Who Buries the Dead by C.S. Harris
The grisly murder of a West Indies slave owner and the reappearance of a dangerous enemy from Sebastian St. Cyr’s past put C. S. Harris’s “troubled but compelling antihero”* to the ultimate test in this taut, thrilling entrée in the acclaimed, national bestselling historical mystery series.
London, 1813.
The decapitation of a wealthy plantation owner at Bloody Bridge draws Sebastian St. Cyr into a macabre and perilous investigation. The discovery near the body of a lead coffin strap bearing the inscription KING CHARLES, 1648 suggests a link between this killing and the beheading of the seventeenth-century monarch. Equally troubling, the victim’s kinship to the current Home Secretary draws the notice of Sebastian’s father-in-law, Lord Jarvis, who will exploit any means to pursue his own clandestine ends.
Working with his wife, Hero, Sebastian amasses a list of suspects who range from an eccentric curiosity collector to the brother of a brilliantly observant spinster named Jane Austen.
But as one murder follows another, it is the connection between the victims and ruthless former army officer Lord Oliphant that raises the stakes. Once, Oliphant nearly destroyed Sebastian in a horrific act of betrayal. Now he poses a threat not only to Sebastian but to everything-and everyone-Sebastian holds dear.
Back in March 2016 I went on a trip to Seattle, WA, with my friends. One of my friends is a book worm like me and we went to the Seattle Mystery Bookshop.
I bought this book mostly because I wanted to support an independent bookshop and I wanted a souvenir. When I picked it out (the cover caught my eye) I had no idea it was part of an ongoing series and I'm sure the mention of Jane Austin being a character sparked my interest.
So this is the 10th in the series, but the book can stand alone. The author does a great job of catching you up on anything you might have missed from the previous nine books. Even jumping in on book 10 I felt I knew Sebastian really well. Actually, I became so invested Sebastian's personal story and the mystery of his past that I might read more of these novels.
It's amazing how a book that follows the same mystery solving formula can still capture one's attention and imagination. There's a reason that these age old tropes become bestsellers. I found the mystery to be a compelling page turner. I was left guessing and deducting just like Sebastian. Also, the challenge is that it's 1813 and there are no modern methods to solve a murder. Got to use your brain.
I liked the historical fiction aspect of it by adding Jane Austin as a character and by also adding the story of King Charles I's tomb. I loved all the little nods to Austin's characters.
So the reason I put off reading this for so many years is because:
A) I don't usually read mysteries.
B) Once I realized that it was part of series that put me off because I thought I would feel lost and uninterested.
C) Also, I didn't want to be sucked into another book series.
I decided to read it now because I have a TBR pile 80-100 books big and I want to start actually reading them to see what I want to give away or keep.
I thought I would end up giving this one away, but I really enjoyed it and it is still a souvenir from my trip to Seattle.
5 out of 5 Beheaded Heads.