Why Kings Confess

A Sebastian St. Cyr Mystery

By: C. S. Harris

Narrated by: Davina Porter

The gruesome murder of a young French physician draws aristocratic investigator Sebastian St. Cyr and his pregnant wife, Hero, into a dangerous, decades-old mystery as a wrenching piece of Sebastian' s past puts him to the ultimate test. Regency England, January 1813: When a badly injured Frenchwoman is found beside the mutilated body of Dr. Damion Pelletan in one of London' s worst slums, Sebastian finds himself caught in a high-stakes tangle of murder and revenge.

Although the woman, Alexi Sauvage, has no memory of the attack, Sebastian knows her all too well from an incident in his past - an act of wartime brutality and betrayal that nearly destroyed him. As the search for the killer leads Sebastian into a treacherous web of duplicity, he discovers that Pelletan was part of a secret delegation sent by Napoleon to investigate the possibility of peace with Britain. Despite his powerful father-in-law' s warnings, Sebastian plunges deep into the mystery of the " Lost Dauphin," the boy prince who disappeared in the darkest days of the French Revolution, and soon finds himself at lethal odds with the Dauphin' s sister - the imperious, ruthless daughter of Marie Antoinette - who is determined to retake the French crown at any cost.

With the murderer striking ever closer, Sebastian must battle new fears about Hero' s health and that of their soon-to-be born child. When he realizes the key to their survival may lie in the hands of an old enemy, he must finally face the truth about his own guilt in a past he has found too terrible to consider.

©2014 The Two Talers, LLC (P)2014 Recorded Books

Utterly Addictive

I thought reading this series was enjoyable...over the top! I was wrong. Listening to each character, following Sebastian through each clue and dangerous lead, hearing him speak.....be still my heart!!

The ending made up for a lot

A confusion of French names with no page on which to sort them and several lengthy witness/suspect interviews in a row made this my least favorite novel in the series. I will quickly remedy my disappointment by immediately moving on to the next one. 😊

An Addictive Series

This series is the type of mystery novel I love best. It is definitely not a "cozy" mystery, but neither is it bogged down by procedural minutiae or ever-increasing levels of violence intended to shock jaded readers. While dark and occasionally gothic, it avoids crossing over into blood and gore horror. It's greatest strength is the sense of time and place, wrought with the aid of prodigious historical scholarship. History would be a much more intriguing subject in school if taught through the personal, human, lens employed by Harris. The way real people and events are woven throughout the series is impressive, always based upon real timelines and interests. The politics of the time offer insights into repercussions still felt today. The series also retains the reader's attention with complex, evolving characters, their psychologies enfolding across the novels as both the characters and the reader grasp hidden motivations, needs, and outlooks, becoming more self-aware and wise with time and maturity. In that sense, the series also offers an enlightening view of human nature. This is first rate literature all around, not just as a mystery novel.

Outstanding Mystery

Complicated plots and finely detailed characters are yet again the author's hallmark.

In the background is the aftermath of the French Terror.

Regency Era

I am in a Sebastian St, Cyr listening binge and loving every minute of it.

I am amazed by the amount of research the author have done with this book and the entire series.


Book 9