Silent In The Grave
(Deanna Raybourn)
Lady Julia Grey is the type who does her duty. Except, of course, when she
is adhering to the family motto audeo, or I dare. Apparently, she comes
from a long line of upper-crust miscreants, which saves the gripping Silent
in the Grave, set in the late 1880s, from being just another Gothic mystery
or Victorian romance.
When Julia''s husband Edward dies suddenly, she thinks his death was the
natural result of an inherited heart ailment he''d had since childhood. But
months later, she finds a note that indicates her husband was being threatened,
and she decides to accept the offer of help from a mysterious private
investigator, Nicholas Brisbane. The sexual tension between these two is
pleasingly taut. Julia is remarkably broad-minded for a Victorian aristocrat,
and as the novel (and her character) develops, she is pulled slowly but surely
from the restrictions of her priggish social sphere, revealing a more daring
personality.
Together, Julia and Nicholas come upon clues that lead them to a seamstress''
cottage, a gypsy camp and her servants'' quarters. The entertainment factor is
high, and the characters are so appealing that I devoured the book to find out
what would happen to them next. The final resolution is anything but
predictable?a true puzzle that in turn delights and appalls, with a nod to Wuthering Heights.
Author Deanna Raybourn lures the reader in like a skilled hunter. Early on,
period details of fashion, etiquette, flowers and servants lull you into
believing this is a delightful tale about a widow bent on having some
investigative fun. However, these soon give way to dark, lurid accounts of the
most un-Victorian behavior, as Julia and Nicholas discover truths about Edward
that she never could have imagined. The ending screams sequel?I''ll certainly
look for the next one.
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