Why Kill the Innocent

By: C. S. Harris

Narrated by: Davina Porter

Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's Summary

In the newest mystery from the national best-selling author of Where the Dead Lie, a brutal murder draws Sebastian St. Cyr into the web of the royal court, where intrigue abounds and betrayal awaits.

London, 1814. As a cruel winter holds the city in its icy grip, the bloody body of a beautiful young musician is found half-buried in a snowdrift. Jane Ambrose's ties to Princess Charlotte, the only child of the Prince Regent and heir presumptive to the throne, panic the palace, which moves quickly to shut down any investigation into the death of the talented pianist. But Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, and his wife Hero refuse to allow Jane's murderer to escape justice.

Untangling the secrets of Jane's world leads Sebastian into a maze of dangerous treachery where each player has his or her own unsavory agenda and no one can be trusted. As the Thames freezes over and the people of London pour onto the ice for a Frost Fair, Sebastian and Hero find their investigation circling back to the palace and building to a chilling crescendo of deceit and death....

©2018 The Two Talers, LLC (P)2018 Recorded Books

Worst of the series

I have enjoyed the rest of the series, but this book consisted of mostly repeated questioning of suspects and rehashing. Very little action or danger. Virtually nothing about Sebastian’s family. The historical details and the performance were the best things about this book. You can easily skip this one and not worry that you have missed anything important to future books.

If you like history...

I find the mystery and adventure in this series captivating owing to the fact that I never am able to figure out ‘who dunnit’. I am always guessing who the culprit is and without fail, always wrong! Besides the the main characters it’s also the history that grabs me immediately. It’s fascinating to think how daily life was lived back then. The end of the novel connects some of the events in the book to the actual occurrences referred to in history. I’m already looking forward to the next issue! Davina Porter is as always the most talented narrator! I actually look for new audile books by referencing her name in the search engine.

Another Winner!!!

What can I say? This is typical C.S. Harris and probably one of her best from a mystery perspective. It was great to catch up with Sebastian, Hero, Tom, Lovejoy and yes, even that omniscient endearing bad guy, Jarvis. These books only come out once a year, so it was like a birthday when Sebastian had a confrontation with Lord Jarvis--a staple event of this series. I fall more in love with Sebastian each book. Sebastian nor Hero did not disappoint.

This story took so many turns. I admit, I did not see the ending coming. I highly recommend this book. My only complaint is I wish that there had been more of Tom, Lovejoy, Hendon and Kat. I missed Lovejoy's overreactions to dead bodies, Tom's belligerence and Hendon working his jaw in 'that way'. Maybe next time? I don't want this series to end!

Narration:
Davina Porter...What can I say? She will forever be a 5 star narrator. Perfection!

Another excellent book in this series.

C. S. Harris is a wonderful writer. Each book makes you crave the next one. And her plots are complicated enough that you can listen to the series again and again. I start the series over for each new book and I find something that I've missed each time.

The narration is wonderful. Every time Davina Porter reads a book her narration is first rate.

sins of the family

Another gripping tale in this series. Who killed Jane Ambrose? The suspect list includes royalty, family, close friends and higher ups in the government. Her death was definitely not an accident but the government wants it spinned that way because it may involve the Princess Charlotte. After Hero and her doctor friend come upon the body. Sebastian takes up the investigation on Hero's behalf. Many will be shook up by Sebastian's snooping and some will run scared. An eclectic mix of intriguing characters and historical figures and facts make for a most interesting read.

Fascinating

Each book in the St Cyr series has been a fascinating look at history told in a romantic crime based format. I enjoy the author’s notes as much as the story where she reveals the warp and weft of history on which the characters and stories are woven. Nearing the end of the series, and I wonder where this talented writer will take us next.

A decent one

I’ve really enjoyed this series. Have only skipped a couple of them when the topic or content was something I didn't want in my head. This one is not quite as engaging as earlier books in the series, but the characters are still fun to follow. I love Davina Porter's narrations, but she seems less focused on this one, There is less distinction between voices, and oftentimes a character will fall out of his or her own voice and sound like another character's voice. So there is quite a bit of sameness and inconsistency between all of them, Also, Davina sometimes carries the narrative voice into the upcoming characters voice and vice versa. Even so, I found it a worthy listen, as these nuances are easy to overlook for the bigger picture of a good overall performance and story.

Meh.....

I just couldn't buy into it. I never latched on to the death of character and since everything following that is tangential, I couldn't get into the story.
I wish they'd highlighted The Reagent and Princess Charlotte more. Now that was interesting.

Another superb addition to this series

Davina does her usual excellent job. The historical summation at the end is a great finishing touch. Interesting to know so much of the novel is drawn straight from history and what is not is interesting also in and of itself.

Great historical mystery!

I enjoy this series! I like how developed the characters are & how Sebastian & Hero interact with others & have become like friends through these excellent mysteries that take place in a fascinating era. I love that so many things really happened.

Davina Porter is such an enchanting narrator; she’s in my top 5. I can even hear when she’s smiling. She’s versatile & can do accents quite well.

I would recommend this series to anyone who loves mysteries with some romance thrown in. I’m always excited when the newest Sebastian St. Cyr is available. Enjoy!