Silent in the Grave

To put the summary first: this is a very fine debut novel by Raybourn and I look forward to picking up the sequel.

The mystery, itself, is nothing special...a fairly low-key affair with fairly stock elements. I suspect that most mystery readers will figure out the killer long before the characters do.

What makes this book so enjoyable are three things. First, the author is simply a good writer. There is no sense on the reader's part that this is a debut work. The plot flows smoothly along, neither hurried nor dawdling. The characters behave and evolve believably. The dialogue falls naturally on the ears, intelligent and witty. It takes no effort to be drawn into the story.

Second, the author's slyly mocking perspective on the prejudices show more of upper-class Victorian society is delightful. Views on class, race, nationality, profession, marital status, wealth and on...each is brought before the dock at some point. It is casually done, never heavy-handed nor preachy, and the author has avoided the trap of creating "good guys" and "bad guys" to make these points. Each character, whether sympathetic or not, is presented as a part of their culture, sharing to some degree or other in these views. Even our heroine, generally the most liberal of the characters we meet, is shown to have a fundamental sense of noblesse oblige with, "We were charged with taking care of those to whom our money and our blood made us superior."

The main strength of the novel, however, lies in its characters. They are vividly drawn, real to the reader from the moment they are introduced. We like them or hate them as we choose, but we don't deny them. Our main character is particularly enjoyable: there's no unchanging, timeless character here who will be the same book after book à la many series protagonists. Over the year of this novel, she grows immensely and believably in response to the events of her life. Even the minor characters, whom we meet more or less briefly, come to life—the proper British butler is not just a stereotype; the prostitute-turned-maid is not a caricature. Each is, in his own way, contributes significantly to drawing the reader into the very believable world.

Ironically, it is in this very area of strength that my biggest concern lies. I have a strong aversion to "superman" characters outside of James Bond or Dirk Pitt novels, and I worry that our male lead might be heading there. The author does not step over the line in this book but does not tread far from it, either. Without stepping into the territory of spoilers, I will leave it that irresistable-to-women, adept-at-all-things characters are better suited to the aforementioned genres and, if there are too many more revelations of hidden virtuosity on the part of Nicholas, I shall be disappointed. show less

Lady Julia Grey tells this story of the year after her husband collapses and dies at a dinner party. When Nicholas Brisbane comes to tell her that her husband had hired him because of some threatening letters he had received, she isn't convinced that he was murdered. After all, he had a long-standing heart condition that ran in his family that would also explain his death.

However, after almost a year in mourning, she is clearing out her husband's study and finds one of the notes. For her own peace of mind, she needs to know whether or not her husband was murdered. She contacts Nicholas Brisbane again to hire him to assist her in finding out what happened to her husband.

Lady Julia is the daughter of an Earl and was left independently show more wealthy by her husband's death but she still feels bound by the social mores of 1886 London. Her father raised her and her 9 brothers and sisters using some quite radical ideas which makes society's rules rather a tight fit for a woman who is bright and educated. However, as a daughter of the eccentric March family, Julia herself longs to be normal and conventional. The investigation will push her well out of her comfort zone as she uncovers secrets that will change her life.

Julia also gets to know Nicholas in the course of the investigation. He is not the sort of man who has littered her life previously. He begins as a rather mysterious character but some of his past is revealed in the course of the investigation too.

I loved the setting and Julia as a character. Julia is well aware that she lives a privileged life and feels that it is her duty to help those less fortunate. Her maid is a former prostitute from an organization her aunt supports to train these women for useful employment. She has also made a place in her home for a gypsy who was shunned by her family despite the widespread prejudice against gypsies. I loved her reaction to the family doctor who kept things from her and who refuses to work with a Jewish doctor. I loved her eccentric family. I loved the support and love shown by her father. I loved her sister Portia who tries to convince Julia to become more adventurous. I loved the juxtaposition of Victorian morals, especially regarding sexuality, to Julia's more liberal beliefs.

This was an excellent story. While I am sorry that I didn't discover this series when it was first written, I am glad that I have many more of Lady Julia's adventures available for me to read now. show less

Lady Julia Grey may have married into a family even more wealthy than her own, may have lived a sheltered life surrounded by servants, and may have been blind to the harsh world outside her front door but she carried the genes of her own eccentric family as well. The woman certainly had a sense of humor, and as first-person-narrator of Silent in the Grave she displays it immediately in the book’s opening lines: “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 on the floor.”

Set in 1886 Victorian England, Deanna Raybourn’s irreverent novel combines elements of mysteries, romance novels and historical fiction in such a way that the book will show more appeal to a wide audience. I am not at all a fan of romance fiction, for instance, but despite the novel’s obvious appeal to fans of that genre, I never considered it to be a romance novel and enjoyed it for the historical detail and social observations in which Raybourn cloaked her story of Edward’s mysterious death.

Lady Julia married a man she had known since they were just children playing together and she believed that she knew everything about him. She certainly understood the fragility caused by a heart condition from which so many males in her husband’s bloodline suffered, including his cousin Simon who was dying in their home from that very illness. So when Edward suddenly dropped to the floor and died during a formal gathering at their home she was not much surprised.

What did surprise her was Brisbane’s revelation that her husband had hired him to investigate the mysterious death threats that he had been receiving in the mail for some time. Lady Julia may not at first have believed that there was anything mysterious about her husband’s sudden death, but she felt an obligation to her deceased husband to find out one way or the other. And if a crime had been committed she was determined that the criminal would pay a heavy price.

Nicholas Brisbane, expecting to use Lady Julia as just another source in his investigation, soon found himself forced to accept her as a full partner and, despite their series of adventures resulting from the investigation itself, it is their relationship that is really the heart of Silent in the Grave. And their mutual attraction means that they will be working together in the sequels that will follow this fist book in what promises to be a successful series.

