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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
a well-constructed and enjoyable mystery with a compelling lead character.
The book opens thusly: "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."
An excellent beginning! It is, unfortunately, all downhill from there. Lady Julia Grey, the narrator and heroine, is a sensible, good hearted gentlewoman far ahead of her time. She's a very readable character, although a bit too anachronistic. I would like to read a book in which she simply goes through life. Unfortunately, the author is determined to write mysterious romances. To solve her husband's murder, Julia engages the gentleman detective Nicholas Brisbane. He is swarthy and sarcastic and secretly excellent at fighting and music and can speak every language ever and etc--a horrible, hodgepodge collection of stereotypes that makes him well-nigh unreadable. The mystery is not any better: fifty pages from the end, the author remembers that this is a mystery novel and suddenly all sorts of clues start falling into place.
I was disappointed with this book. Raybourn obviously did some research into the Victorian era, and the March family (of which Julia is a member) is an interesting one. But the sloppiness of the mystery and the trite hero decreased my enjoyment considerably.
An excellent beginning! It is, unfortunately, all downhill from there. Lady Julia Grey, the narrator and heroine, is a sensible, good hearted gentlewoman far ahead of her time. She's a very readable character, although a bit too anachronistic. I would like to read a book in which she simply goes through life. Unfortunately, the author is determined to write mysterious romances. To solve her husband's murder, Julia engages the gentleman detective Nicholas Brisbane. He is swarthy and sarcastic and secretly excellent at fighting and music and can speak every language ever and etc--a horrible, hodgepodge collection of stereotypes that makes him well-nigh unreadable. The mystery is not any better: fifty pages from the end, the author remembers that this is a mystery novel and suddenly all sorts of clues start falling into place.
I was disappointed with this book. Raybourn obviously did some research into the Victorian era, and the March family (of which Julia is a member) is an interesting one. But the sloppiness of the mystery and the trite hero decreased my enjoyment considerably.
Started out slow and meandering and I put it down a few times, but the story picked up and in the end I really liked it. I will try the next in the series for sure.
This must have been a "oh, you should read this, you'll love it!", because there is no way I'd pick it on my own. Dull characters, and sooooo many pages before there's anything that really happens.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
I've been meaning to start this series for a long time. When the fifth in the series, The Dark Enquiry, came out in June last year, praise for Lady Julia Grey was flying around everywhere. I did a poor job of resisting temptation and bought the first in the series not long after. Then my mum came to visit and absconded with it so it was a few months before I actually got down to reading it.
When I finally did, I was really looking forward to it. Happily, I did enjoy it, even though it wasn't quite as much as I thought I would. I was in the mood for some good historical fiction and, for the most part, that's what I got. I would have preferred it if that's all I had got. There were one or two supernatural twists that I guess are to set up the rest of the series but that I'm by no means sure fit with this instalment. I'm perfectly happy to hold up my hands and admit that I might be being picky but this book would have worked as well (if not better) without the mysticism.
I suppose it is a testament to how much paranormal/steampunk books I've been reading of late that I kept expecting vampire/automaton to jump out from behind a chaise longue every time the tension ratcheted up. That obviously isn't a criticism of the book but it is a reminder that I could do with indulging in some "pure" historical fiction for a little while!
Sorry, back to the review: Lady Julia Grey was a character I expected to love. For reasons I can't quite place, my feelings were more lukewarm. Along with many other readers, I admired her for her lack of reticence and for delivering more than would usually be expected of women of her era. That said, there were times when she was so gung-ho that she was just thoughtless and I found myself a bit annoyed on occasion. There's having your own opinions and then there's a complete and utter refusal to listen to others' advice or expressions of concern for the welfare of those they care about; treading the fine line between independence and obstinacy is Lady Julia Grey.
Nicholas Brisbane is our Lady's enigmatic private investigator of choice. He's charming in that brusque and mysterious kind of way that is apparently attractive these days. Brisbane and Lady Julia's interaction is sparky and witty. I was a big fan of how their relationship developed and am so glad that Ms Raybourn dodged the obvious and kept it natural. Worried about InstaLove? Don't be. This is one book in which the characters make and sustain proper relationships, without the need to swoon all over the place at the very sight of an appropriate male.
There's also an assortment of eccentric family members and curious household staff to fill up the character quota and I'm hoping to see more of them as the series goes on.
In terms of plot, earlier moan about supernatural aside, there's a lot going for this one. There's the right balance between rousting about the streets of London and mulling over clues and facts so that I was never bored (a curse that blighted me earlier this year with one particular book) and always eager to read more. On more than one occasion, I thought I knew where everything was heading and settled down to watch it unfurl. I was wrong every time. That is to say, whatever else it may or may not be, this book certainly isn't predictable. There's plenty going on, which means plenty of red herrings. There's a rapid unveiling of a whole host of secrets (some more risqué than others) in the final third of the book which lifts the pace and delivers a pretty satisfying conclusion.
