When the Wolves Are Silent - Historical Mystery Review

Goodreads: When the Wolves are Silent (A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery #21) by C.S. Harris

Rating:  Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  London, 1816: When a notorious young aristocrat is burned alive on a windswept hill popular with neo-Druids, former cavalry officer Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, finds himself plunged into a murder investigation shadowed by tales of ancient human sacrifices and long-buried secrets.

The victim, Marcus Toole, was the only son and heir of a prominent nobleman. His closest friend—Sebastian’s own nephew, Bayard—claims to have passed out drunk before the attack and remembers nothing. But when Sebastian and his brilliant wife, Hero, delve deeper into the sordid activities of Bayard and his friends, they come to realize that Bayard may not be as innocent as he pretends. Following a tangled trail that leads from a disaffected former soldier-turned-highwayman to a beautiful, courageous journalist and a Jamaican-born fencing master with ties to a radical political movement, Sebastian begins to suspect that Bayard and his friends are being targeting in revenge, by victims who believe they have no other recourse.

Then two more of Bayard’s friends are killed, their murders staged to echo the ritual sacrifices of the ancient Celts. With the palace shaken by the fear of riots and one horrifying death following another, Sebastian must race to stop a ruthless plot that threatens the lives of innocents and could rip his troubled nation apart.

Genre: Mystery - Historical

Why I Picked This Book:  I have really enjoyed the other books that I've read in this series so of course I had to pick this newest book.

My Impression: I have really enjoyed this series even though I started it in the middle.  Sebastian is an interesting character with a complicated relationship with his family - especially his sister.  While he is heir to an earldom it is only following the death of his older brother and considering the Earl is not technically his biological father this makes things especially complicated.  While he has a healthy relationship with his father his relationship with his sister is anything but healthy and positive.  The book starts with Sebastian's nephew, Bayard, stumbling onto a body and Sebastian learns that this is the second of Bayard's close group of friends to be found dead under mysterious circumstances.  

This may be the most sympathetic group of victims to ever exist and while I never actively root for violence I wasn't sad when another few friends come to a not so nice end.  The mystery was interesting, complicating and at times infuriating as Sebastian followed one thread after the other always learning more but never finding the answer.  When everything comes to light it makes sense and is well explained though it is seriously grim and a bit heartbreaking.  

All of this is taking place against of background of extreme disparity of life and rumblings of uprising as well as actions from those in charge trying to control the situation using deception and violence.  This is incredibly well done.  Harris doesn't get preachy, heavy handed or info dump but instead weaves the issues through the story both with Sebastian's investigation and Hero's interviews.  This series in general isn't a cozy one and while there isn't on page violence the issues discussed are very dark but very well handled.  I really enjoyed the reading experience of this book and look forward to reading more from this series.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I will definitely pick up the next book and look forward to going back to the beginning of the series to read the ones I've missed.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Yes, though I do recommend starting earlier in the series.  The characters have complex lives and relationships and the earlier you start the easier it is to make sense of it all.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *