C. S. Harris

THE FIRST SEBASTIAN ST. CYR MYSTERY! “The combined elements of historical fiction, romance, and mystery in this fog-enshrouded London puzzler will appeal to fans of Anne Perry.”—Booklist It’s 1811, and the threat of revolution haunts the upper classes of King George III’s England. Then the body of a beautiful young woman is found savagely murdered on the altar steps of an ancient church near Westminster Abbey. A dueling pistol discovered at the scene and the damning testimony of a witness both point to one man: Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, a brilliant young nobleman shattered by his experiences in the Napoleonic Wars. Now a fugitive running for his life, Sebastian calls upon his skill as an officer during the war to catch the killer and prove his own innocence. In the process, he accumulates a band of unlikely allies, including the enigmatic beauty Kat Boleyn, who broke Sebastian’s heart years ago. In Sebastian’s world of intrigue and espionage, nothing is as it seems, yet the truth may hold the key to the future of the British monarchy, as well as to Sebastian’s own salvation....

A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery

What Angels Fear

Susanna Kearsley

Anna Lee Huber

Christine Trent

"Charming... Four interconnected visits to a world of danger, wit, beauty and genuine romance. Treat yourself!"--ANNE PERRY, internationally bestselling author A stellar line-up of historical mystery novelists weaves the tale of a priceless and cursed gold watch as it passes through time wreaking havoc from one owner to another. The characters are irrevocably linked by fate, each playing a key role in breaking the curse and destroying the watch once and for all. From 1733 Italy to Edinburgh in 1831 to a series of chilling murders in 1870 London, and a lethal game of revenge decades later, the watch touches lives with misfortune, until it comes into the reach of one young woman who might be able to stop it for good. This outstanding collaboration of authors includes: Susanna Kearsley - New York Timesand USA Todaybestselling author of compelling time slip fiction. C.S. Harris - bestselling author of the Sebastian St. Cyr Regency mystery series. Anna Lee Huber - award-winning author of the national bestselling Lady Darby Mysteries. Christine Trent - author of the Lady of Ashes Victorian mystery series. More praise for The Deadly Hours: "A fantastic read."--Tasha Alexander, New York Timesbestselling author "What a treat!"--Victoria Thompson, USA Todaybestselling author

The Deadly Hours

In Brighton, England, in 1811, when the wife of an aging marquis is found dead in the arms of the Prince Regent, wearing an ancient necklace with mysterious ties to Sebastian St. Cyr, Sebastian turns sleuth to investigate the woman's death.

When Gods Die

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, has spent years unraveling his family's tragic history. But the secrets of his past will come to light in this gripping new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of What the Devil Knows. March, 1815. The Bourbon King Louis XVIII has been restored to the throne of France, Napoleon is in exile on the isle of Elba, and Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, and his wife, Hero, have traveled to Paris in hopes of tracing his long-lost mother, Sophie, the errant Countess of Hendon. But his search ends in tragedy when he comes upon the dying Countess in the wasteland at the tip of the Île de la Cité. Stabbed--apparently with a stiletto--and thrown from the bastions of the island's ancient stone bridge, Sophie dies without naming her murderer. Sophie had been living in Paris under an assumed name as the mistress of Maréchal Alexandre McClellan, the scion of a noble Scottish Jacobite family that took refuge in France after the Forty-Five Rebellion. Once one of Napoleon's most trusted and successful generals, McClellan has now sworn allegiance to the Bourbons and is serving in the delegation negotiating on behalf of France at the Congress of Vienna. It doesn't take Sebastian long to realize that the French authorities have no interest in involving themselves in the murder of a notorious Englishwoman at such a delicate time. And so, grieving and shattered by his mother's death, Sebastian takes it upon himself to hunt down her killer. But what he learns will not only shock him but could upend a hard-won world peace.

