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Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia Mystery #1)

by Deanna Raybourn (Goodreads Author)

3.93 of 5 stars 3.93 · rating details · 7,704 ratings · 1,163 reviews

"London, 1886

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...

For Lady Julia Grey, her husband's sudden death at a dinner party is extremely inconvenient, not to mention an unpardonable social gaffe. However, things take a turn for the worse when inscrutable private in...more

Published (first published March 1st 2007)

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Jun 27, 2010 Hannah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Hannah by: Hanneybean

Shelves: 2010-reads, mysteries, too-awful-for-words

Obviously this book has far more admirers then detractors, (if the ratings are any indication), but I'm damned if I know why.

As far as I can analyse, you might like this book if you enjoy:

1. A surly and charmless hero masquerading as a grade C Sherlock Holmes clone.

2. Forced chemistry (or rather no chemistry) between said surly/charmless hero and an equally vapid "oh-I'm-so-stupid-but-I'm-so-adorable-because-the-writer-tells-you-so" heroine.

3. A 435 page mystery where the actual detection takes...more

51 likes · like · see review

Jun 04, 2011 Wendy Darling rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult, mystery-traditional, victorian, read-2011, lgbt, ebook-egalley, historical-fiction

Dear me. This book puts me in a quite a predicament, because I'm not quite sure what to make of it.

First off, the good stuff:

I liked the Victorian world that the author created. Dress, customs, and attitudes are meticulously detailed in the beginning and the book is very well-written. I'm partial to books set in this time period, so it's always a pleasant surprise when the world-building feels authentic to me.

The not so good stuff:

* the mystery is a snooze. It's very easy to guess why Lady Juli...more

23 likes · like · see review

Jan 07, 2008 Meredith Galman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries

Everybody loves a good international man of mystery, but private enquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane is Just Too Much: he's a prizefighter! he's a violin virtuoso! he's a duke's grandnephew! he's a half-blood Rom AND a psychic (and a floor wax, and a dessert topping . . . .)! Lady Julia Grey -- although at times stupid and inconsistent -- is a more interesting character, because she's believably human. Born into a family of eccentrics, Julia has spent her entire life suppressing herself, until the d...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Jamie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery, kindle, victorian, historical-fiction

The first half of this book is readable enough (a nice opening chapter, in particular) although Lady Julia is written as a modern woman stuffed into a corset and plopped down in Victorian London, where she bemoans racism and classism and is totally cool with her sister's lesbian relationship.

The writing is good for a first novel, if perhaps a bit awkward and repetitive in places. I did like the author's lighthearted style.

The longer I read, however, the more I began to dislike the story. The mys...more

11 likes · like · see review

Jun 10, 2011 Juliana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Juliana by: Ruth

Shelves: library-book, recommended-by-goodreads-friends, historical-fiction, a-little-bit-of-romance, 0-wishlist-buy-in-dead-tree-form, set-in-1880s, 5-plus-stars, 5-stars, laugh-out-loud-funny, 2011-reads, strong-female-narrator, 2011-jun-reads, regency-victorian-fiction, set-in-england, set-in-england-london, mystery-thriller-suspense, historical-mystery, 4-to-5-stars, favorite-books-of-all-time, challenge-2011-rrrc-a-to-z-friends, challenge-2011-rrrc-a-to-z-heroines, challenge-2011-rrrc-a-to-z-heroes, challenge-2011-mine-regular-books, 2011-reads-my-favorites-of-the-year, 2011-reads-my-supremes-of-the-year, part-of-a-series

I absolutely loved this book and thank you to my Goodreads friend Ruth for recommending it! I was a little worried when I first started it, because my expectations had grown so high after reading Ruth's reviews for this book and the following three ones. Thankfully, it completely lived up to - and actually surpassed - my expectations :-). I checked this book out from the library, but will definitely be buying my own copy.

