What Darkness Brings: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Author: C.S. Harris | Language: English | ISBN:
B00A30RVIQ | Format: PDF
What Darkness Brings: A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery Description
The death of a notorious London diamond merchant draws aristocratic investigator Sebastian St. Cyr and his new wife, Hero, into a sordid world of greed, desperation, and the occult, when the husband of Sebastian’s former lover Kat Boleyn is accused of the murder.Regency England, September 1812: After a long night spent dealing with the tragic death of a former military comrade, a heart-sick Sebastian learns of a new calamity: Russell Yates, the dashing, one-time privateer who married Kat a year ago, has been found standing over the corpse of Benjamin Eisler, a wealthy gem dealer. Yates insists he is innocent, but he will surely hang unless Sebastian can unmask the real killer.
For the sake of Kat, the woman he once loved and lost, Sebastian plunges into a treacherous circle of intrigue. Although Eisler’s clients included the Prince Regent and the Emperor Napoleon, he was a despicable man with many enemies and a number of dangerous, well-kept secrets—including a passion for arcane texts and black magic. Central to the case is a magnificent blue diamond, believed to have once formed part of the French crown jewels, which disappeared on the night of Eisler’s death. As Sebastian traces the diamond’s ownership, he uncovers links that implicate an eccentric, powerful financier named Hope and stretch back into the darkest days of the French Revolution.
When the killer grows ever more desperate and vicious, Sebastian finds his new marriage to Hero tested by the shadows of his first love, especially when he begins to suspect that Kat is keeping secrets of her own. And as matters rise to a crisis, Sebastian must face a bitter truth—that he has been less than open with the fearless woman who is now his wife.
- File Size: 1501 KB
- Print Length: 369 pages
- Publisher: NAL (March 5, 2013)
- Sold by: Penguin Group (USA) LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B00A30RVIQ
- Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,738 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #92
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Historical
- #92
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Historical
After 8 installments, Harris's Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries are still intriguing and thoroughly entertaining! I won't give a synopsis, as it has been done and in truth, no synopsis is good enough to supplement the actual reading. If you are new to this author and the series, I suggest you backtrack and read it from the start; if not, you'll be missing some REALLY good readings!
Unlike some readers, I didn't feel that Hero was relegated to the back seat! Yes, her scenes were reduced in comparison to previous installments (namely, When Maidens Mourn). The investigation in When Maidens Mourn was centered area one of Hero's closest friend's death, therefore her prominent presence was to be expected. On the other hand, Hero's limited (in comparison to WMM) screen time in WDB isn't unnatural considering the persons involved in the murder (Yates, thereby Kat).
I am a huge fan of Hero, so of course I want her to be more involved, but I'd rather not have her show up at random moments (without cause) simply just to be there. That isn't something I expect to see from the crafty hands of Harris and I'm glad that didn't happen! And what scenes we had of Hero (especially with Sebastian), that's more than enough for us to feel the intimacy and commitment these two characters have for the other.
As for the complaints about Sebastian's internal conflict about the "WHAT IF's" in regards to his relationship with Kat. Some may find it tedious, but I find that absolutely humanizing! First loves are more often than not, the hardest to let go - and those who've been following the series would understand the complexities that revolves around this EX-couple. And note, Sebastian and Hero married out of obligations and necessity, NOT LOVE!
First let me say I don't know what book people are reading when they say Hero's role is diminished, because it certainly's not this one. One of the things I liked best about this book is that Sebastian and Hero really worked together. They really seem to be settling in to being a married couple. I love the fact that Sebastian didn't try to hide the fact he was helping Kat. And the fact that Hero didn't react badly because he was. They're starting to trust one another. This was a story that needed to be told. People don't realize how little time has been covered by all of Ms. Harris' books. Kat and Yates have been married exactly a year. It is now September of 1812; Hero fell pregnant in May. She and Sebastian have been married all of six weeks. It seems like Sebastian has been pining over Kat forever, but he hasn't. You'd expect it to take time for someone to get over a person they had considered the love of their life. But now he's committed to Hero, the rose-coloured glasses are coming off. He's realizing he never really knew Kat. After all even though Sebastian was faithful to Kat, she wasn't faithful to him. She has different values and goals. And I think Sebastian finding to his surprise and pleasure that Hero's values and goals are much the same as his. The 800 lb. gorilla in the room is Hero's father. I think the time is coming when Hero will be forced to choose between the man who she's growing to love more each day, and the father who she loves, but doesn't like very much. It will be a wrench, but I have confidence Hero will make the right choice. I read on C.S. Harris' blog that Hero will be nine mos. pregnant in the next book. Hopefully that means the baby will be born then(Poor Hero's pregnancy has been worse than soap opera pregnancies).
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