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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Holy crap. I am in love with this book. And Lady Julia. And Brisbane. And everyone. It's just over 500 pages long and I finished it in a matter of days. The Victorian setting was great, the characters were amazing, and I just couldn't put it down.
My one, small complaint, is that it could've gone into even greater detail when Julia finally confronted the killer. What did the inscription say? How exactly did she piece it all together.
Still, an AMAZING book! Cannot wait for the next one to arrive from the library.
And I cannot wait for Julia and Brisbane to get together. They must get together, right? Right?
My one, small complaint, is that it could've gone into even greater detail when Julia finally confronted the killer. What did the inscription say? How exactly did she piece it all together.
Still, an AMAZING book! Cannot wait for the next one to arrive from the library.
And I cannot wait for Julia and Brisbane to get together. They must get together, right? Right?
I stayed up waaaay too late finishing this, but once I hit the halfway point, I couldn't put it down. I've realize that I really enjoy these historical mysteries with a slow burn romance (though I *might* wish the romance were a little less slow-burning).
Lady Julia was a great, strong willed heroine, and I loved her whole family (including a bisexual sister! In a long term relationship with a lady!). I immediately downloaded the second book, as I think I'll want to revisit these characters.
I did guess the murderer pretty early on, as well as one or two other twists, but there were still things that surprised me. I love police procedurals and enjoy trying to guess the killer, so it doesn't bother me too much if the culprit seems fairly obvious, as I'm there more for the journey than the conclusion (though I had NO IDEA what this murderer's motive was, so that was nice).
Lady Julia was a great, strong willed heroine, and I loved her whole family (including a bisexual sister! In a long term relationship with a lady!). I immediately downloaded the second book, as I think I'll want to revisit these characters.
I did guess the murderer pretty early on, as well as one or two other twists, but there were still things that surprised me. I love police procedurals and enjoy trying to guess the killer, so it doesn't bother me too much if the culprit seems fairly obvious, as I'm there more for the journey than the conclusion (though I had NO IDEA what this murderer's motive was, so that was nice).
Victorian London is the setting. Lady Julia Grey's young husband collapses and dies at a musical evening at their home. Nicholas Brisbane, who is in attendance and helps when Edward first collapses, comes to Lady Julia after the funeral to tell her he suspects Edward was murdered, that Edward was being threatened and had hired him to investigate. Julia rejects the idea, as Edward had said nothing to her and all believed he had died from a genetic heart ailment. Nothing more occurs until Julia's requisite year of mourning is nearing its end when she discovers while cleaning out Edward's desk the last threatening note he had received. At that point, Julia reaches out to Brisbane to gain his assistance in investigating.
The murder mystery takes many twists and turns. Early on, Brisbane warns Lady Julia that investigations like this require turning over many rocks, and much unpleasant information and hidden deeds are revealed that can shatter and change lives forever without having anything to do with the investigation. It is a warning to the reader as much as Julia, including Julia needing to take a close hard look at herself, her life, and the illusions surrounding her.
I really enjoyed this, staying up into the wee hours to finish it in a day. Julia's family, while wealthy, socially prominent and distantly connected to royalty, are free-thinking eccentrics, except Julia who craves 'normalcy'. At least initially. I was captured by the story from the opening: 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. Irresistible.
I liked all the characters. I loved Julia's family and Julia's growth in the story, how she came to know and accept who she really was. The clues to everything revealed are there, some more obvious to the reader than others, but you still had aha moments...maybe not shocking reveals to you but more in how that particular information is revealed to Julia and Brisbane.
There were a very few bits that I thought were left dangling or given too little resolution, but they are quibbles. I will definitely continue the series.
The murder mystery takes many twists and turns. Early on, Brisbane warns Lady Julia that investigations like this require turning over many rocks, and much unpleasant information and hidden deeds are revealed that can shatter and change lives forever without having anything to do with the investigation. It is a warning to the reader as much as Julia, including Julia needing to take a close hard look at herself, her life, and the illusions surrounding her.
I really enjoyed this, staying up into the wee hours to finish it in a day. Julia's family, while wealthy, socially prominent and distantly connected to royalty, are free-thinking eccentrics, except Julia who craves 'normalcy'. At least initially. I was captured by the story from the opening: 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. Irresistible.
I liked all the characters. I loved Julia's family and Julia's growth in the story, how she came to know and accept who she really was. The clues to everything revealed are there, some more obvious to the reader than others, but you still had aha moments...maybe not shocking reveals to you but more in how that particular information is revealed to Julia and Brisbane.
There were a very few bits that I thought were left dangling or given too little resolution, but they are quibbles. I will definitely continue the series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Very good period detail. A little slow in places, but overall a great read. I can't wait to read the next in the series.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
An excellent genre-transcending Victoria mystery novel, Silent in the Grave has it all and more: a smart heroine who recognizes her own faults and never suffers from TSTL syndrome, a dark brooding hero who's hawt as Hades (literally), a delightful cast of supporting characters including the very large March family (all mad as March hares) and a cast of servants that will have you wishing you lived and worked below-stairs.
While I had the mystery pretty much figured out before the big reveal, the details held enough surprise to keep me glued to the pages until the very end.
Highly, highly recommended!
While I had the mystery pretty much figured out before the big reveal, the details held enough surprise to keep me glued to the pages until the very end.
Highly, highly recommended!
3.5 stars. Didn't see the conclusion coming at all which is always a good thing. Mostly had very good pacing throughout. Colorful characters, if a bit predictable. Will definitely be checking out the next in the series.