When Blood Lies

"Magistrates are being murdered and a case once thought to be closed might be wide-open in this gripping new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Who Speaks for the Damned. It's October 1814. The war with France is finally over, Europe's diplomats are convening in Vienna for a conference that will put their world back together, and London finds itself in the grip of a series of terrifying murders eerily similar to the shocking Ratcliffe Highway murders of three years before. In 1811, two entire families were brutally murdered in their homes. A suspect--a young Irish seaman named John Murphy--was arrested. But before he could be brought to trial, Murphy hanged himself in his cell. The murders ceased, and London slowly began to breathe easier. But when the lead investigator, Sir Edwin Pym, is killed in the same brutal way, suddenly everyone is talking about the heinous crimes again, and the city is paralyzed with terror. Was the wrong man arrested for the murders? Has a vicious serial killer decided it's time to kill again? Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy turns to his friend Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, for assistance. Pym's colleagues are convinced his manner of death is a coincidence, but Sebastian has his doubts. The more he looks into the three-year-old murders, the more certain he becomes that the hapless John Murphy was not the real killer. Which begs the question--who was?"--

What the Devil Knows

In 1811 London, murder stalks the city's elite as the sons of prominent families are found in public places, with their bodies mutilated and strange objects stuffed in their mouths, and Sebastian St. Cyr takes time out from his shaky relationship with actress Kat Boleyn to track down the killer.

Why Mermaids Sing

The sole witness to the slaughter of eight young prostitutes at a house of refuge near Covent Garden, Hero Jarvis, daughter of the Prince Regent's cousin, Lord Jarvis, joins forces with Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, to investigate the massacre, following a trail of danger that takes them from London's seedy underbelly to the highest levels of society.

Where Serpents Sleep

June 1814, and the royal families of Austria, Russia, and the German states have gathered in London at the Prince Regent's invitation to celebrate the defeat of Napoleon and the restoration of monarchical control throughout Europe. But the festive atmosphere is marred one warm summer evening by the brutal murder of a disgraced British nobleman long thought dead. Few in London were surprised when they heard the ne'er-do-well had died in New South Wales in 1799. But those reports were obviously wrong. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is drawn into the investigation by his valet, Jules Calhoun.

Who Speaks for the Damned

When Lord Ashworth is found brutally murdered, Sebastian St. Cyr is called in to help catch the killer. Just seven months before, Sebastian had suspected Ashworth of kidnapping and murder of a string of vulnerable street children. But Sebastian was never able to prove Ashworth's complicity. Nor was he able to prevent his troubled niece Stephanie from marrying him, a marriage that quickly turned into a sham. Now mounting evidence suggests that Ashworth's killer was a woman. Sebastian is tasked with unraveling the shocking surrounding Ashworth's life before Stephanie is punished for his death.

Who Slays the Wicked

Aristocratic investigator Sebastian St. Cyr must find the true culprit and defend his former lover, Kat Boleyn, when she is accused of the murder of a notorious diamond merchant in the eighth novel of the mystery series following When Maidens Mourn. 40,000 first printing.

What Darkness Brings

A brutal murder draws nobleman Sebastian St. Cyr into the tangled web of the British royal court in this gripping historical mystery from the national bestselling author of Where the Dead Lie. London, 1814. As a cruel winter holds the city in its icy grip, the bloody body of a beautiful young musician is found half-buried in a snowdrift. Jane Ambrose's ties to Princess Charlotte, the only child of the Prince Regent and heir presumptive to the throne, panic the palace, which moves quickly to shut down any investigation into the death of the talented pianist. But Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, and his wife Hero refuse to allow Jane's murderer to escape justice. Untangling the secrets of Jane's world leads Sebastian into a maze of dangerous treachery where each player has his or her own unsavory agenda and no one can be trusted. As the Thames freezes over and the people of London pour onto the ice for a Frost Fair, Sebastian and Hero find their investigation circling back to the palace and building to a chilling crescendo of deceit and death . . .

Why Kill the Innocent

The latest novel featuring Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, features a mystery surrounding the identity of two corpses found in an ancient crypt with possible ties to William Franklin, the embittered son of American patriot Ben Franklin.

What Remains of Heaven

Asked to assist an inexperienced magistrate in the investigation of a homicide, St. Cyr discovers that the victim was living under an assumed identity and that she was one in a series of murder targets.