So not all of it was perfect but I enjoyed it and I guess that's the main thing.
Overall: A solid start to a series that I know I'll read more of. I would recommend it to fans of historical fiction but would hesitate before handing it over to more die-hard mystery fans. Worth your time if you happen across a copy, certainly!
When I finally did, I was really looking forward to it. Happily, I did enjoy it, even though it wasn't quite as much as I thought I would. I was in the mood for some good historical fiction and, for the most part, that's what I got. I would have preferred it if that's all I had got. There were one or two supernatural twists that I guess are to set up the rest of the series but that I'm by no means sure fit with this instalment. I'm perfectly happy to hold up my hands and admit that I might be being picky but this book would have worked as well (if not better) without the mysticism.
I suppose it is a testament to how much paranormal/steampunk books I've been reading of late that I kept expecting vampire/automaton to jump out from behind a chaise longue every time the tension ratcheted up. That obviously isn't a criticism of the book but it is a reminder that I could do with indulging in some "pure" historical fiction for a little while!
Sorry, back to the review: Lady Julia Grey was a character I expected to love. For reasons I can't quite place, my feelings were more lukewarm. Along with many other readers, I admired her for her lack of reticence and for delivering more than would usually be expected of women of her era. That said, there were times when she was so gung-ho that she was just thoughtless and I found myself a bit annoyed on occasion. There's having your own opinions and then there's a complete and utter refusal to listen to others' advice or expressions of concern for the welfare of those they care about; treading the fine line between independence and obstinacy is Lady Julia Grey.
Nicholas Brisbane is our Lady's enigmatic private investigator of choice. He's charming in that brusque and mysterious kind of way that is apparently attractive these days. Brisbane and Lady Julia's interaction is sparky and witty. I was a big fan of how their relationship developed and am so glad that Ms Raybourn dodged the obvious and kept it natural. Worried about InstaLove? Don't be. This is one book in which the characters make and sustain proper relationships, without the need to swoon all over the place at the very sight of an appropriate male.
There's also an assortment of eccentric family members and curious household staff to fill up the character quota and I'm hoping to see more of them as the series goes on.
In terms of plot, earlier moan about supernatural aside, there's a lot going for this one. There's the right balance between rousting about the streets of London and mulling over clues and facts so that I was never bored (a curse that blighted me earlier this year with one particular book) and always eager to read more. On more than one occasion, I thought I knew where everything was heading and settled down to watch it unfurl. I was wrong every time. That is to say, whatever else it may or may not be, this book certainly isn't predictable. There's plenty going on, which means plenty of red herrings. There's a rapid unveiling of a whole host of secrets (some more risqué than others) in the final third of the book which lifts the pace and delivers a pretty satisfying conclusion.
So not all of it was perfect but I enjoyed it and I guess that's the main thing.
Overall: A solid start to a series that I know I'll read more of. I would recommend it to fans of historical fiction but would hesitate before handing it over to more die-hard mystery fans. Worth your time if you happen across a copy, certainly!
Overall, I enjoyed this book, largely because of the premise and setting, and I always enjoy Deanna Raybourn's writing style. Admittedly, the plot moved a bit slowly and I figured out who the murderer was way before Lady Julia (or Brisbane, who didn't seem to do much detective work). I guess this is more a series to read to get to know the characters than for the mystery aspect, but it still made it hard to keep reading when I was just waiting for Julia to figure it out already!! I also agree with other reviewers that there was just too much going on and some reveals weren't very believable.
I'll probably read a few more in the series to see how Julia and Brisbane develop as characters, but I may need to take a Victorian historical mystery break for awhile before then!
I'll probably read a few more in the series to see how Julia and Brisbane develop as characters, but I may need to take a Victorian historical mystery break for awhile before then!
At first I thought this was just a Mary Sue/Sherlock Holmes-by-another-name mystery/romance. I was a little wrong, in that the characters did get more interesting as it went along. The mystery was ok, but I foresaw all of the surprises and revelations way before they were revealed. For all that, I devoured the book in less than 24 hours and am anxious to read the rest. It may have been a bit of a cliched guilty pleasure, but it was pleasurable. I'm also a sucker for Victoriana and brooding detective romances.
This is an excellent series with a great cast of characters, adventures and intrigue galore. Those who enjoy a strong female lead with a well written plot will appreciate Ms. Raybourn.