Where Serpents Sleep by C.S. Harris
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I don’t always review individual books in a mystery series after the first book, unless one book particularly stands out. This is one of them. The Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries series is set in Regency England but instead of using the frothy tone of most books set during that time period, this series exposes the reader to the dark side of the period.
The reason this particular book stands out (and I’m still working my way slowly through the series) is because of the development of the relationship (if you can call it that) between Sebastian St. Cyr and Hero Jarvis, the daughter of a powerful noble and enemy. In addition, the book examines the issue of prostitution during this era, the assumptions made about the morality of the women who were prostitutes, the different business models, and how they were treated by others. Occasionally, the tone is a tad didactic, but the topic is interesting and well-integrated into the plot. In some ways, the book demonstrates that civilization has not moved forward in its attitude towards prostitutes some 200 years later.
As with my previous review of this series, I highly recommend it!! (The series is definitely best read in order.)