With a modest inheritance and the three gowns that make up her entire wardrobe, Theodora Lestrange leaves Edinburgh--and a disappointed suitor--far...
read full description
reviews
Mar 16, 2010
Jill
rated it: 
Can we PLEASE go back to the original cover style for her books so I'm not embarrassed to buy them?
3 comments
like
(31 people liked it)
Nov 02, 2010
MB
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
6 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Feb 27, 2011
Julie
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jan 20, 2012
Josie
rated it:
At first glance, this book seemed to contain all the right ingredients. A Victorian heroine, a brooding count, a castle set atop a mountain, and rumours of vampires... *insert dramatic music here!* When I discovered that the heroine's name was Theodora Lestrange (yes, really) and the count was Andrei Dragulescu (seriously) I settled myself down for what I was sure was going to be a downright ridiculous romp of a novel.
And... it wasn't. At all. The heroine was as dull as ditchwater, More...
And... it wasn't. At all. The heroine was as dull as ditchwater, More...
Aug 04, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
As a fan of Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series, I thought it would be interesting to see what she did with something new. When I read the synopsis, however, I was concerned because it felt like Raybourn was finding a way to capitalize off the highly popular vampire romance genre. While I know that Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series is very different from Twilight, in today's book market it's tough to not compare any vampire novel to Twilight. Perhaps Raybourn chose vampires to drawn in genr
More...
Jun 11, 2011
Ashley
rated it:
A watered-down narrative pretending to be a romance, a mystery, and a horror story all in one.
Theodora Lestrange (no, I'm not kidding - that's her name) is an independent Victorian authoress on her way to Transylvania to visit an old school friend and get inspiration for her latest novel. Insert a handsome brooding count, echoes of vampire stories, and a few mysterious occurrences and you have The Dead Travel Fast. What would have been an otherwise enjoyable story was ruined by its More...
Theodora Lestrange (no, I'm not kidding - that's her name) is an independent Victorian authoress on her way to Transylvania to visit an old school friend and get inspiration for her latest novel. Insert a handsome brooding count, echoes of vampire stories, and a few mysterious occurrences and you have The Dead Travel Fast. What would have been an otherwise enjoyable story was ruined by its More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 11, 2011
Scarlett.speaks
rated it:
I was expecting a vastly different novel.
Now, make no mistake, I'm not disappointed. I just wasn't expecting a classic gothic romance.
This book kept me reading and I did enjoy it. However I felt it would have benefited from an additional 150 pages or so. Toward the end, rather than showing the reader what was happening, Raybourn seemed to fall into the "endless exposition" trap. Also, a character from the beginning bit of the novel showed up completely randomly and More...
Now, make no mistake, I'm not disappointed. I just wasn't expecting a classic gothic romance.
This book kept me reading and I did enjoy it. However I felt it would have benefited from an additional 150 pages or so. Toward the end, rather than showing the reader what was happening, Raybourn seemed to fall into the "endless exposition" trap. Also, a character from the beginning bit of the novel showed up completely randomly and More...
Mar 18, 2011
Milena
rated it:
Having finished all four in the lady Julia series, I went on to The Dead Travel Fast because I wanted to see what Ms. Raybourn would do away from the same group of characters. It was worth it.
What Raybourn does best is gothic (I'd add a gothic shelf if I weren't too lazy), and here she really comes into her own. The atmosphere is well done, and the feeling of uncertainty -- is the menace real or not? and if it is, is it supernatural or just somebody using local legends to literally get More...
What Raybourn does best is gothic (I'd add a gothic shelf if I weren't too lazy), and here she really comes into her own. The atmosphere is well done, and the feeling of uncertainty -- is the menace real or not? and if it is, is it supernatural or just somebody using local legends to literally get More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Mar 01, 2011
Kim
rated it:
I've read this author's other Victorian series of romance-mysteries, but I enjoyed this book more. It's a book that plays with the Dracula story without ever actually discussing Dracula. The heroine, Theodora, visits Transylvania to stay with a school friend. She stays at the castle home of the Dragulescu family and quickly becomes infatuated with the recently inherited Count Andrei Dragulescu. Naturally there are lots of spooky folk beliefs and legends and then a mysterious death. The auth
More...
