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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Fans of British historical thrillers will welcome Raybourn's perfectly executed debut. In 1886, Lady Julia Grey's husband, Edward, dies suddenly of the heart disease that plagues his family, including his reclusive cousin, Simon, who resides with the couple in their large London townhouse. Just as she learns to cope with the contradictions of monied widowhood, Julia is visited by taciturn private detective Nicholas Brisbane, who reveals that Edward had hired him to find the source of some threatening letters. Analysis confirms Brisbane's suspicions of murder, leading him and Julia on a testily collaborative search for the culprit. Julia probes servants, Simon and a variety of peers, discovering disturbing truths about a husband she never truly knew and a world of deception, disease and sexual obsession she could never have imagined. Deft historical detailing, sparkling first-person narration and the fledgling love between Julia and the often surprising Brisbane balance otherwise dark themes. None of the book's components is new, but Raybourn updates and deepens them so intelligently that they feel freshly minted and free of cliché. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Review
"Fans of British historical thrillers will welcome Raybourn's perfectly executed debut...deft historical detailing, sparkling first-person narration...often surprising...freshly minted and free of cliche." - Publisher's Weekly (starred review) "A riveting drama that makes page turning obligatory." - Bookreporter.com"
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Death, Mourning and a Victorian Mystery: Murder Shrieks Out,
By
This review is from: Silent In The Grave (Mass Market Paperback)
Deanna Raybourne's SILENT IN THE GRAVE, is a hard to put down Victorian mystery, both suspenseful and humorous in its details, that unmasks the consequences of that society's moral, gender and class codes upon individuals within society. As the narrator records the twisting hunt for clues to the identity of the killer, she also discovers her own identity.Julia Grey's husband Sir Edward collapses, dying in front of her and a house full of guests. Victorian mourning customs come into play as new black clothing must be ordered along with black bordered stationery. The Ghoul, Aunt Hermia, comes to visit and partake in the latest society mourning rituals. When Nicholas Brisbane tells Julia of tales of threatening notes to her late husband and his fear of being murdered, Julia discounts his tale at first. When she finds a vicious threatening note herself while sorting through out her husband's things, Julia rethinks her position Now, Julia joins Nicholas in an investigation and search for clues to unmask the details behind her husband's death. Julia's search for justice brings her head to head against some of the unspoken rules of morality and a woman's place in Victorian society. As she follows the path of clues, Julia steps out of her familiar world, exploring gypsy customs, brothels and even looks into the practices of medicine in her day. The dark enigmatic Nicolas encourages and challenges Julia, becoming an inspiration and even catalyst for her to confront her own ideas and move beyond herself. As Julia uncovers more and more layers of the thickening mystery, she also lays bare some foundations of Victorian society and morality. Before she can unmask the killer, Julia must put aside those notions of what is proper for a woman in her position and look into and unmask the unspoken the class divisions, the repressed sexuality, and a women's role in society. Deanna Raybourne locates the home as the structural and emotional as the center of this historical mystery as indeed it was in Victorian society. As Julia steps across some some of the boundaries prescribed to her as a woman of a certain class and away from the home, her character evolves and becomes more herself through an inner journey that follows her hunt for clues. At the end of this exquisite mystery, the reader cries and laughs and hopes alongside Julia. SILENT IN THE GRAVE is a mystery rich in well-researched historical details but also a fast-paced read as each clue unmasks another mysterious layer. Infused with sadness, SILENT IN THE GRAVE provides humorous relief as the clues lead the reader into an ever increasing dark reality hidden by the masks of Victorian society. The unmasking of the villain leads to ever increasing shocking details. Murder will out, not only the deed but all the dark truths behind the deed. An exceptional emotional and riveting read!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mesmerising Mystery,
By
This review is from: Silent In The Grave (Mass Market Paperback)
In 1886, Lady Julia Grey's husband, Edward, dies suddently of a suspected heart problem. During her period of mourning, she is visited by private detective Nicholas Brisbane, who reveals that Edward had hired him to find the source of some threatening letters. This raises the possibility that her husband may have been murdered. Probing into the past, Julia discovers disturbing information about Edward, a side she never really knew or imagined..Intrigued; she joins Brisbane on a quest to solve the mystery.Narrated in the first person in Julia's words, this historical fiction is finely detailed, impressive and is a mesmerizing mystery. Julia Grey is a brilliant creation, a tough and intelligent woman way ahead of her time; on the other hand Brisbane is depicted as an intriguing and an intelligent investigator. The chemistry between them is well defined and titillating, I absolutely loved them. The story has many twist and turns, a real page turner. Some may consider this book a long Gothic Romance with sequels to tie loose ends. As a change I like reading this style and I am looking forward to the sequel "Silent in the Sanctuary".
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful historical mystery,
By
This review is from: Silent in the Grave (Paperback)
First 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 upon the floor."My thoughts: Tee hee. I had to read the first lines of this book twice, then I laughed out loud. I have a sick sense of humor. Maybe Deanna Raybourn has a bit of a sick sense of humor, too, because I found this book extremely witty and engaging. Julia was a perfect heroine, a woman in the process of rediscovering herself after being trapped in a stifling marriage. I loved watching her slowly move from staid to downright feisty. And all this while trying to track down a killer. Impressive. This book was a little different from most novels set in this period . I think it's because of the total lack of concern for convention and appearances. Normally in a book like this, you have a heroine with a mind of her own fighting against a family and society that tries to confine her. In this case, Julia is almost the most straitlaced character in the whole story, at least at the start of the story. Julia's family is extremely unconventional. Her sister is openly gay, her various other siblings are slightly mad, and her father encourages her to take a lover. It's all extremely entertaining and refreshing. There were a couple of things about this book that I didn't like as much. First, there's a lot of page time where nothing important happens. I enjoyed the writing style enough that it didn't bother me, but less patient readers will likely be annoyed. I also didn't really buy Brisbane as a romantic hero. Romance definitely takes a backseat here, but even so, I would have liked to see him a bit more relateable. He was so totally unreadable that he just came off as a jerk most of the time. Then Julia was attracted to him and all I could think was, "Really? WHY?!" I'm hoping he gets a few more lines in future books of the series.
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