Review and Giveaway: Where Shadows Dance

Where Shadows Dance (Sebastian St. Cyr - Book 6) by C.S. Harris


Publication Date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: Paperback, 351pp
ISBN-13: 978-0451233950

ISBN: 0451233956

(Received for an honest review from Obsidian Mystery)


Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound


C.S. Harris on the WEB: website, blog, facebook


Books in the series: What Angels Fear (2005), When Gods Die (2006), Why Mermaids Sing (2007), Where Serpents Sleep (2008), What Remains of Heaven (2009), Where Shadows Dance (2011), When Maidens Mourn (Coming 2012)


CoverArt: Click on the picture for a larger, clearer image of the covers in this series.

Excerpt from Where Shadows Dance (Amazon Look Inside Feature)


Synopsis: 


London, 1812. When surgeon and anatomist Paul Gibson illegally buys the cadaver of a young man from body snatchers, he believes Alexander Ross, a rising young star at the Foreign Office, died of a weak heart. After discovering a stiletto wound at the base of Ross's skull. Gibson can turn only to Sebastian St. Cyr for help in catching the killer.


Meanwhile, Sebastian must confront the turmoil of his personal life. Hero Jarvis, daughter of his powerful nemesis, Lord Jarvis, finally agrees to become his wife. But as their wedding approaches, Sebastian can't escape the growing realization that Lord Jarvis and Hero know far more about the events surrounding Ross's death than they would have him believe.


And when a second body is found bearing the same stiletto wound, Sebastian must race to unmask a ruthless killer who is now threatening the life of his reluctant bride and their unborn child.


Thoughts:

Author C.S. Harris once again brings readers a Regency era historical mystery with her latest addition to the Sebastian St. Cyr series, Where Shadows Dance. This is the sixth book in the series featuring an aristocratic amateur sleuth, who has a penchant for murder. Harris' ability to create a riveting plot, and her smooth, elegant style create an atmospheric novel that is hard to put down. A great addition to a thriving series!

This was my first experience with the Sebastian St. Cyr series and with C.S. Harris' writing. I'm not usually one to judge a book by it's cover, because sometimes they are misleading, but having looked at this cover and the rest of the covers in the series, I had a pretty good idea going in, that this was a series with some dark overtones, a very atmospheric book, that took on the tone of times it was written about. London during 1812 was somewhat dark, as far as the political climate was concerned. Napoleon's advance into Russia was weighing heavily on the people of England and the political back stabbing was an all time high. I thought Harris really captured the essence of the times and the desperate nature of those who lived through them.

I do wish I had read the first five books in the series only because I would have understood Sebastian a little better. I loved his character. He was sharp and intuitive and he really seemed to enjoy getting in the trenches so to speak and figuring out who the killer was and just as importantly why the murder was committed. His thought process reminded me of Agatha Christie's, Periot or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's, Holmes. He just had a different way of viewing the world that gave him a unique perspective. He was a former solider, a man of substance, someone who readers would normally think would care about who killed who. He was quite interesting.

I also enjoyed the idea that Sebastian's friend was an anatomist and a surgeon yet he had to bribe the famed body snatchers to get him a corpse. The fact that surgeon's had to go through that kind of scrutiny during this time period was very interesting to me and I thought it made for a great plot element. Paul is also a great supporting character that kind of headed Sebastian in the right direction in some instances. I loved the relationship between the two and thought all of the details about the science of autopsy were just as interesting as the political machinations of the day.

The mystery aspect was well written and thoroughly researched. It is obvious even from one book, that this a series that would appeal to a lot of different kinds of readers including history enthusiasts, mystery aficionados and romance fans. The relationship between Sebastian and her love, Hero was very gritty. She is the daughter of his archenemy and they are planning a wedding and the expansion of their family is fast approaching. Sebastian has to balance his personal issues against his sleuthing and that makes for a great story. I liked this one a lot and I think you will too!
Where Shadows Dance is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!

C.S. Harris is a historian who lives in New Orleans. Writing as Candace Proctor, she is the author of seven award winning historical romances. Under the name C.S. Graham, she coauthors contemporary thrillers with her husband, former intelligence officer Steven Harris. She has two daughters.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: 

The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Where Shadows Dance by C.S. Harris.


~ You must be a GFC follower or an E-mail subscriber to participate.
~ US addresses only!
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST April 23rd.


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