When Blood Lies by CS Harris, narrated by Jenny Sterlin. Great story but I did not like the narrator’s Sebastian voice.

The annual Sebastian St. Cyr mystery is always a cause for celebration but my anticipation this year for When Blood Lies was tempered a little by the news that Davina Porter, the narrator of all prior 16 books had retired and a new performer, Jenny Sterlin, was taking over.

Let’s face it, Davina Porter is a hard act to follow. And for listeners like me who have consumed the entire series to date via audiobook, her depiction of the characters is the benchmark by which any other will be measured.

The good news is that Jenny Sterlin sounds in many ways very like Davina Porter. In fact, there were times during the listen when I could believe they were one and the same (they’re not). However there was one important – and for me, crucial – difference and it made me wonder whether I will continue on audio for the next book or take up the series in print instead. That difference was Sebastian’s voice. For 16 books and something like 190ish hours I have heard Sebastian’s deep tones and it was with shock and dismay that I heard Ms. Sterlin’s version of him. He did not sound at all like Sebastian. He did not often sound much like a he to be frank. Ms. Sterlin is clearly capable of deepening her voice for male characters – there were plenty of secondary and side characters in the book for whom she did just that – but not for Sebastian. Almost every time he spoke I was disappointed because his voice was… well it was almost high (Some men have higher-pitched voices and for some characters that would be entirely appropriate but it did not work for me here at all). Even had I not previously heard Davina Porter’s version of Sebastian I would not have liked it but contrasted with what I have been gifted with previously it was that much more disappointing.

Sebastian is the backbone of the series. Had it been, for example, Jarvis’ voice or even Hendon’s, I’d have been able to move past it far more easily. As it was, I struggled with the listen. Frustratingly, there were times when Sebastian’s voice did sound deeper, most often when he was angry or frustrated, but when he was speaking normally, the pitch was too high and too soft and not at all Sebastian-like for me. It’s not that I needed him to sound the same as with Davina Porter’s depiction – of course he would not. Every narrator will bring something different to a performance. I was prepared for that. But Hero’s voice was deeper than his most of the time.

Usually in our reviews we talk about the story first and the narration last but in this case, I decided to switch it up because I had far more to say about the latter than the former.

As to the story, well, as usual it’s fairly hard to go into any detail without giving away spoilers. Sebastian, Hero and their family are in Paris looking for Sebastian’s mother. He does find her but she has been stabbed and thrown off a bridge and dies shortly after he discovers (in Chapter 1) her broken at the foot of the Pont Neuf. He is of course distraught and determined to find out who killed her and why.

As Sebastian and Hero investigate, Napoleon prepares to and then actually does escape from Elba and the St. Cyrs wonder how much, if anything, Sophie Hendon had to do with it. The whereabouts of a mysterious talisman becomes key to solving the mystery and their various enquiries lead the pair to encounter Marie-Therese of Angouleme, Hortense Bonaparte and the notorious police minister Joseph Fouche – to name only a few of the real-life historical characters in the book.

Unlike in previous books, Hero is not writing an article about the poor of London (or, in this case, Paris) but she is active in the investigation and a stalwart pillar for Sebastian as he grieves the loss of his mother and what could have been. There are also tantalising hints about the possible identity of Sebastian’s father so I expect more to come on that topic in the future.

At the end of the previous novel, Sebastian and Hero took in Jamie Knox’s son, Patrick. Predictably, Hero is not at all phased by raising him as her own and clearly both Sebastian and Hero love him but it was never explained in the book how others saw him. Patrick looks enough like Sebastian to be his biological son. Is this a scandal? What does Hendon or Jarvis have to say? There was a curious absence of conversation or explanation about this which felt strange in the circumstances. What story did Sebastian and Hero put out to explain Patrick’s presence in their lives?

As usual the history is meticulous and fascinating. I fell down a bit of a Wikipedia rabbit hole looking up information about the Reign of Terror and the return of the Bourbons and what happened after Napoleon’s escape from Elba. I enjoyed the different setting and “exploring” Paris in 1815. The detail about torture and executions was compelling if a little gruesome at times. Sebastian and Hero are still happy, in love and devoted to one another and their sons. It’s a recipe for a great book.

I struggled with the grade for the narration. There were a few stumbles which weren’t fixed in editing where the words were all correct but Ms. Sterlin tripped over them a little but no major errors. The characterisation was good and consistent with prior books. Had Sebastian’s voice been (consistently) deeper I would have rated it as a B+ at least. The narration wasn’t bad so I could not rate poorly. But Ms. Sterlin’s Sebastian voice did not impress me. However, with really only a small tweak it could be fantastic – maybe next time?

Grade: B/B-