WHY KILL THE INNOCENT is the thirteenth book and another stellar read in C.S Harris' Sebastien St. Cyr series. Harris is an incredibly talented author, and I admire her work greatly. Meticulously researched and insightful, her words always sing. Her books draw me intimately into the world of Georgian England. I love her turns of phrase, and the vast descriptive vocabulary she employs.

WHY KILL THE INNOCENT is set in the time of the London Frost Fair of 1814. A few unusually frigid weeks in Britain causes the River Thames to completely freeze. A winter fair was held upon the top of the frozen ice, and the reader can practically feel the breath in the nose freeze and hear the creak of the ice under their feet courtesy of the gorgeous descriptions. Harris' use of an actual London event in this fictional tale brings history to life.

Hero Devlin in a young aristocrat who discovers the body of a young murder victim in a snowbank along the frozen Thames. Hero is married to Sebastien St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, who happens to be an investigator. So off go Hero and Sebastien to find justice for the murdered woman. I adore Hero and Sebastien, both separately and together as a couple. Despite their advantaged upbringing and their wealth, they have a social conscience, and yet they don't seem a bit anachronistic to me.

The mystery is well done, the characters are richly drawn, and the historical detail is robust and engaging. Harris' WHY KILL THE INNOCENT is a lavish historical mystery that will leave readers salivating for more. Fortunately, book 14, WHO SLAYS THE WICKED will be in stores in April 2019, so we won't have to wait too long.