What Cannot Be Said - C..S. Harris - 4 stars

[Robin P]

This book is too new to have enough tags, but it will. (Over 6700 people have marked it to read!) This is the latest in the Sebastian St.cyr mystery series. In a way this is the underbelly of the Regency. While Sebastian is rich and titled, most of the episodes involve societal issues. This one is darker than most. It touches on the terrible treatment of children used as chimneysweeps, "baby farms" where illegitimate children are stuck to get them out of the way and paid well for secrecy. Then the owners of those establishments let the babies die of starvation or neglect or just kill them off and, if anyone inquires, which they rarely dot, they say the babies were too sickly already. There is also a scene in a lunatic asylum and a description of some of the barbaric treatments, which of course don't work.

Throughout the series there is a thread about Sebastian's family and various secrets are revealed. The author has stated that there will be one more book which will resolve those personal questions. Sebastian is a great character, with both brains and brawn, and there are a number of interesting side characters.