When Blood Lies

Sebastian St. Cyr travels to Paris in March 1815, during the brief window of Louis XVIII's restoration before Napoleon's return from Elba, searching for his long-lost mother, Sophie. He finds her dying on the Île de la Cité, stabbed and thrown from a bridge, and the French authorities have no interest in investigating the murder of a notorious Englishwoman at such a politically sensitive moment. Sebastian's investigation into Sophie's life and her killer forces him to confront the secrets he has spent years pursuing and the personal cost of finally knowing the truth.

Jenny Sterlin brings her mastery of the St. Cyr series to this deeply personal entry, giving Sebastian's grief and determination equal weight. The Paris setting during the turbulent Hundred Days is rendered with full historical texture, and Sterlin navigates the French political landscape without losing sight of the story's emotional core. At just under thirteen hours, this seventeenth entry in the series is one of its most emotionally significant.