Family Secrets Exposed

I’m thankful that I’ve come to this series late, so that I don’t have to wait in between books!  This is book 5 in the series, and like the others, it begins with a murder – this time it’s the Bishop of London found bludgeoned to death in a recently opened crypt.  And he’s not the only body there, remains are found of another man dating back to the 1700’s.  Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, is called upon once again to look into the mystery.  His aunt Henrietta and the Archbishop of Canterbury are both requesting his assistance, so he can hardly refuse.

The further we get into this series, the more family background we discover about Devlin and his father.  This book deals a lot with secrets and family drama, both in Devlin’s personal life and in the life of the victim.  Hero Jarvis, the young woman that Devlin had an intimate encounter with in the last book, is also keeping a secret and her life has been impacted by the death of the Bishop as well.  Ms Harris does a good job of weaving all of these characters and revelations together, along with the twists and turns of the mystery.

While I’m not too sure how many here are reading these reviews, I don’t want to give away too many details of the secrets exposed!  By the end of the book, Devlin is forced to accept that his life isn’t what he was led to believe, and that the future is going to be uncertain.  Hero is a worthy companion for him, and they are well matched in wits so it will be interesting to see how their relationship evolves.  Kat Boleyn, the woman he’s loved for many years, is still in his thoughts even though she is out of his life.  The rest of the regular side characters are all here as well, helping with the investigations where possible.

All in all, it’s another solid entry, and an enjoyable read.  Ms Harris continues to write engaging characters, and bring the Regency period to life.  I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.