It's told in first-person narration and I found our heroine, Julia, absolut...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Allison (The Allure of Books) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-it, 2009, loved-it, series_lady-julia, romantic-suspense

Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn is the first book of one of the best series I have ever read. I’ve reviewed other books of the series and talked about the characters on the blog before, but I recently started at the beginning for a reread and couldn’t resist writing a review! So…now I take on the challenge of reviewing one of my favorite books of all time…

I owned Silent in the Grave for a long time before I finally got around to picking it up. I don’t remember why I finally did start read...more Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn is the first book of one of the best series I have ever read. I’ve reviewed other books of the series and talked about the characters on the blog before, but I recently started at the beginning for a reread and couldn’t resist writing a review! So…now I take on the challenge of reviewing one of my favorite books of all time…

I owned Silent in the Grave for a long time before I finally got around to picking it up. I don’t remember why I finally did start reading it, but I still remember how I felt when I finished. I was so amazed that I’d had this book for so long without knowing how fantastic it was. I looked around at my shelves and thought “how many of these others could be another favorite that I just haven’t got around to reading yet?” Have you guys ever had that moment? (Maybe its just me because I’m such an intense book freak.)

Anyway. Where to start talking about all the pieces that make this book what it is? Check out the opening lines, which is easily my favorite beginning of all time (and which I’ve already talked about on the blog more than once):

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.

Can you beat that? No. You can’t.

So, we are introduced to Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane, who, after the death of Julia’s husband, must work together to discover whether or not his death was really health-related or if it could have been something more sinister. Speaking of sinister – of all the historical mystery series I read and love, this one is easily the darkest and most gothic. These themes add such richness and depth to the stories and the characters; it is remarkably easy to get lost within the pages of Silent in the Grave.

Lady Julia and Brisbane are easily two of my favorite characters in all the land. The sparks they ignite when they are together are so strong, I can almost get goosebumps just by thinking about it. Deanna Raybourn has created characters that I can easily believe are real – and I have never been able to get enough of them, no matter how many times I have read the books. I basically fell in love with Brisbane very early on when he said the following to Julia:

If you were a man, your ladyship, I would cordially horsewhip you for that remark.

Who could resist that, right?

And, not only are the plots dark and twisty-turny enough to please any mystery lover – but there are so many laugh-out-loud moments as well! Seriously, there is nothing that you could want that Deanna Raybourn and Silent in the Grave won’t provide you with. Most of the funny comes from the fact that Julia’s family, the Marches, are mostly insane (or barking mad, as she likes to put it).

If you have read this book, I’m betting you loved it. If you haven’t – hopefully I’ve convinced you to do so. It highlights all the reasons I love to read: amazing plot and overall tone, and characters I enjoy so much that I reread the books over and over again for a chance to revisit them. This is a world you need to get lost in, y’all!(less)

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Jul 31, 2008 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: belovedbookshelf, girls-who-do-things

Finding Silent in the Grave turned out to be one of those beautiful, stumbling across the perfect book to fit your mood moments. Here I am, staring down the barrel of this pregnancy, willing the last few days to pass faster, and this absolutely delightful Victorian mystery proves just the thing to take my mind off the all-too-slowly ticking clock. Even better, it's the first in a series with the second one already out and the third due to hit shelves in March.

Silent in the Grave starts out with...more Finding Silent in the Grave turned out to be one of those beautiful, stumbling across the perfect book to fit your mood moments. Here I am, staring down the barrel of this pregnancy, willing the last few days to pass faster, and this absolutely delightful Victorian mystery proves just the thing to take my mind off the all-too-slowly ticking clock. Even better, it's the first in a series with the second one already out and the third due to hit shelves in March.

Silent in the Grave starts out with one of the best opening lines I've read in ages.

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.

Ha! Honestly, who wouldn't want to continue reading after that? Does she care? Does she not care? Is she as calm and composed as she sounds? And just who is this Nicholas Brisbane and why is he significant? You have to find out. Each question is answered, but slowly and carefully, spread across the rest of the novel. After her husband's untimely collapse, Lady Julia Grey finds herself a young and surprisingly wealthy widow. Having suffered from a heart condition his entire life, his sudden demise was not altogether unexpected. That's why, when confronted with an unusual and mysterious private investigator's claim that her late husband employed him to find out who was threatening to kill him, Julia dismisses the notion as preposterous and sends Mr. Nicholas Brisbane on his way. Nearly a year later she (naturally) comes across a clue leading her to believe dear Edward was, in fact, murdered. Managing to track down Brisbane, she apologizes and convinces him to reopen the case. Intrigue and mayhem ensue and it's all just perfectly delicious.

