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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
For me, it took forever for this book to pick up. There are various interesting tidbits throughout the first 400 pages to keep you reading, but it wasn't until the last 100 or so pages that I wasn't able to put it down.
The end is worth the read, as are the characters. I will be reading the second book, and am hoping that the next book in the series picks up more quickly.
The end is worth the read, as are the characters. I will be reading the second book, and am hoping that the next book in the series picks up more quickly.
It would be easy to categorize this novel in the genre of romantic mystery, but Raybourn wraps the love and intrigue in the complicated issues of class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity.
3.5 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed certain aspects of the story but at times it seemed to drag a bit. Overall i enjoyed it though and will most liekly continue on with the series becuase I am a fan of Deanna Raybourn writing itself.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Can you imagine hosting a party, having your husband up and die on you AND meeting a potential love interest over your husband’s dead body, all on the same night? This, compadres, is only the beginning of Silent In The Grave, the first of the Lady Julia Grey mysteries by Deanna Raybourn. Set in Victorian era London, Julia comes from quite an eccentric and unconventional family. She is one of 10 and speaks her mind without a care for society’s opinion. Perhaps this is not the most accurate, historically, but it is heaps of fun to read.
Read the rest of my review here
Read the rest of my review here
I can't believe I waited so long to start this series, but the good news is that I could then glom onto five of them at once. Lady Julia Grey loses her husband, then falls in love with Nicholas Brisbane, the private investigator helping her to determine the cause of her husband's death. The chemistry between Julia and Brisbane is intoxicating, so much so that I wish this series was more of a romance so that I could see them have sex on the page (who knew I was such a voyeur?). So far, everyone I've recommended this book to has gone on to read the entire series - you won't be disappointed.
"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."
Widowhood is only the start of Lady Julia Grey's adventures. As Lady Julia starts to observe her year of mourning, the vexing Nicholas Brisbane makes a startling declaration: her husband did not die of natural causes but was murdered. Disbelieving that anyone would want to harm Edward, Lady Julia decides to ignore this revelation. However, the truth comes back to haunt her when Julia discovers a threatening note in her husband's personal items.
Determined to uncover the truth, Julia enlists the help of Brisbane and the two set out to discover, who murdered Edward Grey. This involves Julia using her station as a noblewoman and her wits to discover what her husband did before his final days. As she unravels the mystery, Julia slowly discovers that Edward carried on a whole secret life that she did not know about and starts to question whether she really knew him at all.
Raybourn delivers the perfect Victorian-era mystery complete with feminism and an attractive and brooding private investigator. It is similar enough to Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell to appeal to fans of that series, but it is different enough to not feel repetitive. While Julia retains the same acerbic wit and outspokenness, she comes from a noblewoman's background and adheres to societal expectations in a way that Veronica does not. For one, Julia does marry and this first book explores how this has sheltered her from the world. She also learns how to wield influence through her traditional role as a noblewoman.
While there are anachronistic elements in the story, I like that Raybourn portrayed Lady Julia with some of our modern sensibilities and made her into a progressive heroine. Sure, it would be more accurate if Julia was not as open-minded, but currently, we deal with a society that continues to hold prejudices and I like to read historical fiction that does not condone those beliefs. Therefore, even though I know that is not accurate to the time, I liked that Julia was accepting of different diverse backgrounds and sexualities. It overall made the story a fun mystery with a likable and compassionate heroine at the center.
Widowhood is only the start of Lady Julia Grey's adventures. As Lady Julia starts to observe her year of mourning, the vexing Nicholas Brisbane makes a startling declaration: her husband did not die of natural causes but was murdered. Disbelieving that anyone would want to harm Edward, Lady Julia decides to ignore this revelation. However, the truth comes back to haunt her when Julia discovers a threatening note in her husband's personal items.
Determined to uncover the truth, Julia enlists the help of Brisbane and the two set out to discover, who murdered Edward Grey. This involves Julia using her station as a noblewoman and her wits to discover what her husband did before his final days. As she unravels the mystery, Julia slowly discovers that Edward carried on a whole secret life that she did not know about and starts to question whether she really knew him at all.
Raybourn delivers the perfect Victorian-era mystery complete with feminism and an attractive and brooding private investigator. It is similar enough to Raybourn's Veronica Speedwell to appeal to fans of that series, but it is different enough to not feel repetitive. While Julia retains the same acerbic wit and outspokenness, she comes from a noblewoman's background and adheres to societal expectations in a way that Veronica does not. For one, Julia does marry and this first book explores how this has sheltered her from the world. She also learns how to wield influence through her traditional role as a noblewoman.
