What Darkness Brings

What Darkness Brings (2013) C.S. Harris

The 8th book in the Sebastian St. Cyr series finds Sebastian Lord Devlin and Hero (now Lady Devlin) setting into married life. They are still keeping secrets from each other–Sebastian his past, and Hero, her father’s secrets, but they are also clearly in love with each other, and working out their past and their differences.

What makes it easier is that both are admirable people–Sebastian for his sense of justice and unwillingness to allow an innocent man to be hung, and Hero for her interest in London’s poor.

One thread that worked its way through the story was Hero’s interviews of London street sweepers–young children who hang out on the streets waiting for the well-to-do to come by, so they can sweep the muck of the city off the streets off their path. I’d actually read about these young street sweepers in another series, and they’re both fascinating and depressing. Fascinating because they highlight one of the things people don’t consider about London and other cities of the time–the sheer volume of filth in the city. Depressing, of course, because these are very young children–often orphans–who spend their days on the streets.

There are other passing asides that remind us that life was often short for the men and women of the time.

“Tell me what you need me to do,” he said, “and I’ll do it.”

He felt her hands tremble in his. “Sit and talk to me, will you? Most of my acquaintances seem to assume that I’ve either dosed myself senseless with laudanum, or that since this is third experience with widowhood then I must be taking it comfortably in stride. I can’t decide which is more insulting.”

I’ve come to think that in some ways, our current mixed and blended families have more in common with the families of the past than the families of The Greatest Generation, except of course that these mixes are due to divorce (which was nearly unheard of at the time) rather than death, which was so very common then.

I also enjoyed the bits of history, in this case, Walcheren fever, a combination of diseases that all but destroyed the British forces.

The mystery (the greater and more important part of the story) is the arrest of Russell Yates–Kat’s husband–for the murder of a man who often acted as a middle-man for the sale of jewels between the wealthy and the less so (especially the less-wealthy who didn’t want it known their finances were in disarray).

It also involves what would come to be known as the Hope Diamond. Oddly, I’ve seen the Hope diamond at the Smithsonian (someone else was interested, not me) and I’d missed the connection between the diamond and the French monarchy.

I particularly liked seeing Sebastian and Hero working together–it was lovely to see their developing partnership and its positive effect upon their marriage.

“The Member of Parliament from South Whitecliff tells me that my wife shot three men at Charring Cross this morning. But the baker’s boy swears it was only one.”

All in all, this is another lovely entry into the series, and I eagerly await the next installment.
Rating: 9/10

Published by Obsidian

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