Why Mermaids Sing

Why Mermaids Sing (2007) C.S. Harris

This is a hard book. Lots of terrible things are revealed, which are very hard for Sebastian (and the reader) to bear.

These discoveries, however, are separate from the mystery. Young men are being killed–butchered in a horrible way–and the Magistrate Lovejoy asks St. Cry for his help, because Sebastian moves in the world of these men.

Sebastian’s continuing involvement in crimes still upset his family, but in Society, many things will be forgiven if you are rich and of the right blood.

(His aunt) pushed to her feet with a grunt. “I fear it would take far more than an unnatural interest in murder to render you anything other than an enviable catch, my dear.”

Before everything comes tumbling down, there’s a passage between Kat and Sebastian I quite like.

“You know what I am, what I have been…
He pressed his fingers to her lips. “Don’t. Don’t say it.”
She stared up at him. “Why not? It’s the truth. Would you have me live a lie?”
“No. But I would have you live a life defined not by what you’ve been, but by what you are.”
“My past is a part of what I am.”
“A part. But only a part.”

Something strange about this story is that I can understand the anger–the horror–of the murderer, but I’m still horrified by the revenge he chooses to take.

It’s a very dark story all around, but a very important one.
Rating: 7/10

Published by Obsidian

 
 

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