Oct 30, 2010
Mary
rated it:
I admit that this is a book I picked up at Fred Meyer and started reading it in the store (before buying it) while waiting for my parents on one of our Costco/Fred Meyer runs we do once a month in Warrington Oregon. Before I get to the book its self I want to note that I have always had a fascination with vampires, Romania and Dracula since my paternal paternal side of the family is from Austria, Hungary and Romania and I am also a direct descendent of Vlad Dracula (Vlad the Impaler) himself.
More...
More...
Aug 12, 2010
Gail
rated it:
This is an old-style evil-vampire book (spooky, atmospheric, do they exist or not?) mixed with a lot of gothic romance, written with lots of lush, atmospheric, moody prose. If you like that sort of thing, you'll like this book.
The heroine is a small Englishwoman--she grew up in Edinburgh, but does not self-identify as Scottish--who travels to Transylvania in the mid-Victorian era to stay with a friend in anticipation of her marriage. The friend lives at the top of an isolated mountai More...
The heroine is a small Englishwoman--she grew up in Edinburgh, but does not self-identify as Scottish--who travels to Transylvania in the mid-Victorian era to stay with a friend in anticipation of her marriage. The friend lives at the top of an isolated mountai More...
May 20, 2010
Cheryl
rated it:
Theodora’s grandfather has passed away. Theodora has no one to watch over her but her brother and sister-in-law. Theodora does not need anyone to care for her. In fact, Theodora comes up with a plan to visit her friend, Cosmina in Transylvania. She bids farewell to her brother, sister-in-law and her boyfriend.
Cosmina cares for the Countess Dragulescu. The Countess and her husband, live in a castle, high atop a mountain. At first glance, Theodora is taken back by the ominous size and More...
Cosmina cares for the Countess Dragulescu. The Countess and her husband, live in a castle, high atop a mountain. At first glance, Theodora is taken back by the ominous size and More...
May 03, 2010
Liz
rated it:
I think I would have given this book a higher rating if I hadn't read the best book of the year just prior to picking it up. Plus, I just don't really like the concept of vampires.....it really freaks me out and I probably wouldn't have bothered picking this one up if I didn't love this author. But with that said, I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't any gruesome vampirey stuff.....just enough of the possibility that they exist to make my little hairs stand on end, but not freaky enough
More...
Apr 20, 2010
Rachel
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Apr 13, 2010
Stacey
rated it:
Having just finished "Silent on the Moors" I was excited to see this book at Costco. I started reading it at around 9:00 pm and could not sleep until I finished it. This book introduces a different character than the "Silent" series, but I liked her. The books opens with Theodora packing up her grandfather's belongings for sale after his death. As he was her guardian, Theodora is now adrift with very little to her name. She doesn't want to become a burden for her sister
More...
Apr 07, 2010
LJ
rated it:
First Sentence: All proper stories begin with the words Once upon a time….
Theodroa Lastrange travels to a castle in the Carpathian Mountains at the invitation of her school-days friend, Cosmina. There she finds an old castle, an aristocratic family, and a count to whom she is inexplicably and inexorably attracted. She also finds superstition and dark tales of werewolves and be involved in the destruction of an alleged vampire.
My feelings, about this book, changed almos More...
Theodroa Lastrange travels to a castle in the Carpathian Mountains at the invitation of her school-days friend, Cosmina. There she finds an old castle, an aristocratic family, and a count to whom she is inexplicably and inexorably attracted. She also finds superstition and dark tales of werewolves and be involved in the destruction of an alleged vampire.
My feelings, about this book, changed almos More...
4 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Apr 01, 2010
Michelle
rated it:
With her Lady Julia Grey novels, Deanna Raybourn has proved herself a master at creating evocative, atmospheric settings and her decision to set her latest Gothic novel, The Dead Travel Fast, in a mysterious and darkly exotic, feudal Transylvania castle can only be labeled as perfectly brilliant.
