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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I would give this about a 3.5. Definitely a promising start to the series, even if I suspect that I might eventually consider this one of the weaker installments.
Quick premise of the book: Edward has always been sickly and when he collapses at his own party (dying shortly afterwards), Julia is approached by a stranger, Nicholas Brisbane, a week after his death claiming that he has been murdered and that her husband had hired him to find out who has been sending him these notes. She doesn't believe him and basically kicks him out of the house.^^^^A year later, she finds one of the death threats he had received. Determined to bring justice to his murderer, she contacts Brisbane for his help... not realising it would unearth her husband's dark secrets.^^^^~~~~ ^^^^It was absolutely enthralling - read it in one sitting. I love her writing style, her characters were developed quite nicely, pace was consistent and brisk I suppose, and the plot was twisty ^_^^^^^I realised that I quickly lose interest in a book if the characters aren't very appealing to me, even if the plot and pacing is good. So characters I can identify with or quickly grow fond of makes a book all the more enjoyable to read for me.^^^^Julia, our heroine, is neither one of those feminist gung-ho type - a very independent sort and all that - or a flimsy, \oh! I think I shall faint!\" type of character. Thank goodness! Her character is a well-balanced mixture of naivety, determination, sensibility, thoughtfulness, and is quite intelligent, but her naivety makes her a bit of a ditz XD I liked how through the book, as she discovers bit by bit what the world is like sans rose-tinted glasses, loses that naivety and innocence - becoming a bit more cynical, taking things with a grain of salt.^^^^... Actually I quite liked all of the characters she introduced, or at least took an interest to. Again, dull characters makes a dull book, no matter how interesting the plot is. (Then again interesting characters and dumb plot line would be equally as bad =P)^^^^The surprising turns or relevations really kept me going. \"Just one more chapter,\" I would murmur, disregarding the fact that it's about 1am and I said that about 5 chapters ago.^^^^This is one of the books I had picked up, was interested in, but could not for the life of me remember the title or author.. only what the book cover looked like (and it was heaps different from the one shown here), a vagueness of a couple of the character's names (I only got one right), and what the book was about.^^^^So very glad then, that I persisted in googling random keywords after 3 or so months of going.... what the heck was that book called?! who's the darn author!? =.=^^^^Well worth the effort =) ^^^^The second book is due to be out in January 2008, I think."
2.5 stars!
A different murder-mystery, that's for sure through method and execution, if you will. I'll probably read the next two books as the characters are particularly interesting, but compared to the characters, the murder mystery plot was only alright.
A different murder-mystery, that's for sure through method and execution, if you will. I'll probably read the next two books as the characters are particularly interesting, but compared to the characters, the murder mystery plot was only alright.
I loved this mystery set in Victorian England. I really liked that the author took time to develop the characters as well as solve the mystery.
A delightful Victorian era mystery featuring a recently widowed aristocrat who comes to believe her husband was murdered a year after his death. Throughout the book, Lady Julia not only solves the mystery of her husband's demise but also learns a great deal about herself and the world around her. Fluffy and fun with interesting, vivid characters!
This book is engaging, almost literary, though the action is quite slow in the first half. Besides that, I found the romantic tension with Brisbane irritating rather than intriguing; mostly he just seemed like a dick, rather than an object of desire.
Finally I was uncomfortable with how the gay characters were treated; there seemed to be some reliance on the coding of villains as queer.
Finally I was uncomfortable with how the gay characters were treated; there seemed to be some reliance on the coding of villains as queer.
Reread to refresh my memory before reading the next in the series.
I'm so happy I finally got to read this book! My library has the whole series so I know what I'm borrowing the next time I'm there =D
What a delightful start to an historical mystery series. I love the authors subsequent Veronica Speedwell series which is Victorian and features another spunky heroine so I decided to give this one a go and I was not disappointed! I love Lady Julia and I am very intrigued by Nicholas Brisbane and can't wait to learn more about him. The mystery was engaging and the supporting cast of characters were equally as delightful as Lady Julia. I bought the next book as soon as I finished this one which is always a good sign!
3.5 stars. 1800s England. Lady Julia Grey's husband dies and an acquaintance of his thinks he may have been murdered.