Sebastian St Cyr is an English nobleman-cum-investigator who is frequently asked to assist the police in murder investigations. St Cyr sees this work as a way to atone for acts he witnessed and was a party to while fighting against Napoleon’s army in the early 1800s. But now, in 1813, St Cyr has a wife and infant son and must be increasingly careful to ensure he and his family are not harmed as a result of his work.

The crimes in this installment are particularly grisly, as the victims literally lose their heads, and the investigation ends up delving into those who collect relics from royal executions (yes, we’re talking about heads here). In a more lighthearted vein, this book also includes a meeting between St Cyr and Jane Austen, whose novels were hugely popular, but published anonymously. It was fun to imagine how fictional characters may have encountered actual historic figures. Best of all, this part of the novel meshed well with the rest of the story and did not seem at all contrived.

St Cyr’s investigations typically involve talking to anyone and everyone who may have had a connection to the victims, and following further leads from those conversations. While his colleague Paul Gibson serves as medical examiner, at that time there was only so much that could be learned from that process. As he builds evidence and identifies suspects, St Cyr invariably ends up returning to certain people again to see if he can learn more. And even though he knows better, he also invariably puts himself in danger. The outcome is mostly positive, and leaves a loose end in St Cyr’s personal life to be explored further in the next book(s). ( )

With this book have I now read all the books published in the Sebastian St. Cyr series and this is the first one that I have not read in order since I waited for it to be published in paperback and manage to get an ARC of the book that comes after this one and read it some months before this book. I did not mind that terrible, love this series and, despite knowing some things before I read this book did I find the book just as excellent as the rest of the books in the series.

I can without a doubt, say that this is one of my favorite series. I love historical mysteries and each book in this series has interesting cases mixed with Sebastian's own search for his mother and true father. Now he is also a father, and his wife's father is his arch nemesis which of course makes family life a bit difficult. Then again, his sister already resents him for being a bastard and still standing in line for inheriting the family title. It's not easy for him, and he has a tendency to find trouble. And, this time, he must solve the case of a headless body.

The case is interesting and I enjoy that Harris has added Jane Austen and her brother to the story. It was hilarious sometimes with everyone around Sebastian's reading this new popular book with an unknown writer. And, the daughter of the murdered man was some years earlier persuaded to not marry a sea captain. Brilliant move from Harris side!

I think even those that haven't read the previous books will enjoy this book. However, I would definitely recommend a new reader to start from the beginning! ( )

The action and adventure weren't as high in this one as many of the others, but I appreciated the historical details and the research that went into it. ( )

I really enjoy this series, particularly the social commentary. Sorry that she killed off Jamie Knox, although it could lead to some interesting things down the road. ( )

1813. Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin is drawn in to investigate when Stanley Preston, a wealthy, social climber and plantation owner, and collector, is murdered at Bloody Bridge in London. Nearby lies a lead coffin strap with the inscription 'King Charles, 1648'. Due to Preston's nature there seems to be a surfeit of suspects.
An enjoyable historical mystery ( )