The death of Miss Theodora LeStrange's grandfather and guardian has left her at a impasse. Never one to desire marriage and motherhood she can either move in with her sister - and her many ch More...
The death of Miss Theodora LeStrange's grandfather and guardian has left her at a impasse. Never one to desire marriage and motherhood she can either move in with her sister - and her many ch More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 11, 2010
Holly
rated it:
With her grandfather dead and hardly a penny to her name, soon-to-be spinster Theodora Lestrange is set to be a burden on her sister and her husband or marry a man she doesn't love. That is until her old school friend Cosmina invites her to Rumania to see her married. Happy to fend for herself rather than be looked after by her thoughtful yet prudish brother-in-law, Theodora leaves Scotland for the Transylvanian mountains with only a few dresses and pen and paper to continue her writing. But
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 09, 2010
Stacy
rated it:
There wasn't anything particular about the style or the content that I could single out as being alluring, but this drew me in from the start and moved quickly, keeping my attention rapt from start to finish. What starts as a gothic romance turns on its heel to become a murder mystery steeped in suspicion that I daresay recalls du Maurier's Rebecca.
The main character, Theodora, is strong and fierce in her grasp of feminism - determined not to lean on anyone but to make her living by More...
The main character, Theodora, is strong and fierce in her grasp of feminism - determined not to lean on anyone but to make her living by More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Mar 01, 2010
Angie
rated it:
For the last couple of weeks I've been obsessively checking my local bookstore's stock online to see if Deanna Raybourn's THE DEAD TRAVEL FAST just happened to get in early. Yes, I actually am that nerdy and it's much too late to do anything about it. But, in this case, the effort paid off as a nice, healthy stack of them awaited me on the "New Fiction" table when I dashed in from the rain on my way home from work. As you know, I am a devoted Lady Julia Grey fan. I adore that series an
More...
13 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Jul 04, 2010
Karen
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 29, 2011
Cindy
rated it:
I REALLY waver between 3 and 4 stars on this one... for now I'll stick with 4.
I had really conflicted feelings about this book. On the one hand, I loved the atmospheric writing and the many nods to Bram Stoker's "Dracula"; "The Dead Travel Fast" had a very similar voice and eerie overtone as Stoker's classic. The whole time I was reading, I felt like I was present in that village in the Carpathians. It was easy to believe that werewolves and vampires walked in tha More...
I had really conflicted feelings about this book. On the one hand, I loved the atmospheric writing and the many nods to Bram Stoker's "Dracula"; "The Dead Travel Fast" had a very similar voice and eerie overtone as Stoker's classic. The whole time I was reading, I felt like I was present in that village in the Carpathians. It was easy to believe that werewolves and vampires walked in tha More...
Apr 06, 2010
Terry
rated it: 
I must say that this book was quite a surprise and I absolutely loved it from page one to the very end. I am not a mystery reader and that is where the story took me by surprise but it was a good surprise. It's supposed to be a paranormal romance but I would say it's more of a paranormal mystery with a dash of romance to wet the appetite.
Our heroine Theodora has just lost her grandfather a few months past and is working with her sister and brother-in-law to settle up his estate when More...
Our heroine Theodora has just lost her grandfather a few months past and is working with her sister and brother-in-law to settle up his estate when More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Mar 24, 2010
Sheila
rated it:
I really enjoyed this Gothic Victorian romance/mystery, in which aspiring author Theodora Lestrange, on an invitation from an old school friend, leaves Edinburgh (and her suitor) and travels to a gloomy, decaying castle in Transylvania. There she hopes to stimulate her imagination and absorb local vampire and werewolf lore to use in the novel she intends to write that will bring her financial independence.
In the castle, Theodora meets the mysterious, purportedly wicked Count Andrei D More...
In the castle, Theodora meets the mysterious, purportedly wicked Count Andrei D More...