I so enjoyed Julia and her measured narration, her bizarrely large but loving family, and her cautiously fresh observations on the world and the people around her. It is as though her husband's death removes a film from her eyes, and she is unnerved to realize she hardly recognizes where she is and who she has become. One of my favorite lines is Julia reflecting on her oldest and most pompous brother who is scandalized to hear she intends to manage her inheritance herself.

He had nothing to call his own except dead men's shoes, and I think the highly Oedipal flavor of his existence sometimes proved too much for him.

As you can tell, I was completely taken with the characters and Deanna Raybourn's well-paced writing style, both of which made for an incredibly absorbing, enjoyable read. I'll be picking up the sequel ASAP. Recommended for fans of Laurie R. King's Mary Russell books.(less)

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Mar 23, 2008 _inbetween_ rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone but me?

Recommended to _inbetween_ by: chatpa, alex, etc.

I got this book on the strenght of the first page, and even after a third still thought I wanted to read more and more. But despite it probably being one of the better written books I read these months, I'm currently so pissed off at it that I can't bear to read the last few chapters and want to excorcise my frustration.

Is it really just me who sees the "solution" at the very first clue placed? I know it's a matter of pride to claim to have known the killer, but that's not why I say it - I hate...more

10 likes · like · see review

Feb 06, 2008 Wealhtheow rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Liz

Shelves: historical, regency

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. Unfortunate...more

8 likes · like · see review

Apr 07, 2008 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, historical-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 27, 2008 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

"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."

Thus begins the compulsively readable mystery by Deanna Raybourne. Lady Julia Grey is a respectable member of the Victorian Britain upper class. Her husband dies during a dinner party. Edward had a congenital heart condition that affected all the men in his family. it was understood that he was likely to die at an early age. A mysterious stra...more "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."

Thus begins the compulsively readable mystery by Deanna Raybourne. Lady Julia Grey is a respectable member of the Victorian Britain upper class. Her husband dies during a dinner party. Edward had a congenital heart condition that affected all the men in his family. it was understood that he was likely to die at an early age. A mysterious stranger believes he has been murdered but Julia is outraged at the thought and dismisses the man completely. Until much later when she finds a threatening note that seems to bear out what Nicholas Brisbane has said.

Julia hires Brisbane to investigate her husband's murder. But Julia also finds herself drawn into the investigation, questioning servants and finding out answers to questions she never knew she even had.

First of all, I love historical mysteries. I had just recently discovered Tasha Alexander and had enjoyed her two books A Poisoned Season and And Only to Deceive. I had been wishing to find something similar to those and was happy that i stumbled over Deanna Raybourne. Both Emily Ashton from Alexander's books and Julia Grey in this book are lured into the world of criminal detection after their husband's die under mysterious circumstances. I enjoy these drawing room, genteel ladies being thrust out of their comfortable, upper class sphere only to learn a little bit more of the world around them. And if they come into contact with a dark, handsome, mysterious man...then so much the better.

The mystery itself is nicely plotted. As with these sorts of cozy mysteries, you go down a lot of roads and you find out a lot of juicy stuff until the murderer is unmasked. One thing is immediately brought to mind is this idea of Victorian public virtue vs. private vice. Purposefully, I believe, Raybourne emphasizes this dichotomy in Victorian society in this book. She shows Julia as this person of virtue who was brought up and lives by a certain set of very visible rules (the whole rules of mourning by a widow are explained and explored). However, the course of Julia's investigation takes her into close contact with prostitutes, the poor working classes, anti-semitism and other racial prejudice, disease and homosexuality.

Nicholas Brisbane is something of an issue for me. On the one hand, I can't help but be fascinated by him. He is smart and worldy and by all accounts handsome and sexy. But on the other, he is a little too, too much. He is a virtuoso violinist, he knows languages, her well traveled, he knows herbal lore, he has the second sight and so on and so on. I think she kinda poured it on a little thickly with him. Added to that, he is so darned enigmatic that he sometimes tips over the scale to remoteness and coldness. But yet, I still find him utterly fascinating.

