This is the third in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series, and by far the best one, so far. This one kept me fully engaged all the way through, and some of the things that are revealed in this book are mind-blowing.

C.S. Harris (aka Candice Proctor) is, in my opinion, a brilliant author, and this tale is also brilliant.

It's 1811, and someone is killing sons of prominent society people. At first there seems to be no connection, but when Sir Henry Lovejoy, chief magistrate, seeks out Lord Devlin (Sebastian St. Cyr, and I will never understand why their "Lord" names are seemingly totally unrelated to their given names) for his help, things eventually begin to come together.

St. Cyr is hesitant, at first, but when the father of one of the young men threatens him, he decides to jump on it. As he investigates, he discovers similar murders in other towns that seem to be connected. The link seems to be a John Donne poem, "Go and Catch A Falling Star. "

What is eventually revealed is quite disturbing, as mentioned, and mind-blowing. There is plenty of intrigue and betrayal in this story, and a few plot twists, as well. In addition, there is a subplot involving Kat Boleyn, St. Cyr's lover, whom he would make his wife, if she would only agree. Again, there is a stunning, totally unexpected (at least by me) revelation about her.

This volume was virtually unputdownable for me, and I will definitely be moving on in this series. I see that the author is still writing them, so that's good. It's been a pleasant surprise, reading these, especially when one considers that the thing that drew me to them to begin with was the fact that each title begins with who, what, where, when, or why. 

Recommended for fans of historical mysteries, who aren't afraid of the dark.