Who Buries the Dead

About the book

The brutal killing of a wealthy plantation owner and the return of a dangerous enemy from Sebastian St. Cyr's past test him in C. S. Harris's thrilling mystery, described as a 'troubled but compelling antihero' by Booklist.

Set in London in 1813, the decapitation of Stanley Preston at Bloody Bridge pulls Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, into a macabre investigation. The discovery of a lead coffin strap inscribed with King Charles, 1648 near the body suggests a connection to the beheading of the seventeenth-century Stuart monarch. Complicating matters, Preston's relation to the Home Secretary grabs the attention of Sebastian's influential father-in-law, Lord Jarvis, who will stop at nothing to achieve his own secretive goals.

Teaming up with his independent wife, Hero, Sebastian delves into the dark alleys of Fish Street Hill and the grand ballrooms of Mayfair to uncover suspects ranging from a peculiar Chelsea collector to Jane Austen's observant brother. However, the link between the victims and the ruthless Lord Oliphant, a former army officer who once nearly destroyed Sebastian, elevates the danger significantly.

As the body count rises, Sebastian faces the threat of Oliphant, who could endanger everything that Sebastian holds dear. His past actions of carnage and betrayal loom large, putting not only Sebastian at risk, but also those closest to him.