On the other hand, Julia's character is wonderful. She is nicely flawed, which I love. I can't stand a too perfect heroine. She is impulsive, a little childish, she does stupid things that you'd expect an amateur with a measure of naivete to do, but overall a pretty decent person and pretty true to her upbringing and station. And I ADORE her family. I totally enjoy books that include a large, sprawling, charismatic family. And the March family is that in spades. She has 9 brothers and sisters, many, many cousins and aunts and uncles (I especially love the aunt they call The Ghoul who loves to go to funerals) and a father who is just awesome. Raybourne does a great job injecting little bits about the family dynamic, including the long time servants. I want to read the next book just so I can see and learn more about her family.(less)

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Nov 20, 2012 April rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, mystery, historical-fiction, romance, highly-recommended

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, histo...more

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Aug 28, 2010 Miss Clark rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of Historical Mysteries

Recommended to Miss Clark by: Angie Thompson and Grace

Shelves: history-culture, mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 04, 2012 Jewel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-a-copy, set-in-england, victorian, very-disappointing, dead-tree

2.5 stars

I'm not sure how to review this book, I'm not even sure how I feel about it!

It's one of those book that you don't particularly like, yet you can't stop reading!

What I thought I was going to read is an entertaining romantic mystery with a smart heroine, I was prepared to love the book and rush to buy the rest in the series! I'm glad I didn't.

What I read was not very entertaining, in fact I thought it was a bit depressing. The mystery was not very well laid out and left me uninterested,...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Gaile rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-romance-suspense, 19th-century, murder, emery-s-2012-challenge-gaile-kenne, rhfl-2012-challenge

Told in the first person in the voice of a young Victorian lady, I would call this a sweet not quite romance. True, two people appear to fall in love in the story but the reader is never quite sure. There are no ardent scenes, no sense of real romance in here. The main plot revolves around the fact that Julia's husband dies suddenly. At first it is thought to be a natural death but farther events prove this was not the case. However finding proof that he had not died naturally is the case!
I nev...more

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Dec 05, 2010 Marleen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Colorful and compelling characters, who are quite intriguing and mysterious, set against a well-built mystery story; what’s not to like?
The author presents us with the most original and interesting characters, who are strong, well defined, and far from the standard cardboard characters we see too often in fiction. I simply love the unconventional family March; they are so endearing and I wish I was one of them. Thanks to Hector March’s progressive thinking he has brought up his children (especia...more

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Aug 21, 2011 Nadine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Just started this book and so far I am loving it. It's got everything: good writing, interesting plot with just enough twists and turns, three-dimensional characters ... so long as the twists and turns make sense, this one is a winner (well, at least for me, I am easily amused - witness the trashy historical romances I spend so much time with ...). Set in the same time period as the Regency romances I read so often (1880-something), this starts as a murder mystery, but I believe a romance develo...more

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Dec 18, 2007 ScottK rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone who likes Historical Fiction

I am sure there have been times when you finished a book and did not want to start a new one right away ....you needed time with the characters from the one you just finished to hold sway in your memory. This is one of those books. I loved it. I posted in a few places the opening line which is why I actually bought it, happily enough that is not the plateau. This book is full of wit and sarcasm, I got a bit misty near the end (but I can be a bit girly at times). All of the characters are really...more

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Oct 22, 2008 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: mystery, female sleuths, Victorian time period

Recommended to Anne by: found at the store

This is the first in a currently (hopefully no later) series of Victorian mysteries featuring Lady Julia Grey. In this book she is warned, immediately following the death of her husband, that it was murder. She refused to believe it until some time later, when she was disposing of his belongings, she cam upon one of a series of threatening notes he had gotten. The investigation progresses and she involves herself in a way no proper Victorian matron would. Extremely interesting portrait of the ti...more

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Jan 14, 2011 Qing rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, mystery, romance