While there are anachronistic elements in the story, I like that Raybourn portrayed Lady Julia with some of our modern sensibilities and made her into a progressive heroine. Sure, it would be more accurate if Julia was not as open-minded, but currently, we deal with a society that continues to hold prejudices and I like to read historical fiction that does not condone those beliefs. Therefore, even though I know that is not accurate to the time, I liked that Julia was accepting of different diverse backgrounds and sexualities. It overall made the story a fun mystery with a likable and compassionate heroine at the center.
What a wonderful story. Raybourn grabbed me from the beginning with the death of Lady Julia's husband and kept me (mostly) enthralled until the end of the book. There were some slow moving places and I didn't love the villain or how... missish Julia was sometimes, but overall, I really enjoyed this book.
The book opens when Lady Julia's (LJ) husband dies of an apoplexy at her party. She's not stunned, he's had heart problems since he was a child. But when Nicholas Brisbane (private investigattor to the haute ton) suggests it may have been murder, LJ is aghast. She sends him away with a flea in his ear. Until she finds a blackmail note a year later and begins to think there might be something to this story. So she hires Brisbane, who is a very charismatic man, to look into the death, even though he tries to refuse her.
A fun caper where Julia isn't a know-it-all detective but rather just getting her feet wet so she makes some mistakes.
Readalikes: Tasha Alexander, Elizabeth Peters (Peabody series, for the strong female protagonist in this time period)
Some notes for my own memory:
Loved when Lady Julia is giving the doctor what-for when he didn't tell her about her husband's syphilis. "But you're a lady and you didn't need to know." Such a Victorian attitude.
Didn't love that the murderer ended up being Edward's male cousin. Why do the bad guys have to be gay?
Interesting note on brother Val's wish to become a surgeon being so looked down upon by their father.
Brisbane is Romany (the lowest of the low) and has the second sight? Might be interesting in future books.
The book opens when Lady Julia's (LJ) husband dies of an apoplexy at her party. She's not stunned, he's had heart problems since he was a child. But when Nicholas Brisbane (private investigattor to the haute ton) suggests it may have been murder, LJ is aghast. She sends him away with a flea in his ear. Until she finds a blackmail note a year later and begins to think there might be something to this story. So she hires Brisbane, who is a very charismatic man, to look into the death, even though he tries to refuse her.
A fun caper where Julia isn't a know-it-all detective but rather just getting her feet wet so she makes some mistakes.
Readalikes: Tasha Alexander, Elizabeth Peters (Peabody series, for the strong female protagonist in this time period)
Some notes for my own memory:
Spoiler
Loved when Lady Julia is giving the doctor what-for when he didn't tell her about her husband's syphilis. "But you're a lady and you didn't need to know." Such a Victorian attitude.
Didn't love that the murderer ended up being Edward's male cousin. Why do the bad guys have to be gay?
Interesting note on brother Val's wish to become a surgeon being so looked down upon by their father.
Brisbane is Romany (the lowest of the low) and has the second sight? Might be interesting in future books.
I agree with Cami's assessment of this book. Most of the characters were trite and stereotypical, and the mystery was often secondary. I also felt that the author spent too much time telling the reader how tense a situation was or how surprising a revelation was, rather than letting the story speak for itself. A lot of chapters ended in pointless "foreshadowing" - declarative statements about arsenic, or bloody shirts or whatever.
Woo, this was unexpectedly fun! I half-heartedly started this while in a reading funk and breezed right through. Delightful Gothic elements and a slow burn romance. I figured out the whodunnit pretty much right away, but still enjoyed watching the how and why unravel. I'm not a mystery fan really, so was happy this was heavier on the character development and sly doses of humor. Some plot elements were totally expected, some ... were not. I look forward to reading more in the series!
CW: One of the recurring characters is Roma, and people from that culture are referred to throughout the series as Roma, Romany, or G*psy. Those using G*psy are most often the English characters, many of whom knew that's not how the Roma refer to themselves.
CW: One of the recurring characters is Roma, and people from that culture are referred to throughout the series as Roma, Romany, or G*psy. Those using G*psy are most often the English characters, many of whom knew that's not how the Roma refer to themselves.