What the Devil Knows (Sebastian St. Cyr #16) by C.S. Harris

There was an ugly killer that killed two families years ago.  The suspect hung himself and the murders stopped.  Now, years later, another family has been killed in the same way.  Sebastian is asked to help with the investigation.

Berkley Books and Edelweiss let me read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published April 6th.

As Sebastian begins looking into it, questions arise.  The man who committed suicide was murdered.  He finds that the taverns in this city buy from one or the other breweries.  They don't have a choice.  Those who don't comply lose their lives.

The deeper he digs, more bodies pop up.  Then some hoodlums come after him.  He manages to stay alive but he knows he's getting close to the truth.  He's especially worried when they come after him at home.  He fights well but there are three of them.  It's a good thing his wife had a gun.

As he continues to ask questions it gets more dangerous.  Will he find the killers or will they find him?

Where the Dead Lie (Sebastian St. Cyr #12) by C.S. Harris

Sebastian has had his challenges in life but he's still standing up for his beliefs and his sense of justice.  The problem is that the dead boys don't matter to politicians who are looking for greater wealth and power...

Berkley sent me a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published today.

Someone is badly mistreating young boys and girls.  They been whipped, knifed, and raped.  The man who broke up the burial at the abandoned cemetery grounds said the man waiting for the boy who was digging was a gentleman.  Looking for a murder among the aristocrats is very dangerous.

It doesn't make things better when he starts finding facts.  It appears a foreign diplomat and a gentleman marrying his wife's younger sister are under suspicion.  The more questions he asks, the more warnings he gets.  He has to defend his own life more than once.  But he never gives up.

This story was a bit distasteful to me because of the abuse of children but Sebastian makes one of the killers pay.  The other one hasn't paid yet, but he will.  Sebastian never gives up.  I'm just glad he has his wife and child to calm him down and take him away from the bad he sees.  They're a good couple, each with their own strength.  

I'll be watching for the next book in this series.  Sebastian's mother-in-law has just died and being cynical like I am, I think her husband murdered her.  Now to see if I am right... 

When Falcons Fall (Sebastian St. Cyr #11) by C.S. Harris

Sebastian has only come to this village to deliver a gift from a dead man.  Jamie's grandmother lives in the village and he wants to deliver the mechanical hummingbird Jamie bought her.  He feels a bit beholden because Jamie was killed because he looked like Sebastian.  Sebastian finds several people who look a bit like him but he still doesn't know who his father was...

This is an Obsidian Mystery and I received a copy to read for review (thank you).  It has been published and you can get a copy now.

I like Sebastian as a character.  He's stalwart, protects his own, and he's inquisitive.  He came with his wife and baby but had no intent to get caught up in murder.  But when the young new magistrate asks for help, he complies.  After all, the constable says it's suicide but that's not the opinion of the magistrate.  It takes Sebastian's eyes to pick up the faint marks to show she was smothered to death.

Trying to find her murderer is a challenge because she's traveling with a false identity.  It's also a problem when there are so many secrets in the village.  It seems any man with power takes whatever young woman he desires.  It doesn't matter if they go willingly or not.  And with illegitimate babies all over the place, it's hard to trace bloodlines and look for reasons for murder.

Then the murders in the present time seem to mimic some "suicides" from the past.  It appears the killer in the village has been around for a long time.

It was sad to read about all the young women who died but Sebastian and his wife manage to solve the case.  Ms. Harris writes a good mystery, fills it with facts about the era she's setting the story in, and it makes a very good read.  I'll be watching for the next book.  Sebastian is just coming into his prime. 

Who Buries the Dead A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery by C.S. Harris

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, has been asked in the past to help solve a crime.  When he's asked to help determine who might have hated a man enough to behead him in murder, he should have said no...

Penguin Group and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It has been published, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.  

Sebastian is happily married and has a new son.  He shouldn't be investigating murder but he's intelligent, has the right resources and can even adapt himself as part of the crowd to blend in and ask questions.  The problem he runs into is that people aren't answering his questions.

The dead man had several enemies who had threatened to kill him, but every time he thinks he's found something solid, he finds something else that changes his mind.  The other complication in his life is an old war-time enemy who is back in the city.  And the knowledge that he may have a half-brother works on him, too.  He can't waste time following up on that yet, he has this murder and soon more murders to solve...

This case is complicated by itself.  Politics warp it.  And moral beliefs add another layer.   Ms. Harris really knows how to create a palpable danger just by her words.  You can feel it radiate from the book.

Sebastian has a killer after him.  Even his family is in danger.  Can he find them in time to keep his family safe?

I must say that those with power could do a good job of covering the truth up.  When the truth is embarrassing, you hide it.  So much for justice.  However, in this story, it seems justice was served despite the political games.  I enjoyed it.