Can't Stay Silent

I'm disappointed that my Good Reads account is on the fritz. I've contacted Good Reads' support and they've let me know that while my problem is uncommon, it's not the first they've heard of it. They are investigating the issue and I can only hope, trying to come up with a fix.

Until that time, my list of "read" books grows. For the most part, I'm being patient, but after reading "Silent in the Grave" and the sequel "Silent in the Sanctuary," by Deanna Raybourn, my patience is up.

I enjoyed these Lady Julia Grey mysteries so much that I can't wait for the 3rd "Silent on the Moor," to come out in March 2009. So naturally, I have to blog about it.

Set in late 1800's London, 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.

I stared at him, not quite taking in the fact that he had just collapsed at my feet. He lay, curled like a question mark, his evening suit ink-black against the white marble of the floor. He was writhing, his fingers knotted.

I leaned as close to him as my corset would permit.

“Edward, we have guests. Do get up. If this is some sort of silly prank—”

“He is not jesting, my lady. He is convulsing.”

With her eccentric and large family standing by for support, Lady Julia goes through her year of mourning and eventually comes to the realization that her husband did not die of a heart condition, but was instead murdered. She also learns that Nicholas Brisbane is an inquiry agent and had been hired by her husband to investigate threatening notes he had been receiving.

Lady Julia and Brisbane, a moody, enigmatic, Darcy-esqe character, embark on an investigation of the murder.

Julia has just the right mix of winsome naivete and utter disregard for societal conventions. She is funny and gutsy and makes mistakes.

Her relationship with Brisbane lingers right on the edge of propriety and passion through out most of the book.

To say that the cast of supporting characters is colorful is an understatement. From Julia's reformed prostitute maid and gypsy laundress to her brother who is secretly studying to become a physician through questionable practices and her morbid Aunt "The Ghoul" who seems to thrive on death, funerals and mourning, there is hardly a dull moment.

I am not an avid reader of mysteries, but was able to figure out "whodunit" before the book was done. Still, the circumstances and twists and turns fairly unpredictable and make the book a definite page turner.

If you miss reading until 3am and neglecting housework for a few days, "Silent in the Grave" and "Silent in the Sanctuary" will fill your need splendidly.