Silent In The Grave by Deanna Raybourn Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Silent In The Grave
Book Review: Engaging
Summary: 5 Stars
Kept me entertained. The wry, witty writing kept me reading. Really enjoyed it and plan to read more by this author. Skillfully done.Book Review: Engaging read with delightful characters...
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been in search of a new genre for a while now...
I have enjoyed the classics, suspence, romance and other mysteries, especially Anne Perry. Open to any new author, I ran across Deanna Raybourn. It took me some time to finally pick it up and then to finally become engrossed in the story itself. I had picked it out with the lovely cover in mind and read the first page and put it down. This, only because I am not the greatest fan of narrative in the first person. Finally, one day on my lunch break, I picked it up again and have never looked back...
In fact, a month later, I am still a little sad for having finished all that Deanna Raybourn has had published. But I digress...
The story of Silent in the Grave centers around a Victorian Lady and how she discovers her own inner strength while solving the mystery of the untimely (though not unexpected) death of her husband. Lady Julia is a typical Victorian woman as she grieves for her husband's death. One year into life without him, she comes to discover that his demise may have been at the hands of a human nature. In desperation, she seeks out the personal inspector her dead husband hired to help identify the author of threatening notes left on his life, beginning some time before his death. Along the way, she comes to realize her life was not the conventional Victorian facade she originally believed it to be. This is done with the help of the somewhat, but not completely predictable hero, Nicholas Brisbane (said hired inspector). His character is typical in the sense that he is the typical Victorian anti hero. Coming from possible Gypsy stock and therefore, dark, mysterious and brooding, he is every woman's dream. What I adore about his character is his real and idiosyncratic. I am usually drawn to more the solid, quiet and persevering type, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I was so drawn into this character.
But what I truly enjoyed about this narrative was the growth of an individual and discovery of one's true self and enjoyments in Lady Julia.
Book Review: England, 1886
Summary: 4 Stars
Upper class Lady Julia Grey, firmly ensconced in her snobbish world, is a frequently used type in the mysteries we've covered. What gives the story its pizzazz is her linkup with the enigmatic private inquiry agent, Nicholas Brisbane. Julia's first encounter with Brisbane is one of the more captivating opening sentences of a book. "To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor."
Raybourn's use of Brisbane to explore the world of the Roma (Gypsies) is well done, as is her use of Julia's forays into the reasons for Edward's murder a way to reveal Britain's deep class divisions. Julia's eccentric family is interesting too. One member is a sister whose lesbian affair is apparently tolerated; another is a brother whose desire to become a surgeon, an occupation considered beneath his class, is not.
Although the story often strays into the genre of romance literature, Raybourn writes well and with humor. And it is Lady Julia Grey after all whose unsatiable curiosity leads her to track down the culprit.
This is the first of a promised series featuring Lady Grey and Nicholas Brisbane as they form an unlikely crime solving team.
Book Review: Enjoyable first book in a series
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the first book in an enjoyable series. I have read both this and the next book and eagerly await the third. I figured out the "who done it" faster than the main character but this did not detract from the story. The sexual tension and romance angle of this story are not over done and leave the reader turning the pages for more. I read a lot of historical fiction and this is a great one.Book Review: Entertaining story
Summary: 4 Stars
I enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting, and the plot kept me very engaged. I was hooked from the beginning, and read it quickly. The perfect summer read. (Or a good interlude to some of the slower to read, "literary" picks of book club.) I immediately bought the sequel.