Deanna Raybourn has written a first-rate Victorian mystery with an atmosphere and period details that have an authentic feel about them. Lady Grey’s sense of humor and the antics of her eccentric family keep the reader from becoming bogged down in the rather dark details of the mystery itself, a story involving deceptions, hidden sexual appetites, and disease that she could never have imagined before the death of her husband. All in all, this is an excellent debut novel despite the fact that it seemed to take forever for Lady Julia to finally make up her mind to investigate her husband’s death, a rather sluggish beginning that could potentially cause some readers to mistakenly give up on the book before it really hits its stride. At times I felt like shaking Lady Grey and telling her to get on with it. When she finally did, I found that it had been worth the wait.

Rated at: 3.5 show less

Holy moley with a side of guacamole!! This book grabbed me from the first page and wouldn't let go until I finished it less than 24 hours later!!Lady Julia Grey just lost her husband and private investigator Nicholas Brisbane thinks he was murdered and wants to find out who dunnit. Julia refuses to believe him but after a year passes, she stumbles upon evidence that in fact he was. Julia must swallow her pride and try to convince Brisbane to reopen the case. As they begin to follow the clues (which unravel VERY slowly - but not annoyingly so), Julia finds herself learning all sorts of unsavory truths she would rather not know and that change her life forever. This book was amazing. With a double shot of perfectness. I loved the March show more family and their motto "I Dare". I loved the appropriate quotes at the beginning of each chapter. I loved Aquinas, the butler, with his unfailing knowledge of just when to serve tea. And most of all I loved Julia for her seemingly to be a quiet mouse who comes out of her shell and does something 'important'. Victorian England at it's best with beautiful descriptions of people and place. A treasure that I am so happy comes as part of a series. show less

When Lady Julia Grey's husband collapses in front of her and dies a few hours later, it's not exactly unexpected: Sir Edward had a congenital heart condition, and his father and grandfather both died before the age of 35. So why does the enigmatic Nicholas Brisbane think Edward was murdered? Julia isn't willing to even consider such a thing . . . until, while cleaning out Edward's desk, she discovers a threatening letter he received just before his death. Who would want to kill her charming, urbane husband -- and why?

Oh, I so enjoyed this book! Much more for the characters and setting than the actual mystery -- though I am pleased to note that I was correct about who did it, though I had the motive wrong. Recommended to readers who show more enjoy historical fiction with unconventional characters. Also, the first two lines are just hilarious. show less

Lady Julia Grey is not entirely caught off guard when her husband, Edward, collapses at a party and dies shortly thereafter as he has been ailing for the duration of their marriage. What does shock her is when she is approached by Nicholas Brisbane, a private inquiry agent, who informs her that her husband was receiving threats and may have been murdered. Refusing to believe Brisbane's insinuations, Julia goes through most of the first year of her mourning before discovering one of the notes and realizing that Brisbane may have been right after all. As she begins to work with the enigmatic Brisbane, she learns that digging into her husband's past and death may bring things to light she never wanted to see.

I picked up this first entry in show more the Lady Julia Grey series after seeing a blurb about the series in a recent issue of Library Journal. Their quotation of the first sentence of the book was just too delicious for me to resist: "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." This first novel is a highly enjoyable mystery and while I had correct suspicions about whodunnit early on, the historical setting and the development of the characters made the entire journey worthwhile. Highly recommended for those who enjoy a good historical mystery with just a dash of flirtation in the mix. show less

Lady Julia's husband Edwards collapses at their home, during a dinner party no less, and in swoops the dark and mysterious Nicholas Brisbane to carry Edward to his room. After he dies, Brisbane darkly and mysteriously insinuates Edward may have been murdered! And Julia may be a suspect! Now widowed, Julia decided to pursue the mystery (and the mysterious man) to the end.

The story is narrated in first person, past tense, and reading it brought home to me how much I dislike this kind of narration. Julia relates her story from some distant future point, so everything unrolls in way that kind of squashes the suspense even as it tries to build it. I knew something regrettable, or surprising, or interesting was going to happen on the next show more page or in the next chapter, because Julia kept telling me it would. Spoiler alert, Julia!

By using first person, Rayburn develops Julia wonderfully- her character is well-rounded, with great strengths and weaknesses often omitted in the typical romance heroine. As a recent widow, Julia has to come to grips not only with her changed social status in 1800s England, but also with the mystery of her husband's death and the truth of his past--and her life with him-- that the mystery reveals. Her transformation from complacent wife to active agent in her self-directed life is a great one to watch.

For all that I did not like the narrative style, Julia's voice is strong; Rayburn is able to convey emotion and action well without sacrificing plot or dumping exposition everywhere. However, because Julia's world and the other characters in it are all related through Julia's POV, I found them flatter and less impressive. Brisbane remained dark and mysterious, sometimes frustratingly so. At times I found it difficult to hold on to him as a romantic foil for Julia because all I got was brooding dark eyes and powerful manly frames, instead of character and motivation.

And the romance! The tension between Julia and Brisbane is electric, even from Julia's limited perspective. But then, at the climax of all this delicious tension, when finally the spark between them ignites and desires are acted upon, do you know what happens? The screen goes dark! He leans in for the kiss and its cut scene! No smoochies, no breathy sighs, no grasping hands. Instead, I'm left with Julia's conflicted thoughts about the kiss and even these are not nearly as descriptive as I want them to be.

By the end, I felt a little cheated by Rayburn. I'm not sure I'll read the rest of books if the romance is given short shrift again. show less