When Blood Lies

Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries, Book 17

By: C.S. Harris

Narrated by: Jenny Sterlin

Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, has spent years unraveling his family's tragic history. But the secrets of his past will come to light in this gripping new historical mystery from the USA Today best-selling author of What the Devil Knows.

March, 1815. The Bourbon King Louis XVIII has been restored to the throne of France, Napoleon is in exile on the isle of Elba, and Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, and his wife, Hero, have traveled to Paris in hopes of tracing his long-lost mother, Sophie, the errant Countess of Hendon. But his search ends in tragedy when he comes upon the dying Countess in the wasteland at the tip of the Île de la Cité. Stabbed—apparently with a stiletto—and thrown from the bastions of the island's ancient stone bridge, Sophie dies without naming her murderer.

Sophie had been living in Paris under an assumed name as the mistress of Maréchal Alexandre McClellan, the scion of a noble Scottish Jacobite family that took refuge in France after the Forty-Five Rebellion. Once one of Napoleon's most trusted and successful generals, McClellan has now sworn allegiance to the Bourbons and is serving in the delegation negotiating on behalf of France at the Congress of Vienna. It doesn't take Sebastian long to realize that the French authorities have no interest in involving themselves in the murder of a notorious Englishwoman at such a delicate time.

And so, grieving and shattered by his mother's death, Sebastian takes it upon himself to hunt down her killer. But what he learns will not only shock him but could upend a hard-won world peace.

©2022 C.S. Harris (P)2022 Recorded Books

Sorry Jenny, but I missed Davina Porter

Questions answered all the history and mystery you've come to expect. But something was just off and I fear it was the narrator. Still worth it if you're a fan of the series.

Disappointmeny

The new reader has turned a great male lead into a simpering fop who sounds dumbfounded or surprised when confronted with new clues. This made it very hard to listen to. Also the lack of variation in character voices made it difficult to keep the players straight. A bad choice, in mho.
Save the breathy reading for romance novels.
Not sure I will continue the series.

best decision of the year

I love historical fiction and murder mysteries. So late last year when I saw these books I knew I needed to at least read the first book since 16 books were out already and book 17 was coming out soon and that was daunting to take on. It ended up being the best decision of the year thus far. I love Sebastian and Hero. I always enjoy the weaving puzzle of the murders and trying to guess who it is.
When Blood Lies did not disappoint. The new narrator did a great job (although her Sebastian voice will take some getting used too).
I will never get tired of this series.

Poor Narrator

I love this series. The historical context is fascinating. I don’t like Jenny Sterling as the narrator. She doesn’t get the different characters right. I’m so used to Davina Porter as the narrator that I had to start listening to this book 3 times before I could force myself to continue to the end. I’m not really looking forward to the next book because of the narrator. I’m still a fan of C. S. Harris.

History and decline!

One of the best of the series. Maybe it's because we get to meet Sophia, maybe it's because there is so much of Paris, but whatever it is: vive la st cyr!

French history plus great story.

I thoroughly enjoyed the entire book! Narrator was excellent. I loved Davina Porter's narration but Ms Serlin is just as good. This is the first book in this series I've listened to in quite a while so becoming re-acquainted with each character, even the 'bad ones' was a pleasure.
Ending was certainly a surprise.

Fabulous story (as nearly all are in series!!!) but I miss Davina!!

So great to get a new venue for the story away from London, but the narrator made it seem dull.

Missing Davina

I started listening to this series because of Davina Porter. I was looking for books she read at the time. She's a tough act to follow and, for me, Jenny Sterlin isn't measuring up. I've heard her before and she is no different here -- her voice has too narrow a range and is too distinctive. I do enjoy the books so probably will keep listening, however. Just miss Davina. She was a rare talent.

Disappointing change in narration

CS Harris is one of my favorite historical novelists, and Sebastian St Cyr is a wonderful series — I particularly like that they’re mysteries/adventures instead of romances. I was looking forward to this one, because it focused on Sebastian’s missing mother.

What I didn’t like was the change in narration. After 16 books with narration by Davina Porter, the change was jarring. It’s rare for a female narrator to get a male protagonist’s voice so right, but Davina’s Sebastian was “right.” Jenny Scanlon is a good narrator, but not nearly as good as Davina for this particular series. I hated the voice she gave Sebastian. I wasn’t just too soft, the personality was wrong. It skewed the character and kept throwing me off.

Enjoyable

I love the book series. It read very well, however I miss Davina Porter narrating.