Mar 12, 2010
Cindi
rated it:
When her father dies, Theodora Lestrange travels to a cold and decaying castle in the Rumania where she is haunted by tales of vampires and werewolves. She is dangerously attracted to the dark Count Dragulescu who begins to seduce her upon arrival: is he what he seems, or something inhuman and unnatural? I am a fan of Raybourn's Lady Julia series, so I really looked forward to this book...and was sadly disappointed. In the "Silent" series, Raybourn shines as she creates a seamless Vict
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Feb 26, 2010
Nan
rated it:
This was a truly perfect book.
It had all of my favorite elements of a neo-Victorian Gothic--the impoverished gentlewoman seeking to make her way in life; the mysterious, sensual young count that catches her eye; mysterious deaths; superstitious locals; and a fraught relationship to the past.
Theodora is an orphan, and her grandfather has recently died as well. When her schoolfriend, Cosima, invites her to Transylvania to be a guest at Cosima's wedding to the local count More...
It had all of my favorite elements of a neo-Victorian Gothic--the impoverished gentlewoman seeking to make her way in life; the mysterious, sensual young count that catches her eye; mysterious deaths; superstitious locals; and a fraught relationship to the past.
Theodora is an orphan, and her grandfather has recently died as well. When her schoolfriend, Cosima, invites her to Transylvania to be a guest at Cosima's wedding to the local count More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Apr 30, 2010
Starling
rated it:
I've marked this for my paranormal shelf, but it isn't really a paranormal book. What this book is is a Gothic novel.
The heroine is a 19th Century Gothic novelist. I'm not sure when in the 19th Century the book is placed. But it could be any time after about 1840 when the railroads began to be built. Her grandfather who was her guardian dies leaving her penniless. Her brother-in-law and sister come to help close down the estate and to offer her their home, but she accepts an invitati More...
The heroine is a 19th Century Gothic novelist. I'm not sure when in the 19th Century the book is placed. But it could be any time after about 1840 when the railroads began to be built. Her grandfather who was her guardian dies leaving her penniless. Her brother-in-law and sister come to help close down the estate and to offer her their home, but she accepts an invitati More...
Sep 05, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Pros:
The main character, Theodora, is surprisingly aware of the difference between physical attraction and love. So many romantic stories confuse these two.
The Transylvania setting was nicely atmospheric.
The sowing of doubt about the supernatural aspects was a nice touch. Instead of being either a "vampire" story or a "murder mystery" Raybourn blends the two, having Theodora waver between belief and doubt, in the way an intelligent but sensitive person might.
More...
The main character, Theodora, is surprisingly aware of the difference between physical attraction and love. So many romantic stories confuse these two.
The Transylvania setting was nicely atmospheric.
The sowing of doubt about the supernatural aspects was a nice touch. Instead of being either a "vampire" story or a "murder mystery" Raybourn blends the two, having Theodora waver between belief and doubt, in the way an intelligent but sensitive person might.
More...
May 28, 2010
Malin Engdahl
rated it:
I absolutely adore Deanna Raybourn's three previous books: Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary and Silent on the Moor. They are Victorian mystery novels with a romantic subplot, and delight me immensely. So when I heard that Raybourn had a completely stand-alone book out, inspired by Gothic novels and set in Transylvania, I had to put it on my pre-order list immediately.
The book arrived about a week back, and I'm assuming the big-busted lady on the cover is supposed to be th More...
The book arrived about a week back, and I'm assuming the big-busted lady on the cover is supposed to be th More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
May 17, 2010
K.
rated it:
I'm a huge fan of Raybourn's Lady Grey mystery series. Reading this book, I could see the love Raybourn must have for gothic novels that is so brilliantly underlaying the atmosphere in the Lady Grey series. The difference is, while the understated gothic-ness brings frissons of romance and horror to that series, here it turns into a full fledged homage to a gothic fest.
Theodora joins a childhood friend in a castle in Transylvania. She is drawn to the Count of the castle, even while s More...
Theodora joins a childhood friend in a castle in Transylvania. She is drawn to the Count of the castle, even while s More...
