I have another historical fiction mystery book under my belt, this one being the recent C. S. Harris novel When the Wolves Are Silent, book twenty one in the Sebastian St. Cyr mystery series. This addition to the series does not disappoint, carrying that dark, festering evil of previous books into a novel braided in religious, political, and social uproar.

London, 1816: When a notorious young aristocrat is burned alive on a windswept hill popular with neo-Druids, former cavalry officer Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, finds himself plunged into a murder investigation shadowed by tales of ancient human sacrifices and long-buried secrets. The victim, Marcus Toole, was the only son and heir of a prominent nobleman. His closest friend—Sebastian’s own nephew, Bayard—claims to have passed out drunk before the attack and remembers nothing. But when Sebastian and his brilliant wife, Hero, delve deeper into the sordid activities of Bayard and his friends, they come to realize that Bayard may not be as innocent as he pretends. Following a tangled trail that leads from a disaffected former soldier-turned-highwayman to a beautiful, courageous journalist and a Jamaican-born fencing master with ties to a radical political movement, Sebastian begins to suspect that Bayard and his friends are being targeting in revenge, by victims who believe they have no other recourse. Then two more of Bayard’s friends are killed, their murders staged to echo the ritual sacrifices of the ancient Celts. With the palace shaken by the fear of riots and one horrifying death following another, Sebastian must race to stop a ruthless plot that threatens the lives of innocents and could rip his troubled nation apart.

The tension of When the Wolves Are Silent is tangible, almost seeping off the page, and it makes for such gritty and immersive reading. I find this wth every Sebastian St. Cy book I have read, so it really goes to show not only how impressive C. S. Harris’ writing is in terms of bringing to life this era of time, but also in how important it is to really nail those sensory aspects of description. It can and often does make a world of difference between drafting up a scene and bringing the reader into this story world. The atmosphere and tone accompanying this tension is what gives it structure and helps flesh out the world as a living, breathing, heaving, dirty thing you cannot take your eyes off.

Another thing I really appreciate with C. S. Harris’ writing and When the Wolves Are Silent is the way every character holds such importance. Whether they are speaking for an individual or a collective, the voices within this story world are not there just to bulk out the narrative. They are speaking to important movements, sentiments, opinions, and actions of the time. They are voicing the outrage, the elitism, the misogyny, the racism, and the general poverty of the many that tends to get forgotten as time goes on. The horrors of everyday life, especially back in the regency era and beyond, are dismissed in the present day, but this landscape of rot and scarcity and survival in contrast to the opulence and trivial extravagance of the upper classes is what makes for such gripping, informative, exceptional writing. We must remember these details, these truths, to understand the realities of these times and to better understand how they are still prevalent today.

When the Wolves Are Silent, perhaps unintentionally but perhaps not, speaks to a reality we are seeing still running rampant to this day, one of entitlement and misogyny and power that is notable not being addressed seriously. I understand that for many reading is a form of escapism that gives solace and relaxation, a break from their everyday where they don’t have to think about the heavier and often distressing things going on in the world. I respect that. What I believe reading should also do is speak to those atrocities, issues, and assumptions, to the happenings we see arise and return time and time again, and address them as they should be addressed. Reading is a form of education, a form of information, and it is a way for us to learn and share and grow movements to change the way things work in the world. It is so important for us to change the status quo when the way things are negatively impacts and oppresses people, and When the Wolves Are Silent carries that sentiment.

I really liked When the Wolves Are Silent. From the writing style to the action and excitement of the novel, it is a work of great intrigue and detail. I hope more readers find historical fiction mysteries and give them a shot. The Sebastian St. Cyr series is a little more on the darker, heavier side, but I have a list of historical fiction mysteries I highly recommend, and I am always on the look out for more.