series of shocking murder-mutilations involving a banker's son and now the son of a lord. When someone threatens him in order to stop him from asking questions, Devlin digs in, determined to solve the mystery and stop the killer.

Woven deftly into the hunt for the killer is Devlin's personal life. In a lighter vein of this relatively grim tale, there is his need for a valet who will understand the ungentlemanly pursuit of murderers and the occasional need for suits of ordinary clothes that will let Devlin move through parts of society closed to the aristocracy. There is also the complications involved in his steadfast love of Kat Boleyn, an actress who refuses to marry him because it would ruin his position in society--and because of her secret past as a spy for the French, something that has been found out by the wrong people who are putting pressure on her. And there is Devlin's uneasy relationship with his father.

These elements never stall the pace of the mystery. Devlin is relentless in his pursuit of answers. The mystery is nicely complex, involving an incident in the past and connections that are not immediately apparent. There is plenty of action, plots, intrigue, red-herrings, curious situations, broken taboos, deadly secrets and desperate moves. The historical details are also there, subtly in the background: the illegal boxing matches, the high society parties and husband-hunting, the press-gangs, the clubs, the gaming hells.

The characters are all interesting and complex. The mystery and action good. The setting enjoyable. It is a perfect historical mystery, as far as I'm concerned. I hope there are many more to come in this series.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Mystery for a thriller fan!, January 16, 2008

By 

William C. Smith "Grateful Reader" (Swannanoa, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Why Mermaids Sing: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery (Hardcover)

This one is a bit creepy and one heck of a good yarn. The story moves along both with the serial killings, the examinations, (CSI like, only ancient CSI methods), and St. Cyr's personal situations, all of which make for a highly suspenseful read. The period and place of the story is poignant in that you feel almost as if you're there, and at times you get a sense of uncommon fear. I loved this book and will most definitely read more of the St. Cyr mysteries. This one's worth the price for the hardback. Not to be missed!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great series, November 12, 2007

By 

L. Rogers "MissLue"" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Why Mermaids Sing: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery (Hardcover)

I've waited for book 3 of this really interesting series, and although it started a bit slowly, there were plenty of surprises and loose ends -- which means I'll be waiting for number 4. Viscount Devlin is a typical hero: strong, smart, good looking and sometimes wrong. His love for Kat Boleyn doesn't overwhelm the story but is deep and heartwarming. This particular book explores an unusual situation, one that has resonated in other historical lore, but not a commonly discussed one. Devlin unearths it and pursues answers with his usual tenacity. I like Devlin, I like Kat and there is more to their story waiting in the wings. Ms. Harris writes well, puts together a logical plot and develops characters I really like. What more could you ask for in a good historical?