Quick premise of the book: Edward has always been sickly and when he collapses at his own party (dying shortly afterwards), Julia is approached by a stranger, Nicholas Brisbane, a week after his death claiming that he has been murdered and that her husband had hired him to find out who has been sending him these notes. She doesn't believe him and basically kicks him out of the house.^^^^A year later, she finds one of the death threats he had received. Determined to bring justice to his murderer,...more Quick premise of the book: Edward has always been sickly and when he collapses at his own party (dying shortly afterwards), Julia is approached by a stranger, Nicholas Brisbane, a week after his death claiming that he has been murdered and that her husband had hired him to find out who has been sending him these notes. She doesn't believe him and basically kicks him out of the house.^^^^A year later, she finds one of the death threats he had received. Determined to bring justice to his murderer, she contacts Brisbane for his help... not realising it would unearth her husband's dark secrets.^^^^~~~~^^^^It was absolutely enthralling - read it in one sitting. I love her writing style, her characters were developed quite nicely, pace was consistent and brisk I suppose, and the plot was twisty ^_^^^^^I realised that I quickly lose interest in a book if the characters aren't very appealing to me, even if the plot and pacing is good. So characters I can identify with or quickly grow fond of makes a book all the more enjoyable to read for me.^^^^Julia, our heroine, is neither one of those feminist gung-ho type - a very independent sort and all that - or a flimsy, \oh! I think I shall faint!\" type of character. Thank goodness! Her character is a well-balanced mixture of naivety, determination, sensibility, thoughtfulness, and is quite intelligent, but her naivety makes her a bit of a ditz XD I liked how through the book, as she discovers bit by bit what the world is like sans rose-tinted glasses, loses that naivety and innocence - becoming a bit more cynical, taking things with a grain of salt.^^^^... Actually I quite liked all of the characters she introduced, or at least took an interest to. Again, dull characters makes a dull book, no matter how interesting the plot is. (Then again interesting characters and dumb plot line would be equally as bad =P)^^^^The surprising turns or relevations really kept me going. \"Just one more chapter,\" I would murmur, disregarding the fact that it's about 1am and I said that about 5 chapters ago.^^^^This is one of the books I had picked up, was interested in, but could not for the life of me remember the title or author.. only what the book cover looked like (and it was heaps different from the one shown here), a vagueness of a couple of the character's names (I only got one right), and what the book was about.^^^^So very glad then, that I persisted in googling random keywords after 3 or so months of going.... what the heck was that book called?! who's the darn author!? =.=^^^^Well worth the effort =) ^^^^The second book is due to be out in January 2008, I think."(less)

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Mar 19, 2009 Karen rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I felt a little ripped off by this book,it's characters and the plot--it is very similar to books by British mystery writer Anne Perry (one of Perry's reoccuring charaters is William Monk, an amnesiac Private Detective. I noticed that Raybourn has a Monk character in her book as well...), with the twisted underbelly side of Victorian England exposed: homosexuality,affairs, STD's and murder amongst the nobility--all lovely delightful stuff! I acutually pegged who the murderer was early on in this...more

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Mar 02, 2009 Jess rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, mystery, adult-fiction

The perfect thing to devour on a sick day. I barely got off the couch, completely diverted by this entertaining blend of historical fiction, mystery, great characters, and snappy dialogue. It's nothing too serious, but the writing has none of those terrible, annoying flaws often found in fluffier books. The characters were all fascinating, there was some great (and completely unresolved) sexual tension, fun descriptions of clothes - and I was really more interested in all of that than in the mys...more

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Feb 17, 2009 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, mystery, historical-fiction, own, la-la-loved

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 (wh...more

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Feb 17, 2009 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of historical mystery, especially set in the Victorian era.

Shelves: reviewed, books-read-in-2009

When Lady Julia Grey's husband, Edward, drops dead at her feet at a party they're throwing, she isn't surprised. He had suffered the effects of a hereditary heart condition all his life, the same condition which took the lives of his father and grandfather before they were forty. When a strange man named Nicholas Brisbane arrives on the scene and has the temerity to suggest that Sir Edward may have been murdered, Julia is shocked and outraged. Nicholas, a private investigator, insists that befor...more When Lady Julia Grey's husband, Edward, drops dead at her feet at a party they're throwing, she isn't surprised. He had suffered the effects of a hereditary heart condition all his life, the same condition which took the lives of his father and grandfather before they were forty. When a strange man named Nicholas Brisbane arrives on the scene and has the temerity to suggest that Sir Edward may have been murdered, Julia is shocked and outraged. Nicholas, a private investigator, insists that before he died, Sir Edward enlisted his help in tracking down the sender of a series of mysterious death threats. At first, Julia dismisses the proposition as being outrageous, but when she finds one of these strange notes for herself, she begins to wonder if Nicholas might be right. Together she and this enigmatic, often frightening detective must track down the truth, in the process unearthing dark secrets that would have been much better off left buried.

