Who Cries for the Lost - Sebastian St. Cyr #18

Who Cries for the Lost is the 18th Sebastian St. Cyr mystery by C. S. Harris. Released 18th April 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley imprint, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

Despite being the 18th book in the series, the author manages to strike a fine balance between providing a twisty and engaging mystery, while still delivering a satisfying read featuring the characters with whom readers have a long and enduring history. The strength and intelligence and synergistic delight of seeing Hero, her husband Sebastian, their growing family, and even his carriage "tiger", Tom, interacting and supporting one another is worth the read alone, but the author has wrapped the heart of the characters inside a historical plot which is so skillfully interwoven around real Regency history that it's not always clear where reality becomes fiction. There is an engaging and very well constructed mystery, but also a great deal of apt and perceptive social commentary which will resonate.

This is one of my favorite ongoing historical mystery series and I always look forward to new installments with anticipation. Although it's the latest of 18 books in the series, it works reasonably well as a standalone and new readers won't have any trouble following the story. With so many volumes extant in the series, it would make an excellent choice for a long binge or buddy read.

Five stars, a worthy addition. Highly recommended for public library acquisition, home use, or gift-giving.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.