Play Book Tag discussion

What the Devil Knows - C. S. Harris
Audio performance by Davina Porter
4 stars

“He was beginning to realize that the true number of murders he was dealing with reached into the double digits.”

This is the 16th book in a series that does seem to have an extremely high body count with each edition. The setting is London in 1814, with an investigation that reopens the case of the infamous Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811. A cold case that seems to be reheating with a gruesome new murder ( or two, or …) for Sebastian St. Cyr to investigate. The historical accuracy of this series has always impressed me. The author has created a credible alternative explanation for the Ratcliffe murders. According to the author’s notes, she speculated directly from the facts recorded at the time.

As usual, the mystery is also a vehicle to expose the massive corruption of the monied classes against the poor of London. This book delves into the lack of a cohesive criminal justice system and the growing cries for an organized police force. (The story predates the founding of a London Police force by 15 years.) Sebastian continues to work with the Bow Street magistrate, Sir Henry Lovejoy, with autopsies performed by his friend, Paul Gibson. But, there’s actually little new information concerning the ongoing characters. The ever increasing number of murders makes for a convoluted plot full of red herrings and extraneous characters. I enjoy listening the Davina Porter’s gifted performance, but it might have been easier to keep track of things with a book in front of my eyes.