I had been hearing a lot about this book, and how good it was, so when I spotted a copy for sale in a used bookstore, I decided to pick it up. Overall, I enjoyed it, though I wouldn't say it sent me into ecstasies. I thought the character development was solid, even the seemingly insignificant secondary characters feel real and fleshed out (such as the various quirky members of Julia's family, who I would like to see more of). I liked how Lady Julia herself grew as a person throughout the book. She starts out as a rather timid, submissive person. Though her family is famous for having produced many eccentrics, all she wants is to lead a normal, quiet life. She always defers to her husband, Edward, even in matters such as the way she dresses, always doing what he wishes rather than what she herself wants. By the end of the book, we see her transformed into almost a new woman, who isn't afraid to stand up for herself and be independent. There is a bit of romance in this book, and at times the way this is presented reminded me a bit of a trashy romance novel. This threw me off, because it seems totally at odds with the rest of the book. It's as though the author couldn't decide what style of book she wanted to write. All in all, though, for a first effort I think this is exemplary. It was enough to get me hooked on the story and the characters, and I plan on reading the next in the series.
(less)

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Feb 08, 2009 Toni Osborne rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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 th...more

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Jan 11, 2009 Nicole rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed

It is Victorian England and we meet Lady Julia Grey as her ailing husband Edward is writhing in throes of agony upon their music room floor, guests to their gathering looking on. Of course he soon dies and inquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane requests an audience with Julia to tell her that her husband may not have died of his illness but may have been murdered…as he had been hired by Edward to look into threats against his life…but with no proof Julia sends him away. Now a year later, Julia finds a...more It is Victorian England and we meet Lady Julia Grey as her ailing husband Edward is writhing in throes of agony upon their music room floor, guests to their gathering looking on. Of course he soon dies and inquiry agent Nicholas Brisbane requests an audience with Julia to tell her that her husband may not have died of his illness but may have been murdered…as he had been hired by Edward to look into threats against his life…but with no proof Julia sends him away. Now a year later, Julia finds a threatening note hidden at the very back of Edward’s desk drawer. Of course, she can’t let her husband’s murder lie at rest, so she seeks out Brisbane and hires him to again hunt out the perpetrator.

I thought Silent in the Grave a very well crafted, well paced story. I would describe it as snapshots of plot accompanied by descriptive labels (meaning each chapter’s matching quote by bard), rather than a running stream, teasing you a little bit here, a little there, before twisting again. The writing is very detailed and at times blunt, drawing you in, never letting you leave. The setting, Grey House, was intriguingly atmospheric…Edward preferring a much different style than Julia’s own muddled, quirky study…multiple varying occupants each with a secret.

I appreciated that Raybourn rounded out the setting and the characters, especially the March family. This is the first book in a series after all and I thought it important that Raybourn took the time to fully develop each character you are introduced to, making you feel intimately invested of the course each took in the plot. Lady Julia’s character being sparkling and adventuresome but both innocent and blind. Brisbane being hardened, secretive and complex. The banter between Lady Julia and Brisbane was often intense and at times witty or biting, making for an exciting story. I look forward to meeting them all again in Silent in the Sanctuary, the second in the series and Silent on the Moor, the third book in the series (to be released in trade format March 1).

Deanna Raybourn’s Silent in the Grave is an amazing debut novel, filled with puzzles, seething emotions and gothic romantic overtones. It has been one of my favourite reads in months and I put it equally on par with Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily Ashton series, And Only to Deceive and A Poisoned Season (and A Fatal Waltz which I have not yet read), and Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale.

My Rating: 4.5

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Jun 15, 2013 Brandy Painter rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, historical-fiction, adult-fiction

I have a lot of friends who love this series so I feel really bad that I didn't like this book at all, so bad I thought, "I could give it two stars. It wasn't that badly written." Yet one star means didn't like it and I didn't like. I have reasons:

1. Totally called it. I knew who the murderer was from the first scene that person was in and figured out the motive shortly after. Now that in and of itself is not enough to turn me off a book. If I believe the amount of time it takes the characters t...more I have a lot of friends who love this series so I feel really bad that I didn't like this book at all, so bad I thought, "I could give it two stars. It wasn't that badly written." Yet one star means didn't like it and I didn't like. I have reasons:

1. Totally called it. I knew who the murderer was from the first scene that person was in and figured out the motive shortly after. Now that in and of itself is not enough to turn me off a book. If I believe the amount of time it takes the characters to figure it out makes sense, I'm good. And with Julia it did. There is no reason any of that should have been on her radar. I'm less impressed that Nicholas didn't even seem to flirt with the notion. He has seen more of the world and had more experience. Really, the thought should have crossed his mind. Which leads me to...

