• When Maidens Mourn

  • A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery, Book 7
  • By: C. S. Harris
  • Narrated by: Davina Porter
  • Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (1,136 ratings)

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When Maidens Mourn  By  cover art

When Maidens Mourn

By: C. S. Harris
Narrated by: Davina Porter
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Publisher's summary

Best-selling author C.S. Harris has received numerous awards for her historical fiction. Set in Regency England, this seventh series installment finds aristocratic investigator St. Cyr and his reluctant bride, Hero Jarvis, entangled in a dangerous mystery involving the myth of King Arthur and Camelot.

©2012 C. S. Harris (P)2012 Recorded Books, LLC

Critic reviews

“Like Georgette Heyer, Harris delves deep into the mores of Regency England, but hers is a darker, more dangerous place.” ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

What listeners say about When Maidens Mourn

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Regency Mystery which is a Great Read.

I really enjoy this series. I like Sebastian St. Cyr and his exploits amongs the dives of regency England, as well as the low life of the High born. All in all a great read. When a book is read by Davina Porter you know you are in for an enjoyable listening experience. She is one of the truly great readers.

The mystery is tied up druidic rituals and archaeological exploration of a site associated, perhaps, with King Arthur. The amateur archaeologist is a female and she is found murdered and her two nephews have vanished. There are political implications since pamphlets against the Regent are circulating and rumors that King Arthur will return to save his country from the Hannovers are widespread. Sebastian and his wife Hero are in the thick of this mystery.

I have one caveat however. This is book 7 of a fascinating series. I have read the first 6 books since they were not available on Audio ( I hope this will be remedied) but there is secondary mystery which is woven througout the series. It is the mystery of Sebastian's parentage--- Lord St. Cyr is not his father although he is the heir to the title. Each book reveals a little more about his real parentage in addition to the larger mystery and murder which is the feature of each book.

The books trace Sebastian's search for his mother (who is alive) and his effort to learn from her the identity of his real father.. The hunt for the facts about his parentage starts in the first book and each successive book adds a little more information about his birth. So in that sense by starting with Book 7 the reader will miss out on some of the hints about his parentage and the tangled relations with his relatives - esp. Kat.

But that should not discourage anyone from getting this audio book as it is a great read and a fascinating story peopled with very interesting characters -- one can only hope the early books will also appear in Audio.

If you like historical mysteries don't miss this book.

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33 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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History, romance, intriguing story and characters

The latest in the Sebastian St. Cyr series does not dissappoint. The mystery and plot line was inspired by Tennyson's Lady of Shallot and I just loved the symbolism as well as the interweaving of various aspects of the poem into the storyline. I recommend reading the poem both before and after so you can spot the various references. The mystery itself is well planned and interwoven with the protagonist's life. It is the characters, however, that keep you coming back to this series. They are realistic, sympathetic and I've become quite attached to them. The author has a bit of a sarcastic sense of humor and this comes out in some of her characters. Watch for the reference to a "brace of partridges". This and several other comments had me laughing out loud. I highly recommend the series, but, though each one stands alone, I heartily recommend starting at the beginning and let the story of Sebastian's life unfold. The narrator's lovely accent lends itself to easy listening and accents the story wonderfully.

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25 people found this helpful

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Wonderful book! Wonderful author!!!

There is a reason that a lot of Audible members have given this book five stars - it is Fantabulous!!! The author is amazing. The characters are very well-rounded & complex. The reasearch must have been exhaustive. The reader has, as is usual for Davina Porter, done a wonderful job of bringing this book to life.

I have just one question ... When do we get the rest of the books in this series??? This is the seventh, and Audible also has the sixth. Please, please, please tell me that we will get the first five books also.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant Historical Series.

What can I say? If you like historical novels, you'll adore this series. The characters are all multidimensional and wonderfully developed, book after book. The writing is fluid and sophisticated. hope Miss Harris will never stop writing.

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6 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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AS GOOD AS EVER!

I have been following the series and I am still enjoying every bit of it. The plot is superb and and the villain is do well disguised that it is impossible to guess his true character. I love the romance between Viscount Devlin and his wife, Hero. Thanks to C S Harris for her marvellous talent and I hope for more of the series. Davina Porter as always performed her best.

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The 7th Guilty Pleasure

This series satisfies my need for a guilty pleasure between more challenging reads. What places it a notch above the usual formulaic mystery/romance is that Harris writes well and develops attractive characters who change and grow from book to book. Also, the reader, Davinia Porter, never disappoints. In a novel full of dialogue, her voices for each character, male and female, young and old, are distinct and credible. Yes, the main characters survive tight spots a little too easily by single-handedly killing off their attackers and, yes, the somewhat complex plots stretch belief, but where most series lag by number seven, the author leaves enough intriguing unfinished business in When Maidens Mourn to make me want to skip reading challenges and blitz the remaining titles in the series.

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Did not disappoint, another excellent story!!

The mystery- complex and the developing relationships so well done! I am amazed and so enjoying this authors wonderful talent! And the narrator Davina Porter is fantastic!
Each mystery can be read alone but I highly recommend you start at book one and read in order to follow character development and relationships, you won't be disappointed!

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4 people found this helpful

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Another great story!

I've read all these & love them...this last is great & I like the development of Seb & Hero...nicely done as they slowly work into a relationship & complications w Jarvis...Davina Porter is as always amazing in all her voices I forget she's even female!

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding!

Complicated plots and finely detailed characters are yet again the author's hallmark.

A murder mystery wrapped in the myth of Camelot.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • RL
  • 08-23-20

Less melodrama, more mystery

I was personally relieved when, as the storyline progressed, the author stopped littering the pages with senseless gore and violence, and breathy sex scenes. The characters in themselves are compelling and charismatic, and the plots are intricate without being overly implausible , and I love the details about the regency period and Hero’s deeply-rooted civic-mindedness. It is an intelligent mystery series and doesn’t pander to anyone by having 2-dimensional and cliched heroes and heroines.

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1 person found this helpful