When Sir Edward Grey collapses during a house party, the last thing his widow expects to hear is that he was murdered. When Nicholas Brisbane explains to Lady Julia Grey what he believes to be the truth she doesn’t believe it – refuses to believe it.
It’s been almost a year since her husband has passed, and Lady Julia decides to start cleaning out her husbands office. What she finds tucked away in his desk startles her to be sure, for it’s one of the threatening notes that Brisbane told her about nearly a year ago. Needing to know the truth, Lady Julia teams up with Mr. Brisbane in an attempt to find the person who murdered her husband. In doing so, she stumbles into an unknown world of danger and thrills.
So, uh… WOW. It seems, over the last couple of weeks I’ve been seeing the name Deanna Raybourn everywhere I look, so of course I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I’m glad to say that I see it.
Silent in the Grave was addictive, I was glued to the pages. So glued that I read the last sentence of the book, squealed and ran to my bookshelf to start the second… at 4:30 in the morning. Raybourn simply kept me wanting to read.
The investigation into Sir Edward’s death was intriguing. I wanted to know what would happen next. Once I thought I had it all figured it out, Raybourn would toss another curve ball leaving me whirling… and wanting more. Silent in the Grave certainly kept me on my toes.
The characters, specifically Lady Julia and Mr. Brisbane… well, that’s just another reason to read this book. The tension between the two is palpable. Lady Julia, throughout the investigation begins to find reasons to enjoy life instead of living in the haze she inhabited while her husband was alive. Nicholas Brisbane was a bag of jolly’s to get to know. He is mysterious, infuriating, and swoon-worthy all at the same time. Lady Julia’s family, the Marches, are simply fascinating. Really, each and every character in the book is someone I wish I could know in real life.
Silent in the Grave was absolutely fantastic and I highly, highly recommend it for the story, the characters… everything about it. I’ll be continuing and revisiting this series without a doubt.
Lady Julia Grey Series:
1. Silent in the Grave
2. Silent in the Sanctuary
3. Silent on the Moor
4. Dark Road to Darjeeling
5. The Dark Enquiry (To be released July, 2011)
Among Stories 
A couple of years ago, someone posted the first sentence or two of this book somewhere, and I was immediately in love! I’m so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Definitely one of my favorite series, and I’m a huge fan of Deanna Raybourn’s now.
I’ve read the first three books in the series and I can say it’s all worthwhile! As soon as I finished with the first one, I ran right out to the book store to buy the second – I couldn’t wait either!
I’m about 100 pages into the fourth book now and loving it. It’s safe to say I’ll be following Deanna Raybourn for sure.