2. Nicholas is fairly useless as a character. He is supposed to be this great agent. He makes his living off of investigating things. He does absolutely no investigating in this book. All the important clues are stumbled on by Julia. He contributes an arsenic test and a few field trips to question some people-to no avail I might add. Most of the time he is "indisposed" or "out of town". What he does contribute is a perfect brooding stare, snarly dialogue directed toward Julia, and some obligatory I'm-too-sexy-for-my-shirt scenes. None of which endeared him to me. Also he's there to save Julia in the end when she needs him, which of course she does because...

3. Julia is not exactly possessed with an overabundance of critical thinking skills. Au contraire. The book kept telling me she was smart. All the people who knew her kept stating it. I kept waiting for evidence of it to show up. Example: She finds a crucial clue to the case in her own private study, in her own private book. She has a couple of days to ruminate on this before showing it to Nicholas. She is utterly shocked when he presents the notion that this means the murderer is most likely someone in her own household. She had days to think it over. This is only one example, there were other times I was blinking at Julia's inability for deep and nuanced thinking. But she must be intelligent because the author kept insisting on it. After all she had a great education because...

4. Julia's family believes in fully educating women. Is this a bad thing? No. They are also completely okay with people having same sex lovers, performing merciful abortions, and are loving and helpful to gypsies. They are open minded and accepting of all the things. Now if this were a contemporary series all this together would not be a problem but...THIS IS VICTORIAN ENGLAND. I will say the context in which these are included is believable for the time period. If ONE of them had been present, I would not have been skeptical. But all of them together? No. This is a 21st century family living in Victorian times.

5. Finally: Nicholas's big "secret". I really hated this element. Why? What on earth was the purpose of this really? It seemed it was just a convenient way to have him out of commission for half the novel and then able to rescue Julia in the end. Also so he could angst and have reason to talk himself away from Julia. Lame.

Needless to say I will not be reading any more of these. They are clearly not meant for me.(less)

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Jun 03, 2013 P.d.r. Lindsay rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: the-not-sure-shelf

This can only be described as a plum pudding of a book, full of everything you would find in a Victorian melodrama. And what melodrama it is, every cliche fulfilled.

In 1886, in London there's a hero, Nicholas Brisbane, the violin playing, Duke's bastard grandson who is a Byronically handsome private detective with second sight and gypsy blood. There's the heroine, Lady Julia Grey, a Lord's daughter and reared unconventionally, of course, behaving like a Victorian Miss one moment and a 21stC her...more

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May 08, 2013 Callixta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Amazing book, intelligent, with a wonderful heroin. Deanna Raybourn writes so well...

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Voilà une petite perle de la romance historique, premier tome d’une série originale, différente de ce que vous lisez habituellement. Deanna Raybourn a initié avec ce roman, il y a quelques années, une très intelligente série victorienne qui mêle un excellent contexte à une superbe histoire d’amour et à une intrigue policière de très bonne facture. Elle créé ainsi deux hér...more Amazing book, intelligent, with a wonderful heroin. Deanna Raybourn writes so well...

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Voilà une petite perle de la romance historique, premier tome d’une série originale, différente de ce que vous lisez habituellement. Deanna Raybourn a initié avec ce roman, il y a quelques années, une très intelligente série victorienne qui mêle un excellent contexte à une superbe histoire d’amour et à une intrigue policière de très bonne facture. Elle créé ainsi deux héros récurrents que vous retroivrez dans les quatre prochains tomes et sont un véritable plaisir.

Parfois, il suffit de la première phrase pour tomber dans le livre. Ici, c’est le cas. Deanna Raybourn écrit quelque chose assez intraduisible en français mais qui jour sur l’expression « il faudra me passer sur le corps ». En effet, elle verra pour la première fois Nicholas Brisbane non pas alors qu’il était en train de passer sur le corps de son époux puisque celui-ci n’était pas encore décédé. Cela donne immédiatement le ton de ce roman follement intelligent et bien fait, une ironie distante mais bien là, un humour très british et une grande élégance de style.

