I am all caught up on the Sebastian St. Cyr series, and I am so disappointed now! All the novels in the series are good with so many densely plotted mysteries, interesting recurring characters and a compelling plot line that runs through the series. Still, I admit to starting to feel less drawn into the novels at some point in the middle, only for the last three to completely suck me back into the series. And now come the minor spoilers for previous novels in […]
I Probably Shouldn’t Like A Novel Involving a Serial Killer This Much
Once Sebastian St. Cyr starts investigating a new case, he discovers street children have been disappearing for years but no one has noticed because they are at the edges of society, and its most vulnerable members. The fact that a novel about the early 19th century and its treatment of the poor, and most especially poor children, still feels relevant today is rather condemning. Of course, to paraphrase a scholarly article I barely remember, historical fiction and sci-fi are both genres that tend to say […]
A Village Haunted by the Past
I was actually reading a different novel (still trying to get through that sci-fi novel I mentioned before especially since it has taken an unfortunate turn and become a bit of a drag) but I have had some upsetting news followed by more upsetting conversations, and I needed something else to distract me. This novel ended up being perfect for that! As with many of the Sebastian St. Cyr, Harris works in a potential French conspiracy angle, this time through the presence of Napoleon’s younger […]
Heads Will Roll
Two months after the birth of his son Simon, Sebastian finds himself involved in another murder case when Sir Henry Lovejoy asks for his assistance. One thing that amused me quite a bit is how many people asked Sebastian if he was going to continue with this hobby now that he was married and had a child since it was so dangerous. I guess it’s the closest 19th century England would get to asking a man “how do you balance career and family? Who is […]
I Don’t Think That Was the Takeaway from the Revolution You Needed to Focus on, Princess
I had actually started reading an older sci-fi novel recommended on various Pajiba/Cannonball FB threads, but I spent the weekend in Toulouse, France, and while surrounded by the beautiful medieval architecture of the churches and museums, space exploration and colonization didn’t feel appropriate. Not that a mystery novel set in 19th century England is a perfect fit, either, but it’s a bit closer to matching the atmosphere, especially since I wouldn’t even know where to start for novels set in France. Fortuitously, even though this […]
You Reap What You Sow
Eight novels in, and I am still enjoying the series but I have also hit the point where I may I need to take short a break. Honestly, for the last two or three novels, I was more interested in reading about the Hero/Sebastian relationship than the mystery itself. Fortunately, the way this novel ends feels like the perfect time to take a break since they seem to have reached a good balance in their relationship after making steps towards it at the end of […]