What Cannot Be Said

Written by C. S. Harris

Narrated by Amy Scanlon

A seemingly idyllic picnic ends in a macabre murder that echoes a pair of slayings fourteen years earlier in this riveting new historical mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Who Cries for the Lost.

July 1815: The Prince Regent’s grandiose plans to celebrate Napoléon’s recent defeat at Waterloo are thrown into turmoil when Lady McInnis and her daughter Emma are found brutally murdered in Richmond Park, their bodies posed in a chilling imitation of the stone effigies once found atop medieval tombs. Bow Street magistrate Sir Henry Lovejoy immediately turns to his friend Sebastian St. Cyr, Viscount Devlin, for help with the investigation. For, as Devlin discovers, Lovejoy’s own wife and daughter were also murdered in Richmond Park, their bodies posed in the same bizarre postures. A traumatized ex-soldier was hanged for their killings. So is London now confronting a malicious copyist? Or did Lovejoy help send an innocent man to the gallows?

Aided by his wife, Hero, who knew Lady McInnis from her work with poor orphans, Devlin finds himself exploring a host of unsavory characters, from a vicious chimney sweep to a smiling but decidedly lethal baby farmer. Also coming under increasing scrutiny is Sir Ivo McInnis himself, along with a wounded Waterloo veteran—who might have been Laura McInnis’s lover—and a charismatic young violinist who moonlights as a fencing master and might have formed a dangerous relationship with Emma. But when Sebastian’s investigation turns toward man-about-town Basil Rhodes, he quickly draws the fury of the Palace, for Rhodes is well known as the Regent’s favorite illegitimate son.

Then Lady McInnis’s young niece and nephew are targeted by the killer, and two more women are discovered murdered and arranged in similar postures. With his own life increasingly in danger, Sebastian finds himself drawn inexorably toward a conclusion far darker and more horrific than anything he could have imagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9798892734370

C. S. Harris

C. S. Harris is the national bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including the Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries. Under the pen name C. S. Graham, she co-authored a thriller series with former intelligence officer Steven Harris and, as Candice Proctor, wrote seven award-winning historical romances. A respected scholar with a PhD in nineteenth-century Europe, she is also the author of a nonfiction historical study of the French Revolution. She lives with her husband in New Orleans.

Reviews for What Cannot Be Said

[Andrea Author · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lady McInnis and her daughter are found dead in Richmond Park, their bodies eerily arranged like ancient tomb effigies. As family members are targeted and more victims meet similar fates, investigator Sebastian pursues a twisted trail of horrors. With the stakes and victims mounting, he uncovers a chilling revelation that surpasses his darkest imaginings.

This is a dark and tortured story, the only book I’ve read in the series. I had a hard time keeping track of the recurring characters. The plot is twisty and unpredictable. The emotional tone trends toward anger and grief, with little warmth or close attachments. The audiobook narration was entertaining.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.