En effet, Julia, Lady Grey, va rencontrer le détective privée Nicholas Brisbane alors que son mari est pris d’une attaque subite mais vraiment surprenante. Il avait le cœur malade comme c’est souvent le cas dans la famille et s’affaiblissait lentement depuis de longs mois. C’est pourquoi Julia va expédier avec vigueur le jeune homme lorsqu’il affirme qu’il pense qu’il s’agit d’un meurtre. Julia mettra longtemps à douter elle aussi des circonstances du décès mais la clé du roman est là. Qu’est-il arrivé à Lord Grey et comment élucider un mystère un an après la mort du défunt ?

Deanna Raybourn va relever haut la main cette question apparemment insoluble. C’est toute la vie de ce couple sans histoire, de deux amis d’enfance qui se sont mariés qui va se révéler. Tout au long des pages de ce très long ouvrage, nous allons voir tomber les voiles qui se sont accumulés entre Julia et la vérité. Il n’est pas forcément impossible de deviner ce qui s’est tramé au fur et à mesure que des clés nous sont révélées mais le grand plaisir est le soin avec lequel l’auteure les amène et la richesse de détails et de remarques qu’elle apporte. Car c’est toute une société qui se dévoile aussi, celle de la reine Victoria que Lady Grey connaît personnellement. Cette période brillante pour la société britannique a aussi ses problèmes, ses hontes, ses tabous. La plupart seront révélés et exploités dans le roman.

Plus encore, nous voyons une jeune femme évoluer et sortir de la coquille dans laquelle la société l’a enfermée. Julia a accepté son sort dans la vie, de femme soumise qui n’a pas de question à poser bien qu’elle soit issue d’une famille plutôt anti-conformiste. Elle n’est ni faible ni stupide bien au contraire mais la mort suspecte de son époux va la conduire à réviser ses jugements sur elle-même, poussée par certains membres de sa famille. L’hypocrisie, les mensonges, les préjugés de l’époque victorienne sont dénoncés de façon très subtile. Et c’est l’enquête à laquelle elle s’associe qui va lui permettre ça. Elle la fait auprès d’un professionnel, le mystérieux Nicholas Brisbane.

Voilà un homme fort intrigant et dont l’histoire en elle-même est un suspense de plus. Mais qui est ce bel homme, différent, étrange, affecté de migraines spectaculaires ? Quel superbe personnage masculin, follement romantique aussi. Peu de scènes sensuelles rapprochent nos deux héros, nous ne sommes pas dans ce genre de romance. Ici, c’est une découverte mutuelle, où personne n’avoue rien qui se déploie. C’est riche, intense, complet. Non seulement le désir couve mais leurs deux esprits communiquent, ils deviennent amis et complices. Superbe.

Vous l’aurez compris, c’est une superbe livre, écrit de façon magnifique et élégante qui va bien au-delà du classement parfois un peu figé. Nous ne sommes pas dans une romance classique, ni dans un roman historique, ni dans un roman policier mais dans les trois à la fois. Belle idée que nous allons continuer à étudier car Lady Julia, à la fin de ce livre, est à l’aube d’une nouvelle vie que nous rêvons de découvrir !(less)

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Jan 20, 2013 Gail rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries-historical, mysteries

Lady Julia Grey is from a family of Freethinkers, Radicals, and rascals in Victorian England. All she longs to do is be conventional. She is living quietly in a large, rich quiet house in a quiet street, attending the social parties of a woman married to her rich childhood sweetheart. Her husband, always sickly, dies suddenly at a dinner party.

Not entirely unexpected, she is surprised to learn that her husband was being threatened and in such fear for his life, he hired an inquiry agent to inve...more

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Well Written Suspense	14	94	Jul 08, 2012 06:56am
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About Deanna Raybourn

A sixth-generation native Texan, Deanna Raybourn graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a double major in English and history and an emphasis on Shakespearean studies. She taught high school English for three years in San Antonio before leaving education to pursue a career as a novelist. SILENT ON THE MOOR is the third novel in the award-winning Lady Julia Grey series. Deanna m...more

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Books by Deanna Raybourn

Silent in the Sanctuary (Lady Julia, #2)

Dark Road to Darjeeling (Lady Julia, #4)

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“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.” — 99 people liked it

“Fate is by far the greatest mystery of all.” — 38 people liked it

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Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia Mystery #1)

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