When Falcons Fall

The grisly murder of a West Indies slave owner and the reappearance of a dangerous enemy from Sebastian St. Cyr’s past combine to put C. S. Harris’s “troubled but compelling antihero” (Booklist) to the ultimate test in this taut, thrilling mystery. London, 1813. The vicious decapitation of Stanley Preston, a wealthy, socially ambitious plantation owner, at Bloody Bridge draws Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, into a macabre and increasingly perilous investigation. The discovery near the body of an aged lead coffin strap bearing the inscription King Charles, 1648 suggests a link between this killing and the beheading of the deposed seventeenth-century Stuart monarch. Equally troubling, the victim’s kinship to the current Home Secretary draws the notice of Sebastian’s powerful father-in-law, Lord Jarvis, who will exploit any means to pursue his own clandestine ends. Working in concert with his fiercely independent wife, Hero, Sebastian finds his inquiries taking him from the wretched back alleys of Fish Street Hill to the glittering ballrooms of Mayfair as he amasses a list of suspects who range from an eccentric Chelsea curiosity collector to the brother of an unassuming but brilliantly observant spinster named Jane Austen. But as one brutal murder follows another, it is the connection between the victims and ruthless former army officer Sinclair, Lord Oliphant, that dramatically raises the stakes. Once, Oliphant nearly destroyed Sebastian in a horrific wartime act of carnage and betrayal. Now the vindictive former colonel might well pose a threat not only to Sebastian but to everything—and everyone—Sebastian holds most dear.

Who Buries the Dead

“The entire series is simply elegant.”—Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author In this historical mystery from the national bestselling author of Who Slays the Wicked, the abduction and murder of a young boy takes Sebastian St. Cyr from the gritty streets of London to the glittering pleasure haunts of the aristocracy... London, 1813. One of the city's many homeless children, Benji Thatcher was abducted and murdered—and his younger sister is still missing. Few in authority care about a street urchin's fate, but Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, refuses to let this killer go unpunished. Uncovering a disturbing pattern of missing children, Sebastian is drawn into a shadowy, sadistic world. As he follows a grim trail that leads from the writings of the debauched Marquis de Sade to the city's most notorious brothels, he comes to a horrifying realization: Someone from society's upper echelon is preying upon the city's most vulnerable. And though dark, powerful forces are moving against him, Sebastian will risk his reputation and his life to keep more innocents from harm...

Where the Dead Lie

It s the start of the American Civil War. The Union army is sailing down the Mississippi, leaving destruction in its wake. For one family the Union army isn't the only thing they fear. A girl stops an attack on her mother and the town must pull together to keep safe. But a cryptic message casts doubt amongst them. Is there a traitor in the town?"

Good Time Coming

What Cannot Be Said

A seemingly idyllic summer picnic ends in a macabre murder that echoes a pair of slayings fourteen years earlier in this riveting new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Who Cries for the Lost. July 1815: The Prince Regent’s grandiose plans to celebrate Napoléon’s recent defeat at Waterloo are thrown into turmoil when Lady McInnis and her daughter Emma are found brutally murdered in Richmond Park, their bodies posed in a chilling imitation of the stone effigies once found atop medieval tombs. Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy immediately turns to his friend Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, for help with the investigation. For as Devlin discovers, Lovejoy’s own wife and daughter were also murdered in Richmond Park, their bodies posed in the same bizarre postures. A traumatized ex-soldier was hanged for their killings. So is London now confronting a malicious copyist? Or did Lovejoy help send an innocent man to the gallows? Aided by his wife, Hero, who knew Lady McInnis from her work with poor orphans, Devlin finds himself exploring a host of unsavory characters from a vicious chimney sweep to a smiling but decidedly lethal baby farmer. Also coming under increasing scrutiny is Sir Ivo McInnis himself, along with a wounded Waterloo veteran—who may or may not have been Laura McInnis’s lover—and a charismatic young violinist who moonlights as a fencing master and may have formed a dangerous relationship with Emma. But when Sebastian’s investigation turns toward man about town Basil Rhodes, he quickly draws the fury of the Palace, for Rhodes is well known as the Regent’s favorite illegitimate son. Then Lady McInnis’s young niece and nephew are targeted by the killer, and two more women are discovered murdered and arranged in similar postures. With his own life increasingly in danger, Sebastian finds himself drawn inexorably toward a conclusion far darker and more horrific than anything he could have imagined.

A gripping new historical mystery featuring Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin from the USA Today bestselling author of When Blood Lies.

Who Cries for the Lost

Hero Jarvis, daughter of the Prince Regent's cousin and the sole witness to the slaughter of eight young prostitutes at a London house of refuge, joins forces with Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, to investigate the massacre.

C. S. Harris

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